Barcelona Top Picks


Like Paris or Rome, Barcelona is one of the most photographed and romanticized cities in the world. And now with the city's famously innovative design scene making waves, Barcelona is on every trendwatcher's list of cool capitals as well. So what else is there to say about Barcelona that hasn't already been mentioned?

Well, here's my attempt to add to that already long list of things that make Barcelona one of the most stylish cities in the world. The list may seem predictable and a bit cliche', but there's a reason fort this: we all somehow agree on the same reasons we love this city so much.

Capital of Cool.


Barcelona is on every cool hunter's list. Barceloneses take design seriously. From architecture to furniture to fashion - you immediately realize that the city's aesthetic sensibilities (though not always agreeable) are always on the cutting-edge.

New wealth in Spain has created a renaissance in design, but Barcelona - and Catalunya - the fiercely nationalistic region the city belongs to has always flirted with extremes. Until today, rebellious and avant-garde Barcelona continues to lead the charge in Spanish creative arts. A walk through the El Born district close to the city's Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) puts you in the red-hot center of Barcelona design.

The Barcelona brand Mango is perhaps better known in the retail world, but streetwear cult label Custo Barcelona is a much more accurate representation of the local fashion sensibility. The first Custo store was set up here and it remains a good example of the city's young, colorful and provocative style.

Taking the cue from Custo, many young designers have set up shop in EL Born and a walk through its network of medieval streets is a great way to discover quirky and cool stores featuring the work of up and coming stars of Spanish design.

If the El Born is where design is incubated, the Passeig de Gracia is where these designs show up as modern classics. The Passeig or (Paseo in Castillan) is Barcelona's version of the Champs Elysee or 5th avenue. Its a wide open boulevard lined with some of the most luxurious shops and hotels in the city. It's also the most convenient way to shop for well-known European high street brands or home-grown Spanish labels like Loewe (now part of the LVMH empire), Camper, Mango, Zara and Adolfo Dominguez.

But you don't have to be a shopaholic to enjoy this grand stretch of road. Many of Barcelona's finest examples of Modernista architecture are located along the Passeig (more of this later). In good weather, the cafes spill-over into the street - perfect for people watching or just staring at the elegant buildings with their elaborate iron doorways and balconies. The lamp posts along the Passeig are equally beautiful and add that extra touch of glamour to the already sophisticated setting.

Design junkies should head towards the block along Passeig de Gracia where Antoni Gaudi's Casa Milla is located. More on Gaudi in a while, but next door to this masterpiece (or monstrosity) is my favorite one-stop-shop for well designed products - Vincon.

Vincon is a Barcelona institution and imagine it as an upscale IKEA. It's a department store stuffed with modern design classics from toys to furniture to just about anything you can use and display in your home.

Collectors of modern but practical design will go crazy here and can easily spend half a day browsing through the many rooms on both floors of this historical building. The designer lamp selection is awesome as is their collection of iconic chairs. Oddly, the one chair you'd expect to be displayed prominently isn't sold here - the Barcelona chair designed by Mies van der Rohe for the Barcelona World Expo. Fans of van der Rohe and his iconic chair will need to travel across the city to the foothills of Montjuic to view his work at the Pavello Mies Van Der Rohe. Which is a must-see for afficionados of modernist architecture.

The Pavello is a faithful recreation of the original structure built by Mies van der Rohe for the Barcelona exposition. His followers made sure to get every detail right - from the marble used to the exact dimensions of the minimalist single-floor building. The original Barcelona chair is on display - a classic in worn-in white leather. You can purchase a miniature version of this design icon including a scale model of the Pavillion, and books and accessories that pay tribute to one of modernism's brightest stars.

The Eixample.

When in Barcelona try booking a hotel within the Eixample. There's a good mix of affordable and luxury sleeps in the area, but best of all is the front row view you get to the city's most glamorous quarter. Take a walk through the Eixample's perfect grid of streets and take in the urban architecture. This is ironwork heaven and it seems no two designs are the same. If you stay clear of the tourists and office workers that crowd around the Sagrada Familia and Passeig de Gracia you'll be rewarded with quaint and quiet pastry shops and antique stores and cafes frequented by Eixample locals.

Antoni Gaudi and the Catalan Modernista's most famous buildings are concentrated in this side of town. The Eixample after all was built by the city elite who wanted an elegant alternative to the congested Gothic quarter of the old town. Here they could roam in the wider avenues in relative safety and show off their wealth through the fabulous apartment buildings they commissioned architects like Gaudi to construct.

