what to see....everything. Staying; whats the budget? Alone, with friends?
Too broad of a question.
PLus: search on this topic, there is plenty of info regarding Barcelona.
you'd see all of the gaudi anyway but we found it really fun to see as much as possible on foot all in one day (battlo, mila, sagrada familia, guell house, parc guell, etc.) and then take more time at individual places later. it gives a really interesting perspective on the city and makes you walk through some interesting areas you might otherwise miss.
eat everywhere you think looks interesting...
you'll keep coming back to the ramblas from different directions and it will always be different and exciting. this is the shopping environment koolhaas pays less attention and it's so much more rich than the global go-go he celebrates.
the area where the barcelona pavilion sits is interesting and deserves some time, as does the bull ring and the miro park nearby.
the world's fair sites are more fun to discover in context than to check off your list.
the old town (skinny streets, tiny shops) is a great adventure.
If you're a student on a budget, "the Kabul Hostel" is a pretty cheap cool place to stay... A good location, a neat place, good music, a bar, pool tables, internet access, satelite tv, etc. right near Las Ramblas. Its a bit tough to get a room there, as its pretty popular though, so book well in advance.
Definitely see the Gaudi stuff: Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlo, Casa Mila, etc... Cool stuff you cannot see anywhere else in the world... Hit the beaches and check out Las Ramblas... Barri Gotic is cool- a bunch of narrow streets with restaurants and bars and clubs that are open late... There's also an interesting nightclub complex at Port Olympic, but that is largely a tourist night scene (so be prepared for plenty of Aussies and Americans there)...
Stay:
For party hard like u were 18th yrs old...Hotel Kabul at Plaza real...
cheap with all kind of backpackers...
Loads of hotels, hostals, hospedaje...or hook up with a cute Catalanese girls (or Swedish chicks...tons of them learning Spanish there!!)
See:
LOADS!! Enough to just move there for the rest of your life...
Classics for architecture people:
This year Barcelona forum 2004...a new Universal Expo-type district...
brand new H&M
Gaudi's stuff (Parque Guell...bring some wine, Sagrada Familia, La Perdrera)
Tower Ackbar by Nouvel
Gehry's fish by the beach
Enrique Miralles parks
Meier's MACBA
Las Ramblas
Foster's Needle Tower
Calatrava's Olympic Tower
On a side note, if you don't get into the Kabul House, there are some other hostels nearby... The quality varies. One I stayed at (I can't remember the name) was really cheap but pretty bad: it was clean and conveniently located, but it felt alot like a prison hospital or something... Everything was bare white in the rooms, the windows were barred, and there were like 30-40 people in one large room with bunks, and it was incredibly hot.
My tip:
Go and see the work of Enric Miralles (EMBT)
Currently there are many projects about to be finished; the Santa Caterina market; parc diagonal mar (at the end of the diagonal); parc dels colors (Mollet); library (Palafols); natural gas headquarters (Barceloneta)...
hotel kabul rules, otherwise as soon as you get out of the metro on the rambla you will be spoilt for choice with people offering you rooms in flats. if you are travelling with someone that's probably the cheapst option. you can sort of tell if the person offering the room is ok or not, i had loads of friends doing it (even girls on their own) and never heard of a problem.
check out the exhibition ground(yes, i know saying go and see the pavillion isnt hip, but check it out, i was starstruck) all the stuff you can find by miralles, the new herzog and the meuron building (forum 2004, nearby are landscaping by foa and a few other buildings) the museum of contemporay art by meyer (and capture some of the sk8 action in the square).
for nightlife, when you going up the rambla (the sea behind you), if you take any of the sidestreets on your left you ar bound to run in a cool bar. a must see is the Paloma on a friday, an early 20th century theater converted to club, i enjoyed the night despite my disliking for all things "dance".
but above all and most of all, sit down and soak it in, its an amazing city.
enjoy!
ps:the best way to find a building is to have a pic of it and ask the postmen in a postoffice.old trick of the trade for mr J. Potts.
see the fountain in plaza de espana...on i don't remember what night of the week there is a wonderful show with water and lights
a part from gaudì stuff (the parc is wonderful at the sunset) i think the barrio gotico is amazing
personally i don't like mirò but the funacion mirò is one of the greatest space dedicated to this artist
DON?T EAT PAELLA IN BARCELONA unless you have a sure adress...they can't cook that!
i remember how nice was to enter bares and see all the ham hanging down...if you like coffe you can ask coffe in the glass and a churro!!
or a bon bon ( cafe with dried milk... too sweet!!)
have a nice trip...to one of my favourite city
And do not forget a visit at the Barcelona Pavillon of Mies van Der Rohe...
