Everyone who visits Barcelona wants to see the Sagrada Família or Park Güell or La Boqueria. But if you want to experience more than the must-sees, where should you go? Barcelona is a rich and vibrant city, and the more time you spend there, the more you’ll find to see and experience, from plazas to restaurants to museums. Here are just a few suggestions to start off with some Barcelona hidden gems.
Would you like to enjoy the most hidden and emblematic places of the Catalan capital? Between the blocks of the neighborhoods of Barcelona, there is more than one square, market, terrace and some other museum that may be of interest to you if what you are looking for is to find those essential spaces that you must pass by during your trip and that maybe you hadn’t considered in your list of destinations.
Anyone who spends much time wandering around the old city of Barcelona will likely discover a new favourite restaurant or bar tucked out of view in a plaza off of the main streets. One of the most notable of these is Plaça Reial, and while it can’t be called crowd-free, it’s certainly a good step up from the very touristy terraces that are found on the nearby Rambla. Its 19th-century arcades are lined with restaurants and bars, making it a good destination for those looking for a midday tapas break or a late supper.
Barcelona is a city with a long and storied history, dating back to its establishment as the Roman settlement of Barcino in 15 BC, and that history continues to have a strong effect on public life, politics, and culture today. Tourists who may wonder about the importance of the Catalan language or the political rift between Catalonia and Spain should certainly pay a visit to the history museum.
Barcelona has several markets, including the famous La Boqueria fruit market off La Rambla, but the Sunday book market at Sant Antoni is a rare gem. Just down the purple metro line from the Sagrada Família, the market opens every Sunday morning.
The largest piece on display is Picasso’s version of Las Meninas, which consists of 58 separate paintings the artist created as his adaptation of one of the most famous pieces of Spanish art, the painting of the same name by Diego Velázquez. The surrounding neighborhood hosts several other museums, including the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MoCo), another necessary visit for any enjoyer of art.
Produced in association with El Nacional En
(Additional reporting provided by El Nacional En)
