Images Mike Merchant
From its privileged position on the Mediterranean, within easy reach of the Pyrenees, the confident Catalan capital has always been proud of its assets and delighted to be labelled the most cosmopolitan city in Spain. Judy Thomson reveals why this vibrant city has become a top destination and favourite business centre
Barcelona’s showcase of national and international architecture blends effortlessly into daily life, and design is a leitmotif running through everything, from shopping in the market to catching a bus to the beach – even the police have designer uniforms. To get a taste of this infectious lifestyle, round off a culture-packed day by chilling out at a beach bar, or pep up a lazy, sun-soaked day with gourmet tapas or a concert. And that’s before you get drawn into the compelling nightlife.
Ciutat Vella (Old Town)
Get to the very heart of Barcelona by immersing yourself in its history in the Ciutat Vella. The core is the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) where the main Cathedral and medieval palaces were built on Roman ruins within the city walls. Enjoy the shade of the narrow lanes dipping into majestic courtyards like the Casa de l’Ardiaca with its noble palm tree, one of several to be decorated for Corpus Christi in early June with L’Ou com Balla (a dancing egg in a fountain). On the patio of the Museu Frederic Marés (Plaça de Sant Iú), the Café d’Estiu is the perfect setting for a drink. Feel the buzz of political power in Plaça Sant Jaume, a handsome square that was once the Roman Forum. Now the mossos d’esquadra (the autonomous Catalan police) guard the Generalitat, the seat of government. Opposite is the City Hall, the motor behind the dynamic urban regeneration of the 1990s. But it’s not all medieval meanderings: the old stone façades house exclusive hotels and tempting fashion boutiques. Streets like Avinyó, the inspiration for Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, mix traditional espadrille-making at La Manual Alpargatera (No. 7) with cutting-edge footwear and fashion at Tribu (No. 12). Enjoy a delicious contemporary take on Catalan cuisine at Cafè de l’Acadèmia (Plaça Sant Just) or sample the best Spanish cheese at La Seu (16 Dagueria). Later, check out the laid-back jazz club Harlem (8 Comtessa de Sobradiel) or, for glamour and lounging, get round to Club 13, a cool corner of the eclectic Plaça Reial.
| Take time out for lunch and people watching in the Gothic Quarters Plaça Reial; |
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Photo opportunities with street performers abound throughout the city; |
| No trip to the Catalan capital is complete without a stroll along the famous La Rambla. |
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Raval
Across the world-famous La Rambla with its kaleidoscopic flow of life is Raval. Rapidly shaking off its notorious past of seedy street life and decadent porn shows, Raval has morphed into a multicultural neighbourhood and a hip place to hang out. Skaters strut their stuff day and night around the impressive cultural complex of MACBA, the Contemporary Art Museum in Plaça dels Àngels and the adjacent CCCB (Contemporary Culture Centre), where there’s always an interesting exhibition or festival to catch. It’s also the nerve centre of Sonar, the International Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia (14-16 June). On the way there, take Elisabets, a street that’s symptomatic of the new Raval. After the inspiring book emporium and award-winning café La Central, you’ll pass Camper’s first venture into hotels, Casa Camper; an ancient herbalist; a modern ‘tobacconist’ selling everything you need to grow your own; a tiny boutique with strong fashion statements from Spanish designers Giménez & Zuazo; and a Catalan/Arab bakery. The streets leading off from it (Doctor Dou, Pintor Fortuny and Angels) are full of interesting places to eat and typical local bars serving a cheap menú del día. Alternatively, plunge into La Boqueria, Barcelona’s grandest market, for the freshest seafood and a glass of local cava at Quim’s or a healthy snack at Organic (Stand no. 972-974). In nearby Plaça Sant Agustí is Rita Blue (named after the patron saint of the impossible honoured in the adjacent church), a laid-back bar/ restaurant where you can chill on the terrace at cocktail hour or groove in the basement until the morning.
Born
The most fashionable part of the Old Town is Born, which is dominated by Santa Maria del Mar with its breathtaking interiors. The pedestrianised streets are full of designer lofts, classy boutiques, tapas bars and new restaurants. In the Middle Ages, merchants showed off their wealth here, building large palaces, five of which now house the Museu Picasso (15-23 Montcada). The Museu Tèxtil d’Indumentària (No. 12) has a charming courtyard café for light lunches and romantic candlelit dinners, and its shop is a treasure trove of textile-related gifts. For a boost – before or after queuing up for the Picasso – try El Xampanyet’s (22 Montcada) sparkling wine and famed anchovies. Big-name designers such as Adolfo Dominguez (16 Ribera) have arrived in the area, but watch out for smaller, local designers like Anna Povo (11 Vidrieria), who creates easy styles in slinky fabrics, or the Catalan shoes of Vialis (15 Vidrieria). Don’t miss the Mercat de Santa Caterina (Avenida Francesc Cambó), a new designer food market, nor its fashionable canteen Cuines Santa Caterina.
