Barcelona Top Sightseeing Spots
April 24, 2010 by Maria Garau
Filed under Destinations
Barcelona is a fantastic city on the sea that has something to offer to everyone. It is great for students, backpackers, family travel, the solo traveller, romantic breaks away and group travel. You name it and Barcelona has it. Never a place before could capture my attention like Barcelona has. A jewel in the Med, Barcelona is a great holiday destination for history, art, sports, food and music. The young vibe is everywhere and the people friendly way of life is welcoming.
I have gathered here my favourite spots in Barcelona. The Gaudi Tour is the first thing most people do when they tackle Barcelona’s fantastic sites – It is impossible to go anywhere in Barcelona and not find the Gaudi heritage to some level. The main spots to see are the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and and Parc Guell.
Barcelona Zoo – Barcelona has one of the best zoos I have seen in Europe, situated within the Ciutadella Park it makes a very fun day out with your kids. Make sure you give yourself enough time because there is plenty to see and do. Besides the usual zoo animals, at the Barcelona animal park you will see the amazing spectacle of dolphins being fed in the open pool. Get ready for a treat and avoid sitting in the first rows as there is plenty of splashing going on. Access to the pool is limited so get there early to secure a place in the queue. In the children zoo area, kids will enjoy the pony riding facilities. There is even a well equipped adventure playground for children to climb and disperse some more energy whilst parents recoup their resources!
Tibidabo – Tibidabo is the amusement park at the top of the Collserola Mountain; it is worth to go just for the spectacular views over the city and the bay. The journey itself is an adventure with the Tramvia Blau, the old fashion wooden tram that has been in service for over a century, taking you up to the entrance of the Funicular to continue your journey up the steep hills. Prepare for an awesome climb to the top and make sure you have your camera handy as the views are phenomenal. At the top there are more views to be captured on camera as well as the entrance to the amusement park. It is worth to buy the all in one ticket that gives you access to all the rides. The amusement park is set on different levels with many rides to choose from. Like all amusement parks, you need to be prepared to queue to go on the rides.
Aquarium – The best part of Barcelona Aquarium is the interactive area on the top floor. Besides that the Aquarium itseld was rather average and expensive for what it had to offer.
IMAX – If you are unlucky with the weather or you just need to sit down for a couple of hours and keep your kids occupied; then the IMAX cinema is a good option. There is a large selection of 3D movies and the cost of the tickets is not expensive. We saw Running with Dinosaurs last year and found it very entertaining.
El Poble Espanyol and Mont Juic Park – With amazing views over Barcelona and plenty of green areas, the Mont Juic Park is just the place to relax on weekends. Children especially will enjoy the park’s many levels connected by steps they can race up and down. Within the park is the Poble Espanyol, the amazing reproduction of Spanish villages and their architecture. The enclosed space of the Poble Espanyol is perfect to let the children roam the narrow street and for you to relax.
The Olympic Village is also worth a visit and if you are lucky there might even be a sporting event on. When we visited last year the Corte Ingles race was on and runners were starting their race from the Olympic stadium. It was a very powerful scene to see all those people starting their run from such a big stadium with Olympic history.
To find out more about Barcelona tourist spots visit the our Barcelona travel guide with a weekly updated blog about Barcelona news and events.