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BARCELONA - Sightseeing
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| Barcelona
is neatly framed by the Mediterranean to the east and the hills
of Montjuïc and Tibidabo on two of its other flanks. The
central section of the city that most tourists spend their time
in is even more conveniently divided by La Rambla - the main
artery of Barcelona life which tumbles from Plaça
de Catalunya southeast towards the Mediterranean and the
recently reborn Port Vell (Old Port). |
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The
atmospheric Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), the
area to the right of La Rambla heading in the direction
of Plaça de Catalunya, is the charming heart of the old
city. Plaça de Catalunya divides the old town from the
Eixample - a grid of streets laid out in the nineteenth
century in which much of the city's finest modernist architecture
is to be found. The most celebrated practitioner of the style
was Antoní Gaudí, an eccentric recluse whose innovative
work threw all design rulebooks out of the window in his quest
to get architecture to mirror the curves and intricacies of
nature. |
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addition to those described below, points of particular interest
include Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau and the Palau de
la Música Catalana both designed by Gaudí's contemporary,
Domènech i Montaner. Passeig de Gràcia, the most
stylish street in the city, is at the heart of the Eixample
and intersects with the Diagonal - the city's main thoroughfare
at its northern end. The Montjuïc mountainside has successfully
managed the transition from being the site of the 1992 Olympic
Games to become a permanent tourist attraction, boasting the
remaining Olympic installations, museums and great views of
the city. |
 Locate
major attractions on our maps
Centre d'Informació Turisme de Barcelona
Plaça de Catalunya 17 S (in the subway).
Website: www.barcelonaturisme.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2100.
Other information desks can be found at the airport, at Central-Sants
station and in the City Hall on Plaça Sant Jaume.
Passes
The Ruta Modernista pass allows admission to all the best of
the city's modernista architecture for Pta600 (concessions available)
(see the Tours of the City section). The Barcelona Card offers
discounts of up to 50% at all the most interesting tourist attractions,
including museums, entertainment and leisure venues, shops and
restaurants, as well as free public transport and assistance
insurance. The card is available for 24, 48 or 72 hours at €
15 , € 18
and € 21
from the main tourist offices at Plaça de Catalunya,
Plaça Sant Jaume and Central-Sants station
Photos Credits
http://www.sobi.org |
Copyright © 2009 Columbus Publishing
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