Barcelona

If it’s your first time to visiting Barcelona, there are plenty of cultural experiences that you can look forward to, not to mention the sightseeing opportunities that you’ll get to have.  If your flight is taking you to the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, you should definitely include Barcelona in your travel itinerary.

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and is the capital of Catalonia. When you first step foot in the city, you will be amazed at the stunning beauty of the Mediterranean city – which is no wonder because it has remained one of the most popular European tourist destinations since the 1990s.

Did you know that there is even an area in Barcelona called “La Rambla” which is specifically meant for walking? The walking experience will expose you to the quaint beauty of Barcelona with its unique markets, shops, majestic churches, historical museums and a plethora of dining options.

A Quick Tour of the Most Interesting Neighborhoods in Barcelona

When travelling to Barcelona, you will soon find out that the city has something to offer for everyone. To give you an idea about the many sightseeing opportunities that you can take advantage of when having a tour of the city, here’s a quick list of the districts here:

- Barcelonata
One of the many attractions that Spain in general has to tourists is its sandy beaches, and Barcelonata is the place to be if you would like to lounge by the beach. There are also plenty of restaurants and cafes along the boardwalk which you can relax in after a day of sunning and swimming.

- Ciutat Vella
This is Barcelona’s old town where the structures around the streets seem to be a living, breathing museum. The buildings are influenced by the medieval Barri Gotic and El Borne or La Ribera. The name Ciutat Vella is Catalan for “Old City”, and there are plenty of historical sights for you to visit here.

In La Ribera, for example, you can have a tour of the Palau de la Musica Catalana which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s also the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, Carrer Montcada, Passeig del Born and Mercat del Born.

- Gracia
Gracia is located about a kilometer away from Barcelona, and it is a beautiful Catalan neighborhood with a cosmopolitan feel to it. Some highlights when visiting this district is a tour of the Park Guell, and simply walking through the area to see the prosperous private villas situated above Guell Park.

- Eixample
Finally, there’s the Eixample district which is home to art nouveau buildings. Eixample is also known as the Modernist quarter which was built during the 19th century by Ildefons Cerda.

More than just being a single city with a unique personality, Barcelona is really a sum of different facets of several cities and districts. If it’s your first time to visit Barcelona, you might be surprised at how such a modern Mediterranean city still preserves its historic Gothic center – but that’s exactly the appeal of the place to visitors. It’s a unique melding of the old and the new, while still preserving the image of Barcelona as a premier Mediterranean destination with an appeal all its own.