Put your most comfortable shoes and your sunglasses on because Barcelona has so much to offer you that no matter how much you have read about its wonders, it will still amaze you with the large variety of museums, galleries, beautiful spots, architecture and many other things. You have so many places to explore – Gaudi’s artwork, the Gothic Quarter, Tibidabo hill… Barcelona is a sparkling jewel, no matter if you are an art-lover on a quest of visiting Gaudi’s most popular creations or a gourmand. Ready?
1. La Sagrada Família
You have heard of it, you have seen it thousands of times on postcards or magnets from Barcelona, but nothing compares with actually visiting it in person. If you have time for only one sightseeing outing, this should be it. Designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and under construction since 1882. La Sagrada Família is an enormous and unfinished Roman Catholic church and it is one of the most fascinating buildings not only in Europe but in the entire world. It attracts more than 4.5 million visitors a year and is the most visited monument in Spain.
2. Casa Milà
Another masterpiece by Gaudi (and the most iconic work of his civic architecture), this spectacular house was built between 1906 and 1912 and commissioned by Pere Milà and Roser Segimon. Casa Mila was, in fact, the new home of the Milà family (Roser Segimón and her second husband, Pere Milà), who occupied the main floor and rented out the other apartments. Gaudi made his first sketches in his workshop in Sagrada Familia. The building features forms drawn from nature.
3. Basílica Santa Maria del Mar
This beautiful building is the city’s purest example of a church built in the Calatan Gothic style. It took 55 years to build, with money donated by merchants and shipbuilders. The west front has a 15th century rose window of the Coronation of the Virgin. More stained glass, from the 15th to 18th centuries, light the wide nave and high aisles.
4. Park Güell
Park Güell is one of the most famous creations of Antoni Gaudí, and one of the most recognizable destinations in the entire country. The building of this masterpiece took fourteen years (from 1900 to 1914). It was officially opened as a public park in 1926 and it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Park Güell is a large and sunny public park located on Carmel Hill, composed of gardens, amazing stone structures, colorful ceramic tiles and architectonic elements.
5. Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona
The Arc de Triomf was designed by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair. It was built in reddish brickwork in the Neo-Mudéjar style. The frieze on the main facade represents the city welcoming foreign visitors.
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