48 hours in Barcelona

WHY GO?
The combination of art, architecture and action – plus tons of cheap flights – has helped make Barcelona one of the most popular short-break destinations in Europe. It is an extremely lively city – relaxed, attractive, and with enough distractions to keep anyone amused for weeks, not just days. And it is the one big European city with a Mediterranean beach.

Plaza Real Provincia

Click here for pop-up map, with numbered locations (see below in bold)

WHY GO?
The combination of art, architecture and action – plus tons of cheap flights – has helped make Barcelona one of the most popular short-break destinations in Europe. It is an extremely lively city – relaxed, attractive, and with enough distractions to keep anyone amused for weeks, not just days. And it is the one big European city with a Mediterranean beach.

WHEN TO GO
Even in winter the climate is mild. It can get pretty hot in the height of summer, when most of the locals leave town. This year has been designated the International Year of Gaudi, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the city's most famous – and most visible – architect. Contact the Spanish National Tourist Office (020-7486 8077) in London, or consult www.gaudi2002.bcn.es/english for details of events, festivals and special exhibitions.

BEAM DOWN
BA flies from Gatwick and Heathrow, Iberia from Heathrow and Manchester, easyJet from Luton and Liverpool, Go from Bristol and Stansted, and bmibaby from East Midlands airport. From the airport to the city centre, buses (00 34 93 412 0000) run every 15 minutes between 6am and midnight from outside the arrivals building; they stop several times on the way to the Placa de Catalunya (1). Tickets cost €3.15 (£2) one-way, and the journey takes half an hour. The airport has its own rail station, with trains every half-hour to Sants and Placa de Catalunya stations.

GET YOUR BEARINGS
The Placa de Catalunya (1) is at the northern end of the Ramblas, Barcelona's liveliest street; the main tourist office (00 34 93 368 97 30; www.barcelonaturisme.com) is on this square. The oldest part of the city, or Barri Gotic (2), starts a few blocks to the south east. Its small streets spread from the cathedral down as far as the Mediterranean; and it is enclosed by the Ramblas on one side, and the Via Laietana on the other. When the population outgrew the space available, Barcelona spread north and west beyond the city walls, as far as the two hills of Montjuic (3) and Tibidabo.

CHECK IN
Hotels are often booked up. Turning up without a reservation can be a risky business. The best hotel in town is the elegant Claris (4), at Pau Claris 150 (00 34 93 487 62 62) where double rooms start at €298 (£186). An alternative is the Hotel Arts (5), at Carrer de la Marina 19-21 (00 34 93 221 10 00; www.harts.es); it is the tallest building in Spain and has excellent views over the city and the nearby Mediterranean. Double rooms here start from €270 (£169) in the low season. In the city centre, the best comfortable choice is the Hotel Colon (6), opposite the west facade of the cathedral (7) (00 34 93 301 14 04; www.hotelcolon.es), which has doubles from €215 (£134). The Sant Agusti (8), at Placa Sant Agusti 3 (00 34 93 318 16 58) is the oldest hotel in the city, and was once the library of the convent next door. The rooms have been thoroughly modernised, and start at €120 (£75). The best budget option, if you can get a room, is the friendly and central Hostal Galerias Malda (9), tucked inside the shopping centre on Carrer del Pi (00 34 93 317 3002). Cheap rooms that are basic but comfortable are also available at the Hostal-Residencia Rembrandt (10) at Carrer de la Portaferrissa (00 34 93 318 10 11); doubles with bathroom start at €58 (£36).

TAKE A RIDE
Barcelona has an efficient metro system with five lines that connect all corners of the city; a single ticket costs €0.90 (55p). In addition, a funicular runs several times an hour from Paral-lel metro station (11) up to the top of Montjuic hill (3). A marvellously antiquated cable car connects Montjuic with the seafront at Barceloneta (12). There is also a tourist bus – the Bus Turistic (00 34 93 343 79 93; www.barcelonaturisme.com) – that runs several times an hour along two routes around the city, overlapping at the Placa de Catalunya (1). Tickets cost €14 (£8.75) and are valid all day, so you can hop on and off wherever you please.

TAKE A VIEW
The city is seen at its best from Montjuic hill (3), south of the centre of Barcelona and next to the sea. It was the location for the 1929 Universal Exhibition, and, many centuries before that, the site of a Roman temple; now it is the setting for a number of the city's finest museums, and the stadium and pool that were built for the 1992 Olympics.

TAKE A HIKE
Barcelona's architecture has been greatly influenced by the modernist movement, particularly its most famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, and a walk around the city is a good way of appreciating his talents. Start on the Carrer Nou de la Rambla with the Palau Guell (13) (00 34 93 317 3974), one of his earliest commissions. Then go up the Ramblas and beyond to Calle Casp and the Casa Calvet (14). Walk up the Passeig de Gracia where Gaudi's Casa Battlo (15) at number 43 contrasts with the neighbouring houses, Casa Lleo Morera and Casa Amatller, designed by two of the city's other famous modernist architects. Further up, at number 92, is La Pedrera (16), which contains Gaudi's apartment and an exhibition of his work (Prouenca 261-265, 00 34 93 484 5530; open 10am-7.30pm daily except Sunday, €6/£3.50).

