However, after 16 years of working as a guide in Barcelona, I noticed an interesting thing that prompted me to write an electronic travel guide “Barcelona: notes of a guide” – I wanted to collect not only the most famous sights but also those places, details, and stories that usually remain outside traditional tourist routes. And it is precisely these that often leave the greatest impression on people.
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Sometimes it’s enough to lift your eyes above the rooftops. Sometimes – to look down at your feet. And sometimes you just need to know one story, and the whole city starts to look completely different. This is the kind of Barcelona I most like to show my travelers. Not just the one everyone photographs. But the one that allows you to fall in love with Barcelona anew.
A masterpiece trodden daily by thousands of tourists
If you ever walk along Barcelona’s most luxurious avenue Passeig de Gràcia, try to forget Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, and the luxury shop windows for a few seconds. Look down, because under your feet is one of Antoni Gaudí’s least noticed creations. The hexagonal tiles that today cover the entire sidewalk of the avenue were created by the architect himself.
At first, they were not intended for the street at all.
But the most interesting thing is not that. At first, they were not intended for the street at all. In 1904, Gaudí designed them as flooring for a private house. He chose a revolutionary hexagonal shape inspired by the geometry of honeycombs, and in the tiles themselves, he hid the entire Mediterranean world – a starfish, sargassum seaweed, and an ammonite fossil. The full pattern is revealed only when seven tiles are placed together.
Due to various conflicts with clients and changed plans, this idea was never implemented as the architect had intended. Only many years later did Barcelona realize what a genius it had in its history and decided to transfer his design to the city streets. Today, thousands of tourists walk on this work of art every day without suspecting that under their feet lies one of Gaudí’s most beautiful stories.
Barcelona that belongs to more than just Gaudí
When I ask travelers how many UNESCO World Heritage sites there are in Barcelona, I usually hear the same answer:
– Well… probably Sagrada Família.
And here most are surprised. Barcelona can boast as many as nine UNESCO World Heritage sites. Of course, most of them are related to Antoni Gaudí – Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Palau Güell, Casa Vicens, and the Colònia Güell crypt. But the city also has two architectural masterpieces that often remain in Gaudí’s shadow. These are Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau – works of the brilliant modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner.
The latter complex – a former hospital – looks more like a fairy-tale city than a medical facility. The architect was convinced that light, gardens, and beauty help people heal. This idea seemed revolutionary more than a century ago, and today it sounds incredibly modern.
Sometimes the best way to get to know Barcelona… is from above
Most travelers visiting Barcelona for the first time get to know the city by walking its streets.
But only when you rise above the city’s rooftops does a completely different Barcelona open up. Only then do you see how orderly the famous street system of the Eixample district is, how the Mediterranean Sea merges with the city horizon, and in the distance, the towers of Sagrada Família rise. Therefore, I definitely recommend visiting at least one panoramic viewpoint. Not necessarily the most famous one, as some lesser-known places leave an even greater impression than the most popular observation decks.
Sometimes a simple visit to the roof of the Las Arenas shopping center, the bell tower of the Santa Maria del Mar church, or the little-known Mirador de Joan Sales viewpoint near Güell park is enough for a person to realize the scale and beauty of the city they have truly arrived in.
Barcelona’s wonders that many simply miss
There is one more place that many tourists accidentally miss, even though it has been one of the most beautiful evening sights in the entire city for many years. I am talking about the Magic Montjuïc fountain. After a long break caused by drought and water-saving restrictions, it has come back to life. But many travelers never see it for a very unusual reason.
Arriving at the Spain Square, they see ongoing repair works, fences, and decide that the fountain is still not working, so they turn around and leave. But you just need to walk about ten more minutes past the two red brick Venetian towers, and one of the most beautiful evening sights of Barcelona opens before your eyes.
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Almost a century later, it still manages to amaze millions of visitors.
This fountain was created back in 1929 for the World Expo. At that time, a dancing, color-changing, and music-synchronized fountain seemed a true technological marvel. Almost a century later, it still manages to amaze millions of visitors. And if you plan to visit, it’s worth coming at least half an hour earlier and settling on the steps in front of the National Art Museum of Catalonia – from there you get the best panorama of the entire show.
Barcelona is not just a city for adults
I often hear the question of whether Barcelona is suitable for traveling with children at all. My answer is always the same – yes, but you shouldn’t try to show Barcelona to children the way adults want to see it. Children are not interested in architectural styles or historical dates. For them, Barcelona is sharks, tropical forests, ancient rides, and mysterious cafes.
One of the best choices for families is the CosmoCaixa science museum, where almost everything can be touched, tried, and experimented with by yourself.
The Barcelona aquarium with its 80-meter-long glass tunnel, where sharks swim above your head, also leaves no less impression.
And if you want not a museum but just a fun afternoon, it’s worth visiting Bosc de les Fades – a café resembling a fairy-tale forest, where every few minutes an artificial storm with thunder and rain begins. Such places often stay in children’s memories more than the world’s most famous architectural masterpieces.
Barcelona can also cost… zero euros
One of the biggest myths about Barcelona is that everything in this city is expensive. In fact, a significant part of the city’s cultural treasures opens its doors completely free on certain days. On Sundays, you can visit the courtyard of Barcelona Cathedral for free, with its famous thirteen white geese that symbolize the city’s patron saint, Saint Eulalia.
On the first Sunday of the month, the Picasso Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), the City History Museum (MUHBA), the Frederic Marès Museum, and many other cultural spaces welcome visitors for free.
One of the biggest myths about Barcelona is that everything in this city is expensive.
However, in the most popular places, especially the Picasso Museum, free tickets still need to be reserved online in advance, as they often disappear a few days before the visit.
A city you want to return to
Over 16 years, I realized one thing – Barcelona never reveals itself in just one trip.
People visiting for the first time usually visit the most famous sights. The second time, they look for the most beautiful panoramas. The third time, they start to be interested in small details, stories, and places that rarely appear on traditional tourist routes. And it is then that the city begins to surprise the most.
When writing the electronic travel guide “Barcelona: notes of a guide,” I wanted to collect not only the most visited sights but also stories that allow you to look at Barcelona differently – to notice Gaudí’s tiles under your feet, understand why a former hospital became a UNESCO heritage site, discover lesser-known panoramic viewpoints or places that many tourists simply pass by.
Because the real Barcelona doesn’t begin when you visit all the most famous sights. It begins when the city starts telling its stories to you…