Eixample
There’s a change of pace when you cross Plaça de Catalunya into the Eixample, an elegant, 19th-century urban development. Its broad, tree-lined avenues and handsome apartment/ office blocks are the backdrop for busy Catalan commerce. Male and female executives look casual but crisply dressed driving their mopeds amid the dense traffic or relaxing at a terrace café. Eixample has the highest concentration of modernista architecture: the wild and wonderful creations of Gaudí and his contemporaries such as Puig i Cadafalch and Domènech i Muntaner. Passeig de Gràcia and the streets leading off from it are full of gems such as The Block of Discord (35-45 Passeig de Gràcia), where you can see buildings by all three. Contemporary art galleries such as Gallería Joan Prats (54 Rambla de Catalunya) mingle with big names in Spanish fashion like Antonio Miró (349 Consell de Cent), David Valls (València 235) or Purificación Garcia (21 Passeig de Gràcia). Meanwhile the Fundació Antoni Tàpies (255 Aragó) celebrates Spain’s most revered living artist in a glorious modernista building crowned with a sculpture by the man himself. The magnificent, Gaudí-designed Casa Calvet (Casp 48) serves high-class Mediterranean food, or try the authentically noisy bustle of La Gran Bodega (193 València) for tapas.
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| The Santa Maria del Mar cathedral which dominates the Born district; The charming courtyard cafe at the Textile Museum; Those with a head for heights should climb up Gaudi’s iconic Sagrada Familia. |
Waterfront
Between the super-yachts of the Port Vell to the new high-rise residential district of Diagonal Mar there are nearly 5km of beaches equipped with boardwalks, showers and xiringuitos: beachside bars where you can have vermut (vermouth) and olives with your toes in the sand. As city beaches go, they take some beating, as the weekend crowds prove. Try visiting in the early morning when the sun still glints on the water and old locals go through their exercise routines, or in the early evening when a swim can drift into a cocktail at stylish bar Sal Café (Platja Barceloneta) or chilling to DJ sounds. The beach clubbing scene hits a high over the Sonar weekend (see page 31) and on the eve of Sant Joan (23 June), when the city parties all night to celebrate summer. Waterfront restaurants range from classical family-run Can Majó in Barceloneta (23 Almirall Aixada) to fashionable Bestial with its designer terrace (2-4 Ramón Trias i Fargas). The nearby club C.D.L.C, (32 Passeig Marítim) is an essential nightspot for the rich and/or beautiful.
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Above left Alfresco dining at Restaurant Elx overlooking the port;
Above right Rebecca Horn’s sculpture on Barceloneta beach |
Where to stay
Gothic quarter
Colón Avinguda Catedral,
7, tel. 93 301 1404, www.hotelcolon.es
A Barcelona classic with ringside view of the cathedral and all festivities that take place in its square
Racó del Pi Pi,
7, tel. 93 342 6190, www.h10.es
Standard hotel in an 18th-century palace well situated near picturesque Plaça del Pi
Raval
Casa Camper Elisabets,
11, tel. 93 342 6280, www.casacamper.com
Trendsetting shoe designers’ first step into hotel management with interiors by Vinçon makes for a new concept in accommodation
Hosteria Grau Ramelleres,
27, tel. 93 301 8135
This family run pension, well situated near Plaça Catalunya has no frills but is clean and a good economic option
Born
Park,
Av. Marquès de l’Argentera, 11, tel. 93 319 6000, www.parkhotelbarcelona.com
A rarely seen gem from the 50s in immaculate condition with Michelin star restaurant Abac on the ground floor
Grand Hotel Central,
Via Laietana, 30, tel. 93 295 7900, grandhotel www.central.com
Splendid interiors reminiscent of the heyday of 30s luxury and a rooftop pool to match
Eixample
Hotel Cram,
Aribau, 54, tel. 93 216 7700, www.hotelcram.com
Dramatic colours and bold architectural design within elegant 19th-century block typical of the neighbourhood
Majestic,
Passeig de Gràcia, 70, tel. 93 488 1717, hotelmajestic.es Comfortable classic in prime position for shops and modernista architecture, with top-notch restaurant
Waterfront
Arts,
Marina 19-21, tel. 93 221 10 00, www.harts.es
Superstar luxury and rooms with panoramic view in this skyscraper overlooking the Olympic Port
Sea Point Hostel,
Plaça del Mar, 4, tel. 93 224 7075, www.seapointhostel.com
Youth hostel economy with waterfront luxury. Fall out of bed into the sea
FR » Focus sur Barcelone
Sa situation géographique à elle seule lui vaut des privilèges, le long du littoral méditerranéen, proche des Pyrénées. Cette capitale bien catalane a toujours été fière de ses atouts et d’être étiquetée aussi comme la ville la plus cosmopolite d’Espagne.