One night, I didn't found an hostel (beware of Spanish hollydays...rooms are scarce)...anyways, we had the idea to sleep under the stars in the courtyard of the Pavillon...
but there is a guard at night...
We ended up partying until sunrise at La Terrazzza, the Spanish Pavillon turned into a Techno Afterhour...
amazing....
Actually, zoë and I have made an effort to provide cool/interesting pics Gotan approved for your viewing pleasure of current projects in the city.
Do a search with the keyword BARCELONA and you will find plenty of stuff within the image gallery.
definitely Kentucky late at night but prior to ending the night at the aforementioned place, stop by a very well know bar (bar Marsella) in whatever is left of the authentic Raval and follow the stench of absinthe that emanates from a this old bar were you can enjoy this 'interesting' alcohol treat. This is legal in Catalunya of course.
:)
Just get lost... take the metro and pick a station randomly.. every street has something to offer... architectural or not. Usually the trendiest parts of the city are the less interesting... go to what was the neighbourhood of Can Tunis (home of the druglords) at night, see if you get out of that place alive (just kidding)... Don't forget to check out the old architecture, la Catedral, Santa Maria del Mar, the old roman walls (there are some shops in the Barri Gòtic where you can see part of the ruins inside the shops)... check out the old train stations too, the old parks, La Ciutadella, Montjuic (there you'll find the stadium, the Calatrava antenna, the Fundació Miró by Josep LluÃs Sert, the Poble Espanyol -a replica of an old spanish town-, the Mies pavillion, Isozaki' Caixaforum,...) , check out the Fundació Blanquerna by Dani Freixes at the plaza just behind Richard Meier's MACBA, Coderch's apartment building in the La Barceloneta -a jewel from the 50's-, Fargas i Tous' Banca Catalana very near La Pedrera in the Passeig de Grà cia avenue, etc... Get lost and buy some cheap records at the shops in Tallers street just next to Las Ramblas and Plaça Catalunya...
staying on the topic of architecture... where is the best place in barcelona for an 'outsider' to meet spanish girls?? i, um, really appreciate their aesthetic.
Aug 18, 04 4:27 am ·
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WHERE IN BARCELONA TO STAY AND SEEE
HI....I am going to Barcelona, need advice on where to stay and what to see....
any suggestions?
what to see....everything. Staying; whats the budget? Alone, with friends?
Too broad of a question.
PLus: search on this topic, there is plenty of info regarding Barcelona.
you'd see all of the gaudi anyway but we found it really fun to see as much as possible on foot all in one day (battlo, mila, sagrada familia, guell house, parc guell, etc.) and then take more time at individual places later. it gives a really interesting perspective on the city and makes you walk through some interesting areas you might otherwise miss.
eat everywhere you think looks interesting...
you'll keep coming back to the ramblas from different directions and it will always be different and exciting. this is the shopping environment koolhaas pays less attention and it's so much more rich than the global go-go he celebrates.
the area where the barcelona pavilion sits is interesting and deserves some time, as does the bull ring and the miro park nearby.
the world's fair sites are more fun to discover in context than to check off your list.
the old town (skinny streets, tiny shops) is a great adventure.
If you're a student on a budget, "the Kabul Hostel" is a pretty cheap cool place to stay... A good location, a neat place, good music, a bar, pool tables, internet access, satelite tv, etc. right near Las Ramblas. Its a bit tough to get a room there, as its pretty popular though, so book well in advance.
Definitely see the Gaudi stuff: Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlo, Casa Mila, etc... Cool stuff you cannot see anywhere else in the world... Hit the beaches and check out Las Ramblas... Barri Gotic is cool- a bunch of narrow streets with restaurants and bars and clubs that are open late... There's also an interesting nightclub complex at Port Olympic, but that is largely a tourist night scene (so be prepared for plenty of Aussies and Americans there)...
Stay:
For party hard like u were 18th yrs old...Hotel Kabul at Plaza real...
cheap with all kind of backpackers...
Loads of hotels, hostals, hospedaje...or hook up with a cute Catalanese girls (or Swedish chicks...tons of them learning Spanish there!!)
See:
LOADS!! Enough to just move there for the rest of your life...
Classics for architecture people:
This year Barcelona forum 2004...a new Universal Expo-type district...
brand new H&M
Gaudi's stuff (Parque Guell...bring some wine, Sagrada Familia, La Perdrera)
Tower Ackbar by Nouvel
Gehry's fish by the beach
Enrique Miralles parks
Meier's MACBA
Las Ramblas
Foster's Needle Tower
Calatrava's Olympic Tower
etc.......
Enjoy!
On a side note, if you don't get into the Kabul House, there are some other hostels nearby... The quality varies. One I stayed at (I can't remember the name) was really cheap but pretty bad: it was clean and conveniently located, but it felt alot like a prison hospital or something... Everything was bare white in the rooms, the windows were barred, and there were like 30-40 people in one large room with bunks, and it was incredibly hot.