Today those buildings stand as monuments to the elite's wealth and vanity. The Quadrat d'Or or golden square is the term used to describe the city blocks that contain the best-loved and most reviled Modernista buildings. Most noteworthy of which is the block on the Passeig de Gracia called the Illa de la Discordia - four Modernista buildings that stand in seeming discord to each other owing to their contradictory styles.

These apartments turned museums are sandwiched in between the Casa Lleo Morera of Domenech i Montaner on the leftmost side and Gaudi's Casa Battlo on the right corner. Gaudi's creation is the most photographed of the four and paying visitors are allowed inside the odd structure which resembles a scaly creature.

Further along the Passeig is another Gaudi landmark - the Casa Milla and its wave-like facade and imposing chimneys. There are no flat or straight walls and windows in the entire building and it must have been ahead of its time in both an engineering and artistic sense. There's a museum on the ground floor where you can take a lift to the rooftop, but people actually still live in the upper floors of this building - just as it was originally meant to be.

There's a lot of literature on Barcelona's Modernista movement and its best to read ahead before you dismiss their works as an eyesore - just as
turn of the century Barceloneses criticized Gaudi and his contemporaries back then.

While you're at it and still in the Eixample, follow the map towards Barcelona's and Gaudi's most famous landmark - the Sagrada Familia. The Church is as controversial as Gaudi himself and there was a time locals couldn't bear to look at its gaudy (derived from Gaudi) facade. Today it symbolizes Catalan rebelliousness and often self-indulgent ways. The building is perpetually under construction so much so that the cranes and scaffolding are almost part of the church itself.

Food Trip.

Barcelona is currently on the radar screen of the food press. Michelin star restaurants are increasing and so are the number of chefs pushing the envelope of Spanish fusion cuisine. But old favorites that have been around for almost a century are still worth checking out. I like Xampanyet, a family-owned bar that has been serving tapas along La Ribera in the Old Town since 1929. They serve a local champagne or Cava - a refreshing sparkling wine called, well, Xampanyet.

The jolly owner, Juan Carlos, proudly recommends the house specialty - anchovies - fresh and soaked in Spanish extra virgin olive oil. You hold it in your fingers and swallow it whole. Yummy and best washed down with the house sparkling wine. Also try their Jamon Iberico and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.

Another old favorite is Los Caracoles. Founded in 1929, this restaurant specializes in snails (los caracoles), but I would recommend their calamari frito (fried squid in batter), gambas (prawn in garlic olive oil) and the other house specialty and Spanish favorite - paella. The paella negra imperial (seafood rice cooked in squid ink) is absolutely delicious. A bit on the salty side so do temper it with mayonnaise depending on your taste.

Barcelona on Foot.

All my favorite cities are those that can be covered easily on foot. It doesn't matter if the city is sprawling so long as its possible to get from one point to the next by walking unobstructed. A worthwhile walking tour of Barcelona begins at the Port Veill - where the city opens up to the sea. Feel just like Cristopher Columbus whose first journey back from the New World ended where a monument to his discovery stands today.

The marina is where locals like to spend their weekends hanging around and enjoying the sun and sea breeze. It's also where Las Ramblas, Barcelona's most popular avenue begins.

Las Ramblas is a long and winding pedestrian-only street and even if crowded with tourists, locals love it and a Sunday stroll up or downhill is a tradition still very much alive. Las Ramblas is dotted with street performers, sketch artists and souvenir shops and interesting side attractions like the Erotica Museum, the Boqueria food market and other notable historical and architectural gems. And if you follow its path you'll find yourself stumbling into an entirely different world and time.

The Gothic Quarter

The Barri Gotic or Gothic Quarter is the historic heart and soul of the city. It remains one of the most well preserved medieval quarters in Europe and a walk here is like taking a trip back to the middle ages.

The streets are a maze and its easy to get lost so make the centrally located Barcelona Cathedral your point of reference. The Cathedral is typically Gothic as is its courtyard and surrounding neighborhood of narrow alleys. The cobblestones and medieval walls with gargoyles and bas relief sculpture intact are all original. The Gothic Quarter is well-maintained but it doesn't have that museum-like quality other preserved medieval towns have. People still live and work in this part of town and the restaurants, shops and offices tucked within the ancient walls radiate an energy that is positively modern.

The City by Bus.

Barcelona is a traveler-friendly city and those on a budget - time and money wise will truly appreciate the Bus Turistico service. The double decker bus covers practically every point of cultural, historical and political interest in the city. Hop on and off as you please and take time to explore less frequented sections of the city like Montjuic where a breathtaking panoramic view of Barcelona is the perfect way to end your trip to the Catalan capital.