Plongez au coeur de Barcelone, en vous immergeant dans son histoire, dans la CiutatVella. Dans des rues comme Avinyó un atelier traditionnel de fabrication d’espadrilles La Manual Alpargatera côtoie une boutique dans le coup de chaussures de mode, Tribu, plus loin vous tombez sur Harlem, un club de jazz décontracté (8 Comtessa de Sobradiel).
De l’autre côté du quartier mondialement connu La Rambla se trouve le district du moment, Raval. Visitez le Musée d’Art Contemporain à Placa dels Angels ou faites vos achats dans le plus grand marché de Barcelone, La Boqueria pour les fruits de mer de toute fraîcheur et un verre de cava local chez Quim.
Tandis que dans le quartier Born, le Museu de Textil dispose d’une charmante cour avec un café, parfait pour un dîner aux chandelles. Dans le coin, ne manquez pas les petites boutiques de stylistes de l’endroit comme Anna Povo (11 Vidrieria) et plus particulièrement le nouveau marché ‘design’ Mercat Santa Caterina.
Traversez la Placa Catalunya direction Exiample et vous serez face à la plus grande concentration d’architecture moderniste, les créations loufoques et grandioses de Gaudi et de ses contemporains. La somptueuse maison dessinée par Gaudi Casa Calvet (casp 48) sert une cuisine méditerranéenne haut de gamme.
Du Port Vell qui abrite de super yachts jusqu’à la nouvelle zone résidentielle en mutation de Diagonal Mar/ Forum, s’étend une longue bande de plages sur près de 5 km. A pratiquer à la tombée du jour, lorsque la baignade peut se terminer par un cocktail au bar stylé Sal Café (Platja Barceloneta) ou non loin au club C.D.C.C. (32 Passeig Maritim).
NL » Focus op Barcelona
De trotse hoofdstad van Catalonië pronkt, met een droomligging aan de Middellandse Zee en vlakbij de Pyreneeën, graag met haar troeven. Ze laat zich dan ook met plezier de meest kosmopolitische stad van Spanje noemen.
Verken de geschiedenis van Barcelona in de oude wijk Ciutat Vella. Straten als Avinyó combineren de traditionele productie van espadrilles in La Manual Alpargatera met de hypermoderne schoenen en mode van Tribu. Ontspan ‘s avonds in de relaxte jazzclub Harlem (Comtessa de Sobradiel nr. 8).
Rechts van de wereldberoemde La Rambla ligt de kleurrijke wijk Raval. Bezoek het Museum voor moderne kunst aan het Placa dels Angels, trek naar de grootste markt van Barcelona, La Boqueria, voor verse vis en schaaldieren en drink een glas plaatselijke cava bij Quim’s.
Het Museu de Textil in de wijk Born heeft een prachtig binnenplein met café. Dé locatie voor een romantisch diner bij kaarslicht. Spring in deze buurt zeker binnen bij lokale designers als Anna Povo (Vidrieria 11). Ook niet te missen: de Mercat Santa Caterina, een markt voor trendy voedingswaren.
Steek de Placa Catalunya over naar de Eixample voor de wilde en wonderlijke creaties van Gaudi en zijn modernistische tijdgenoten. Het prachtige, door deze architect ontworpen Casa Calvet (casp 48) serveert mediterrane maaltijden in stijl.
Tussen de superjachten in de haven Vell en de nieuwe hoogbouwresidenties van Diagonal Mar / Forum ligt 5 km strand. Een zwempartij in de vooravond bekroon je met een cocktail in de stijlvolle bar Sal Café (Platja Barceloneta) of de nabijgelegen club C.D.C.C. (Passeig Maritim 32).
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