A Walk through Barcelona

Whoever visits Barcelona for the first time will be amazed by the town's diversity. Whether it is the architecture, the Catalan culture, the history or the nightlife: visitors will get the impression of a neverending journey when they want to explore the city's major objects or its lovely details. Therefore, it is recommendable to have a schedule which covers the most important sites. Different ways can be proposed and the following description will focus on the inner core of Barcelona and serves as an introduction on the first days.

Starting in the center, at the Plaza Catalunya, visitors will be able to enjoy the animated main Rambla with its painters, living statues, jugglers, acrobats, clowns and entertainer. Lingering along the promenade down to the Maremagnum (a big shopping center at the harbour), people will see the famous theater Liceu, which appears on the right side of the Rambla. Furthermore, they will pass by the wax museum which appears nearly at the end of the ramblas on the left side. Finally, at the end of the rambla, there is a huge statue of Christopher Columbus in the middle of the crossing, where visitors should turn left and go along the harbour or head over to the Maremagnum-promenade. Both ways will lead to the entrance of the old parts of the town: the Gothic and Borne district. Entering these two quarters, people can explore the little alleys and should make a checkpoint at the cathedral Santa Maria del Mar. Afterwards, different cafes and bars invite to have a break and to relax in the sun before heading to the crowdy shopping district around the Plaza Catalunya with its variety of shops. However, the more you go up the Passeig de Grácia the more exclusive brands you will find. Visitors will also pass by many famous buildings such as the Casa Milá or the Casa Batlló, both built by Gaudí. Generally, the whole street is marked by the modernistic time and old buildings by Josep Puig i Cadafalch or other small details like the lanterns built in little banks by Pere Falques tell the importance of the beginning of the 20^th century.

Once having reached the end of the Passeig de Grácia it is highly recommendable to visit the Parc Güell by using the metro line 3 (green), which takes you to the station Lesseps or by taking the metro line 4 (yellow) to the station Alfons X. From both metro stations you would have to go 10minutes more to get to the park where you can rest and enjoy the nature as well as the magnific view of the city. A walk through the park should lead you to Gaudi's house and to the highest point of the park, which is marked with a little artificial hill made of stone chippings. During summer season, visitors can amply relax in the twilight and head to the center for having diner in one of the numerous restaurants. In case they rent an apartment, travellers can also improve their cooking skills and savor the delicious Catalan cuisine by preparing some fish or having some typical Tapas.

Apartments are spread all over the city and the most popular districts are certainly the Gothic and Borne quarter, which are directly in the old part of the town and still offer a certain tranquility. Moreover, they are the perfect starting point to have walks to every part of the town: the beaches, the center, the monuments, museums etc. Additionally, Barcelona is said to have one of the best metro-systems of the world, which has been copied by various other big towns. Therefore, travelling within the town is easy and cheap. Other districts like the Grácia, the Barceloneta and the Eixample have their charming character as well and will make a stay unique. People can get an impression of apartments in Barcelona by visiting some online-providers, for instance www.oh-barcelona.com . On that page, you will also find some special housings like an apartment which was used by Picasso in his early ages. Other apartments offer the typical Spanish style and vary from basic ones to luxury lodgings.