Getting to Know

Main Squares, Streets & Arteries--Plaça de Catalunya (Plaza de Cataluña in Spanish) is the city's heart; the world-famous Rambles (Ramblas) are its arteries. Rambles begin at the Plaça Portal de la Pau, with its 164-foot-high monument to Columbus and a panoramic view of the port, and stretch north to the Plaça de Catalunya, with its fountains and trees. Along this wide promenade you'll find bookshops and newsstands, stalls selling birds and flowers, and benches or cafe tables and chairs, where you can sit and watch the passing parade.

At the end of the Rambles is the Barri Xinés (Barrio Chino or Chinese Quarter), which has enjoyed notoriety as a haven of prostitution and drugs, populated in Jean Genet's The Thief's Journal by "whores, thieves, pimps, and beggars." Still a dangerous district, it is best viewed during the day, if at all.

Off the Rambles lies Plaça Reial (Plaza Real), the most harmoniously proportioned square in Barcelona. Come here on Sunday morning to see the stamp and coin collectors peddle their wares. The major wide boulevards of Barcelona are the Avinguda (Avenida) Diagonal and Passeig (Paseo) de Colom, and an elegant shopping street, the Passeig de Gràcia.

A short walk from the Rambles will take you to the Passeig del Moll de la Fusta, a waterfront promenade developed in the 1990s, with some of the best (but not the cheapest) restaurants in Barcelona. If you can't afford the high prices, come here at least for a drink in the open air and to take in a view of the harbor.

To the east is the old port of the city, called La Barceloneta, which dates from the 18th century. This strip of land between the port and the sea has traditionally been a good place for seafood.

Barri Gòtic (Barrio Gótico, Gothic Quarter in English) lies to the east of the Rambles. This is the site of the city's oldest buildings, including the cathedral.

North of Plaça de Catalunya, the Eixample unfolds. An area of wide boulevards, in contrast to the labyrinthine Gothic Quarter, it contains two major roads leading out of Barcelona, the Avinguda Diagonal and Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes. Another major neighborhood, working-class Gràcia, lies north of the Eixample.

Montjuïc, one of the mountains of Barcelona, begins at Plaça d'Espanya, a traffic rotary, just beyond which are Barcelona's famous fountains. Montjuïc was the setting for the principal events of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. The other mountain is Tibidabo, in the northwest, which boasts great views of the city and the Mediterranean. It contains an amusement park.

Transportation in Barcelona

To save money on public transportation, buy one of two transportation cards, each good for 10 trips: Tarjeta T-1, costing 5.86€, is good for the Metro and the bus; Tarjeta T-2, for 5.86€, is good on everything but the bus.

Passes (abonos temporales) are available at the office of Transports Metropolita de Barcelona, Plaça de la Universitat, open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

To save money on sightseeing tours during summer, take a ride on Bus Turistic, which passes by 24 of the most popular sights. You can get on and off the bus as you please and also ride the Tibidabo funicular and the Montjuïc cable car and funicular for the price of a single ticket. Tickets, which may be purchased on the bus or at the tourist office at Plaça de Catalunya, cost 14€ for 1 day or 18€ for 2 days.

Save with The Barcelona Card--An ideal way to appreciate Barcelona better and save money at the same time is with the Barcelona card. It's definitely a bargain if you'll stay in the city for more than an afternoon and do any sightseeing at all. For 24 hours it costs 17€ for adults, 14€ for children 6 to 15. For 48 hours it is 20€ for adults, 17€ for children; for 72 hours, 23€ and 20€ for children.

The card offers visitors many advantages. The 24-hour card covers 10 free journeys on the Metro or bus, and the 48- and 72-hour cards offer unlimited travel on all public transport. Cardholders receive 25% discounts on the Tombbus (which runs along the best shopping route in central Barcelona) and the Tibibus (to the Fun Fair on Mount Tibidabo). On airport and tourist buses, fares are reduced by 15%.

Culture vultures with the card get discounts of 30% to 50% in 28 museums. Eleven theaters and shows grant a 10% to 25% discount, which also applies at 16 leisure and night venues. Barcelona is famous for its designers, whose work ranges from clothes to ceramics. With this card you get a 12% discount at 23 leading stores. Finally, there is an 8% discount in 11 restaurants. The cards specify where they can be used. They're for sale at the tourist offices at the airport, at Sants station, and in the Plaça de Catalunya.