LUNCH ON THE RUN
Just off the Ramblas is the attractive Placa Reial (17), a typical Spanish square with arcades, flat-fronted neo-classical buildings and palm trees in the centre. There are plenty of cafés where you can get a snack, but for something slightly more elaborate try Les Quinze Nitz (00 34 93 317 30 75) at no 6.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON
Pablo Picasso spent some formative years in Barcelona, arriving in his mid-teens and leaving in his early twenties. He donated much work to the city, ranging from pencil sketches to starkly expressive self-portraits. Join the crowds at the Picasso museum (18) at Carrer de Montcada 15 (00 34 93 319 63 10; www.museupicasso.bcn.es; open 10am–7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 10am-2.30pm on Sundays, admission €4.80/£2.80). This is deservedly the most-visited museum in Barcelona. The works on display show the development of the artist's style, from the influence of the French impressionists, through his blue and pink periods to this later work. One room is dedicated to Picasso's series of paintings based on the famous picture by Velazquez, Las Meninas.

WINDOW SHOPPING
The largest branch of the city's best-known department store, Corte Ingles, occupies a block on the Placa de Catalunya (1). Nip up to the top-floor cafeteria for a grand view of the city. North west of the square is the Passeig de Gracia, where all the designer shops, and the most reasonably-priced leather shops in the city, are to be found. And whether you are shopping or just looking, don't miss the Boqueria market (19), a colourful feast of fruit and vegetables, cheeses and other local delicacies, in an old building on the Rambla Sant Josep 89.

AN APERITIF
Early evening drinks in Spain means tapas – a glass or two of wine or sherry, accompanied by small portions of hot and cold savouries. There is a higher concentration of bars in the Carrer de la Merce (20) than in any other street in the city, and all have plenty of atmosphere. One of the most authentic is La Plata, where wine is served straight from the barrel, and freshly-cooked tapas are produced from the tiny kitchen behind the bar.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS
In Spain lunch is unlikely to begin before 1pm, and no one goes to a restaurant for dinner until at least 8.30pm. Among Barcelona's formidable range of eating opportunities, one of the liveliest is the 7 Portes (21) at 14 Passeig Isabel II (00 34 93 319 30 33), which opens 1pm-1am daily. There is always plenty of local seafood on the menu. Les 4 Gats (22), at 3bis Carrer de Montsio (00 34 93 302 41 40), is popular as a bar as well as a restaurant, and reservations are essential. It was once frequented by artists and writers; Picasso designed the place a set of menu cards. La Gardunya (19), at Jerusalem 18 (00 34 93 302 43 23), is a 19th-century inn which is found inside the Boqueria market, and everything served in the restaurant comes fresh from the market. It opens every day, except Sunday, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH
The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (7), which dominates the old part of the city, was finished in the 15th century. It has some beautiful carvings, but its most striking feature is the cloisters, a haven filled with orange trees and palms; the pool in the centre has its own flock of geese.

OUT TO BRUNCH
Brunch is not a very Spanish concept, but a satisfying alternative is a portion of churros with a mug of thick hot chocolate. The Churreria Ruz (24), at Calle Princesa 12 (00 34 93 319 83 24), is open every day until 1pm. Sit at the bar and wait for the dough to be cooked so that the churros are crispy on the outside and slightly soft in the middle. Then dredge them with sugar, and dip them into the chocolate.

A WALK IN THE PARK
Parc Guell (25) is like stepping straight into a fairy tale. What could so easily have been a normal city park has been transformed by Antoni Gaudi into a fantasy world, where ceramic animals, brightly-coloured buildings and artificial walkways are mixed with the trees and shrubs that grow there naturally. Gaudi himself lived in a house in the park for 20 years: called the Casa-Museu Gaudi (26) (00 34 93 219 3811), it is now open to the public from 10am-7.45pm daily.

WRITE A POSTCARD
... from the beach. The district of Barceloneta (12) is only two metro stops from the city centre, but once you reach the shore you feel as if you are miles away from urban life. Washing flutters cheerfully from the balconies of the buildings in the narrow streets behind the beach, and palm trees shelter the Mediterranean sand.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE
Don't miss a trip around the church of the Sagrada Familia (27) at calle Mallorca 401 (00 34 93 207 3031; www.sagradafamilia.org). Designed by Antoni Gaudi, and started in 1882, it is still a building site. The tall pillars in the main body of the building branch out like trees. A spiral staircase takes you to the top of the spires, from where there is a fabulous view over the city. It opens 9am-8pm daily, admission €6 (£3.50); go in the early evening.

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