The famous Passeig de Gràcia contains the most representative buildings from this movement. Antoni Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch and Domènech i Montaner expressed their creativity in the residences of the Catalan bourgeoisie of that time.

Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller and Casa Milà – better known as La Pedrera (the stone quarry) - are just some of the 

buildings which bring together a host of almost unprecedented, exuberant colours and forms. Modernisme can be appreciated throughout the city. Spectacular buildings like the church of the Sagrada Família - an unfinished work by Gaudí -, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Park Güell make up, along with other buildings, a legacy of modernisme that can only be seen here. 

The Sagrada Família, the Casa Batlló, the Casa Vicens and the Colònia Güell have been designated World Heritage Sites, together with the Palau Güell, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, the Park Güell and the Palau de la Música 

Catalana. But the city does not live only through the past. Barcelona - an active and dynamic city - is in a constant process of renewal. 

In the last decade, it has experienced an impressive transformation. The holding of the 1992 Olympic Games, considered, at the time, the best in history, meant that the city was opened up to the sea, and provided with an infrastructure of roads incorporating the latest technology. The major 1992 event left a rich architectural legacy –Isozaki’s sports facility the Palau Sant Jordi, the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Ring, on the Montjuïc’s mountain - and a rich urban legacy which continue to grow with the great challenge of the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures.

Barcelona has always been a city with strong cultural and festive traditions. Its more than 50 museums and many art galleries stage permanent and temporary exhibitions that are part of a stimulating, year-round, calendar of events. 

The recently extended Museu Picasso; the Fundació Joan Miró; the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya - MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia - MNAC), with its unique collection of Romanesque art; the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona - MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art - MACBA); CaixaForum, housed in an old art-Nouveau factory; or the Fundació Antoni Tàpies are must-see landmarks which trace culture throughout the ages. 

Music in Barcelona is a fiesta. All the musical genres can be enjoyed in the city, from classical to contemporary music, from ethnic music to jazz. Modern concert venues - which are also landmark buildings - such as l’Auditori, the Palau de la Música and the Gran Teatre del Liceu offer prestigious performances throughout the year. 

Theatre-going is another activity that enlivens the cultural life of Barcelona, which features prestigious internationally known theatres. The opening of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya consolidates the range of entertainment on offer in Barcelona. 

Barcelona is a cultural hotspot. Every year, the city’s museums and cultural centres are a melting pot of people. Last year, Barcelona’s main museums attracted some 14,000,000 visitors, a figure which increases yearly at the same rate as hotel overnights. The Sagrada Família is the most popular cultural attraction and over two million people visited it last year. La Pedrera, also designed by Gaudí, and the new CaixaForum also proved popular with 1,500,000 visitors.

The city lives up to its Mediterranean setting with its Catalan cuisine, one of the most auspicious expressions of the Mediterranean diet. The interest in gastronomy in Barcelona is reflected in a long and varied list of restaurants, some of them awarded Michelin stars, that suit the most varied tastes: local Catalan cuisine, international cuisine, exotic food, not to mention tapas and appetisers - the quintessence of Spanish cuisine -, or the world-famous cava. 

All the local know-how and flavours, all the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, come together in this culinary specialty, which also includes prestigious wines. We invite you to try it: the table is laid. In the Catalan capital there is an extensive gastronomic offer. At present, there are over 10,000 establishments with restaurant licences. Among the many highly 

prestigious restaurants in Barcelona, a total of 27 Michelin stars have been awarded.

Shopping in Barcelona is a delight. The Catalan capital has its own unique shops where you will find quality goods at 

competitive prices, as well as top international designer names. 

Barcelona is the leading Spanish city in terms of sales to tourists from abroad. 22% of credit-card purchases in Spain are made in Barcelona, and the city accounts for almost 21% of the country’s ATM withdrawals. The tourists who visit the city appreciate the quality of the goods on sale in Barcelona’s shops, and its services. In addition, the city showcases Europe’s biggest shopping centre, the Barcelona Shopping Line. 

This 5-km thoroughfare stretches from the harbour to the uptown Diagonal district, via La Rambla, the old town, the Gothic Quarter and the Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya. The Shopping Line comprises a series of shops which turn the shopping experience into a pleasant stroll. It is a stimulating compendium of the retail outlets in the city, which has 35,000 shops in total. The Barcelona Shopping Line, directs external demand to the shops that identify Barcelona and are part of its history. Shops which have blended tradition and modernity without losing their identity and offer visitors a rich and varied range of products, good value for money and first-class service.