Situated in the Mediterranean coast and nestled between two rivers, Barcelona was a city founded thousands of years ago. It served as a stop-over and transition route for many Romans, Christians and Arabs of that period and as such, Barcelona’s culture and heritage became as diversified as the people that walked through this majestic city.

Ruled by Castilian royalty, anarchy once permeated Barcelona. Compared to its neighbors and those cities that were building a mark in history then, Barcelona’s blotchy politics constrained the city’s rise into greatness and was reduced to merely a shadow of the other cities. And it remained this way for centuries.

In 1992, Barcelona opened its gates to host the Olympics and drew millions of spectators around the world. You could say that the Olympics finally shaped how Barcelona is perceived by the world today. The grand event helped transformed the city from its disadvantageous and turbulent past. The Barcelona of today is a strong Mediterranean presence, rich in cultural heritage and boasting of so many things to see and do, that tourists keep coming back. Today, traces of its colorful past are still present but already updated to keep with the changing times. Many of these are architectural sites and structures by Antoni Guadi, who designed many of Barcelona’s famous structures that, even today, remain as unique and as distinctive as when they were first built.

Things to Do in Barcelona

Sample Barcelona’s Food, Shopping and Nightlife

Barcelona is a city that caters to all types of taste and food preferences. There are many choices of dining places here, but the most popular ones are those that serve traditional Catalan dishes. One cannot leave Barcelona without sampling their ‘tapas,’ a traditional Spanish dish that can either be eaten as a snack food or as a complete meal. Tapas come in many varieties of squid, tomatoes, sardines and ham. Visitors may also try Barcelona’s ‘Pan Con Tomate,’ a popular mid-afternoon snack that comes with bread, tomatoes and olive oil.

If a full meal is more to your liking, the Barri Gotic district is where you will find a good selection of restaurants serving both familiar and exotic dishes. While there, marvel at Barri Gotic’s remarkable structures like the Le Seu Cathedral. Barri Gotic is where the city’s largest concentration of medieval origin is found. However, this district tends to be busy with tourist and locals alike, so you may also want to check out other places like the Gran Via or the Las Ramblas. Here you will also find, not just a cluster of cafes’ and restaurants, but quaint shops selling all kinds of knick-knacks. At night these districts are transformed into a lively place where music and dancing serve as entertainment.

Take Art and History Lessons

A trip to Barcelona would not be perfect without visiting the museums, for the people of Barcelona support the arts to the highest degree. Some of these museums include:

• Fundació Miró at Montjuïc – a showcase of contemporary art
• Gaudí Casa-Museu at La Rambla and the Raval – the house/museum of the famous Antoni Guadi
• Museu Picasso in Sant Pere, La Ribera – a showcase of Picasso’s collection (Picasso spent his youth in Barcelona.)
• Palau de la Música Catalana also at Sant Pere – a famous Barcelona landmark; this was once their music hall and was preserved up to today because of its unique architecture.
• Poble Espanyol - a world-famous open air museum showcasing Spanish architecture’s finest creations and other traditional arts and crafts. People are allowed to walk through the streets here, without any transportation. The tiny village is reminiscent of old Spanish villages in the past centuries.

In an effort to establish their newly found identity to the world, Barcelona last spearheaded the Universal Forum of Cultures as a way to promote its city’s improved transformation and development. This forum is to take place every four years.