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Food, fiesta, fashion and fun.
After a makeover lasting more than two decades, Barcelona has transformed itself into one of the most dynamic and stylish cities in the world. Summer is serious party time, but year-round the city sizzles - it's always on the biting edge of architecture, food, fashion, style, music and good times.
The buildings, especially the work of the eccentric genius Gaudí, will blow you away. The art, with significant collections by Picasso and Miró, will make you clammy all over. The people, with their exuberance, their creative spirit, their persistent egalitarianism, will fascinate you.
Barcelona's coastline runs roughly northeast to southwest and many streets are parallel or perpendicular to this. Two major hills - Montjuïc and Tibidabo - provide good landmarks for orientation. The focal point of town is La Rambla, a 1.25km (0.75mi) boulevard running northwest and slightly uphill from Port Vell (Old Harbour) to Plaça de Catalunya. The Plaça is the boundary between Ciutat Vella (Old Town) and the more recent additions further inland. L'Eixample, the city's 19th-century answer to overcrowding, stretches 1.5km (1mi) north, east and west of Plaça de Catalunya. Montjuïc begins about 700m (763yd) southwest of the southeastern end of La Rambla, and Tibidabo, with a landmark television tower and golden Christ statue, is 6km (4mi) northwest of the city.
The Ciutat Vella, a warren of narrow streets, centuries-old buildings and budget accommodation, spreads on both sides of La Rambla. Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) is at its heart, on the lower half of the eastern section of the boulevard. West is El Raval, where travellers need to be alert; this vibrant, ethnically diverse neighbourhood is a great place to find quirky cafés and unique shops, but it's also an easy place to get mugged, especially at night. Port Vell has an excellent modern aquarium and two marinas, and at its northeastern end is La Barceloneta, the old sailors' quarter. Beaches and a pedestrian promenade stretch northeast from there to Port Olímpic, a harbour built for the 1992 Olympics and now home to lively bars and restaurants.
No matter what your budget or belly size, you'll find something to suit in Barcelona. It teems with establishments dishing up everything from tiny tapas to gargantuan feasts. Catalunya produces a variety of fresh seafood, meat, game, and fruit and vegetables, which are combined in unusual and delicious ways.
Barcelona is one of the world's most popular destinations. There are good hotels in every price bracket throughout the city, but you'll be limited for choice unless you book in advance. Traditionally, visitors head to La Rambla, but elsewhere you'll get more comfort for your buck.
It may not have been the lure of shopping that brought you to Barcelona, but it will be one of the reasons you come back. You can load up on international and local jewellery and designer threads, or hunt down antique shops and artisan workshops stocking whole worlds of engaging junk to sift through.
Barcelona is bursting with pubs, hedonistic gay bars and frenetic clubs, and the whirr of live jazz, rock, flamenco and salsa is never far away. The calendar is crammed with holidays and festivals, and Barcelonins are usually buzzing with the anticipation of an upcoming event.
The wild and whimsical architecture of Gaudí enlivens the streets of Barcelona and makes for some of the finest city-walking in the world. The art will beckon you from museums and streetsides. The vibrant central drag, La Rambla, will lead you to the city's marvellous medieval quarter, Barri Gòtic.
