Things to see in Barcelona

Santa Maria del Mar is counted among the most beautiful churches in Barcelona and is considered a prime example of Mediterranean gothic architecture. It is located just to the northeast of the Barri Gòtic, at the heart of the fashionable La Ribera district. A 15th-century rose window adds colour to the simple harmony of the columned interior.

The Nou Camp Stadium is home to one of the world's most legendary football clubs. The guided tour starts with a visit of the changing rooms, tunnel, dugouts, TV studio, and directors' area, culminating with a panoramic view of the entire facility. The FC Barcelona museum contains a history section, an art gallery and one of the best private collections of football memorabilia in the world.

Barcelona's most famous street, La Rambla, is a wide pedestrian boulevard stretching from the waterfront Monument a Colom to Plaça de Catalunya in the centre of the city. Lined with trees, cafés, restaurants, florists and shops, La Rambla is the perfect place to soak up Barcelona’s vibrant atmosphere. Along the way, visit UNESCO World Heritage site Palau Güell (Güell Palace) and Plaça Reial, one of the most attractive squares in the city. Other points of interest are the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the legendary Café de L'Opera and La Boqueria, Barcelona's wonderful, bustling food market. However, if you’re strolling along La Rambla in the evenings, beware of pickpockets.

The city's iconic landmark is prided as Antonio Gaudí’s best piece of work. Despite the ongoing construction works, the Sagrada Família cathedral draws thousands to its doorsteps every day and is Barcelona’s most visited attraction. Gaudí's work on the Nativity facade and the Crypt of La Sagrada Família is listed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Looking rather incongruous in the down-at-heel surroundings of the Raval district, to the west of La Rambla, Barcelona's brilliant-white Museum of Contemporary Arts is at the forefront of efforts to regenerate this traditionally seedy area of the city. The museum opened amid a blaze of publicity in 1995 and houses a permanent collection of post-1940s international art, as well as various temporary exhibitions.

Created by the renowned Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudí between 1900 and 1914, Parc Güell is a fantasy land that combines the natural and the man-made. The park was originally conceived as a residential garden city and built for Gaudí's patron, Eusebi Güell Bacigalupi, a textile manufacturer who had a keen interest in the arts and helped develop the architect's career. The project was not a great commercial success, however, and the park became municipal property in 1923. Covering a hill to the north of Barcelona and offering excellent views of the city, the park has fantastic pavilions, stairways and columned halls. Highlights include the giant lizard that divides the grand stairway, reputedly the most photographed symbol of the park. Guadi's former residence in the park, Casa-Museu Gaudí houses a collection of Gaudí's furnishings and other memorabilia.