My tip:
Go and see the work of Enric Miralles (EMBT)
Currently there are many projects about to be finished; the Santa Caterina market; parc diagonal mar (at the end of the diagonal); parc dels colors (Mollet); library (Palafols); natural gas headquarters (Barceloneta)...
Enjoy....
hotel kabul rules, otherwise as soon as you get out of the metro on the rambla you will be spoilt for choice with people offering you rooms in flats. if you are travelling with someone that's probably the cheapst option. you can sort of tell if the person offering the room is ok or not, i had loads of friends doing it (even girls on their own) and never heard of a problem.
check out the exhibition ground(yes, i know saying go and see the pavillion isnt hip, but check it out, i was starstruck) all the stuff you can find by miralles, the new herzog and the meuron building (forum 2004, nearby are landscaping by foa and a few other buildings) the museum of contemporay art by meyer (and capture some of the sk8 action in the square).
for nightlife, when you going up the rambla (the sea behind you), if you take any of the sidestreets on your left you ar bound to run in a cool bar. a must see is the Paloma on a friday, an early 20th century theater converted to club, i enjoyed the night despite my disliking for all things "dance".
but above all and most of all, sit down and soak it in, its an amazing city.
enjoy!
ps:the best way to find a building is to have a pic of it and ask the postmen in a postoffice.old trick of the trade for mr J. Potts.
see the fountain in plaza de espana...on i don't remember what night of the week there is a wonderful show with water and lights
a part from gaudì stuff (the parc is wonderful at the sunset) i think the barrio gotico is amazing
personally i don't like mirò but the funacion mirò is one of the greatest space dedicated to this artist
DON?T EAT PAELLA IN BARCELONA unless you have a sure adress...they can't cook that!
i remember how nice was to enter bares and see all the ham hanging down...if you like coffe you can ask coffe in the glass and a churro!!
or a bon bon ( cafe with dried milk... too sweet!!)
have a nice trip...to one of my favourite city
And do not forget a visit at the Barcelona Pavillon of Mies van Der Rohe...
One night, I didn't found an hostel (beware of Spanish hollydays...rooms are scarce)...anyways, we had the idea to sleep under the stars in the courtyard of the Pavillon...
but there is a guard at night...
We ended up partying until sunrise at La Terrazzza, the Spanish Pavillon turned into a Techno Afterhour...
amazing....
Barcelona never sleeps
check into this behemoth from Pei Cobb Freed & Partners…
http://www.hotelclub.net/common/ImageGallery/HotelImageGallery.asp?hid=8690
http://www.grandmarinahotel.com/
Actually, zoë and I have made an effort to provide cool/interesting pics Gotan approved for your viewing pleasure of current projects in the city.
Do a search with the keyword BARCELONA and you will find plenty of stuff within the image gallery.
kentucky (raval) @ 4am, there is also a great "falafel" joint in the "Barri Gotiq (boira correct me if you must)"
definitely Kentucky late at night but prior to ending the night at the aforementioned place, stop by a very well know bar (bar Marsella) in whatever is left of the authentic Raval and follow the stench of absinthe that emanates from a this old bar were you can enjoy this 'interesting' alcohol treat. This is legal in Catalunya of course.
:)
sempre és motiu d'orgull llegir com els nord-americans adoren aquesta ciutat... amb lo prepotents que acostumen a ser....
Just get lost... take the metro and pick a station randomly.. every street has something to offer... architectural or not. Usually the trendiest parts of the city are the less interesting... go to what was the neighbourhood of Can Tunis (home of the druglords) at night, see if you get out of that place alive (just kidding)... Don't forget to check out the old architecture, la Catedral, Santa Maria del Mar, the old roman walls (there are some shops in the Barri Gòtic where you can see part of the ruins inside the shops)... check out the old train stations too, the old parks, La Ciutadella, Montjuic (there you'll find the stadium, the Calatrava antenna, the Fundació Miró by Josep LluÃs Sert, the Poble Espanyol -a replica of an old spanish town-, the Mies pavillion, Isozaki' Caixaforum,...) , check out the Fundació Blanquerna by Dani Freixes at the plaza just behind Richard Meier's MACBA, Coderch's apartment building in the La Barceloneta -a jewel from the 50's-, Fargas i Tous' Banca Catalana very near La Pedrera in the Passeig de Grà cia avenue, etc... Get lost and buy some cheap records at the shops in Tallers street just next to Las Ramblas and Plaça Catalunya...
more about Barcelona
staying on the topic of architecture... where is the best place in barcelona for an 'outsider' to meet spanish girls?? i, um, really appreciate their aesthetic.
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