Barcelona, the city that has it all…
If you are debating whether to take a city break or a beach holiday stop right there! Rosie Khdir has found the ideal Mediterranean location that doesn’t make you choose…
Barcelona has all you could want from a holiday destination; sun, sand and city sights! As the second largest city in Spain, both in size and population, and capital of the Catalonian region, Barcelona is sure to attract heaps of tourists, but it’s what they find there that keeps them coming back.
If you like to spend a good deal of your holiday sourcing the latest in Spanish trends then here are places to do it. El Born is for those with a bigger budget and a keener eye for labels; and has mixture of shops filled with all things designer and those sporting weird and wonderful artefacts.
Port Vell is home to a major shopping complex called Maremàgnum, which offers popular names such as Calvin Klein, Mango, H&M and a variation of tapas restaurants and coffee shops.
Just a short walk from Port Vell is Las Ramblas the famous 1.5km street running through the centre of the city. You can see many famous monuments along this street, such as the Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house, the Font de Canaletes and the city’s famous street market the Mercat de la Boqueria.
The city is filled with architectural wonders but none as beautiful as works of Antoni Gaudí. From the Güell Parc with its Doctor Seuss-esque buildings and colourful mosaic walls, to the intricate spires of his unfinished Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Gaudí never fails to amaze every visitor.
When you get tired of the city (if you ever do that is) you can always escape to the coast and soak up the springtime sun somewhere along Barcelona’s 4.5 km beaches. You have the choice of Mar Bella, Barceloneta, Bogatell or Nova Icaria, which is closest to the Olympic Marina.
When I said this city has it all, I really wasn’t kidding. If the beautiful buildings, cultural museums and plush shops don’t fulfil you are tired of being a beach bum the head up to Montjuïc and Tibidabo, the two mountains above Barcelona.
On Montjuïc you will find not only stunning views of the city and its coast but also a botanical garden, a modern art museum dedicated to Joan Miró, the Catalan Museum of Archaeology and an Olympic Museum.
Barcelona is crammed with things to do and see, so much so that only a fraction has been mentioned in this article. What is for certain is that Barcelona has definitely earned the title of “The city that has it all”.
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Image credit: papalars
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