Book a Flight to Barcelona from €72

Sagrada Familia: the church of the Holy Family is the symbol of Barcelona. This strange basilica, a mix of Catalan art nouveau and Gothic architecture, was a life achievement for innovative architect Antoni Gaudí. The Catalan Modernist that changed the character of Barcelona, envisioned the largest cathedral in Europe challenging the rules of symmetry. The construction of Sagrada Familia started in 1882 but remained unfinished when, in 1926, Gaudí died in a tram accident. The façades of the Nativity, the Passion and the Glory are breathtaking.
Address: Carrer de Mallorca 401, 0034 93 5132060, www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/

Montjuïc: take the cable car for the hill with the castle and the botanic gardens above the port. Here are gathered some of the best sights in Barcelona: the Joan Miró Foundation with the most extensive collection of works by the famous artist, the Ethnology Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the MNAC - National Art Museum of Catalonia and the CaixaForum Barcelona cultural centre, restored, a true gem of industrial modernist architecture. The impressive sporting arena Palau Sant Jordi of the 1992 Olympics, the Poble Espanyol (Spanish village) and the Communications Tower by Spanish architect Calatrava, also stand out.  

Columbus Monument: at the end of the Rambla, where it meets the sea, on top of column, stands the statue of Spanish navigator, looking proud of his conquest of the West. Inside the column, the lift will take you to the observatory with the 360 degrees panoramic view.
Address: Plaza Portal de la Pau, 0043 933 025224

Picasso Museum: Featuring more than 4000 works, the Picasso Museum has the largest collection of works by the Spanish artist, with masterpieces from the Blue and Rose Period and rare pieces from his youth. The top 20th century painter had developed strong bonds with Barcelona when, during his artistic apprenticeship, he portrayed women selling lottery tickets at the Rambla.   
Address: Carrer Montcada, 15-23, 0034 932 563000, www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/

Park Güell: the most unusual park in the world, a work by Antoni Gaudí, at the Gracia district. An area designed by the modernist architect for his patron, Eusebi Güell and originally destined for residences. In the end, it became a fairytale park of utopia, with mazy alleys, weird mosaics, a gigantic multicoloured salamander, a forest of stone columns and houses reminding the candy houses of Hansel and Gretel.  
Address: Carrer d'Olot, 0034 902 200302, www.parkguell.es

Casa Batlló: one of Gaudi's most famous works that, along with Casa Milà, catches the eye at Passeig De Gracia Street. This multicoloured building does not have one single straight line. Among the transcendental designs filled with colour and the strange forms, the chimneys and the back of the dragon decorating the roof stand out.  
Address: Passeig de Gràcia, 43, 0034 932 160306, www.casabatllo.es/

Camp Nou: for football fans this is the ultimate attraction in Barcelona, the hot home turf of legendary Barcelona FC. With a seating capacity of 99,000, the stadium where Messi and Piqué work their magic is the largest football “temple” in Europe. Visit Barça's Museum and buy memorabilia of the football team that is something of a religion here, inseparable from the very history of the city. 
Address: Carrer d'Aristides Maillol 12, 0034 902 18 99 00, www.fcbarcelona.com/camp-nou/ 

Chocolate Museum: Barcelona has a long relationship with chocolate, since its port was a vital point for trading and import of cocoa to central Europe, while the first industrial chocolate was sold here in 1777. Study the sweet history of xocolata and participate in activities for adults and children, ranging from chocolate tasting to chocolate crafting.  
Address: Calle Comerç, 36, 00 34 932 68 78 78, www.museuxocolata.cat/

From Columbus Monument, a bridge will guide you to the hip Port Vell with the Αquarium, the largest aquarium in Europe and the Maremagnum, a true lifestyle monument of the post-Olympic era. Enter this vast multiplex of restaurants, shops and clubs and start your own shopping spree.

Starting from the Maremagnum, the Shopping Line is the virtual 5km line connecting selected shops bearing the characteristic ΒC mark across Barcelona that promise special quality and better prices to their customers. 

At the other end of the city, in the north district of L'Eixample is the large shopping mall Barcelona Glòries, with two hundred shops. At commercial Passeig de Gracia street you will find Spanish pret-a-porter brands with chains around the world, as well as avant garde creations by Catalan designers on clothes and jewellery in unusual designs and materials. Buy handmade Catalonia espadrilles by local shoemakers as well as sneakers by Barcelona brands in Raval district and vintage items in Barri Gòtic.

Explore the internationally acclaimed “cuina catalana” that combines flavours of the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees. Walking towards the port, halfway on the Rambla, make a detour to the Boqueria, the central food market and admire the variety of fish on the stalls: the top ingredient in Catalan gastronomy. Here is where the best chefs of the city get their raw materials. Baby octopuses, cods, espardenas, spaghetti-like seafood as well as piles of beans and chick peas and red peppers brought by Columbus from America. Around the market, you will find the best tapas, a line-up of appetizers on the bar, that you will accompany with beer or cava sparkling wine. 

At the restaurants in Barceloneta and Ribera ask for cannelloni, mariscada, fish broth, cod fillets, arròs negre, a typical Catalan dish made of rice cooked in cuttlefish ink, and indulge in a divine crema catalana for desert. 

As night falls, Barcelona surrenders to the clubbing fiesta which, as everything around here, is an art on its own. Experience the long Catalan night-life with special rhythms; flamenco mixing with hip hop and rumba catalana in more funky versions, as well as favourite songs by Manu Chao in the night spots of Plaza Real, Rambla and El Born..

Catalan temperament and spontaneous artistic expression in the events of Barcelona.

• Sardana dancing at Barri Gòtic Watch Catalans dancing the traditional Sardana, with origins that may be ancient Greek, at the cathedral's square on Sundays. 
• Grec Do not miss the events of Grec, the major summer festival in Barcelona, that took its name after the Greek theatre at Montjuïc hill. Artists from the Spanish and international music scene, dance, theatre and happenings every July.  
• La Mercè. The city is literally on fire during the religious celebration honouring Virgin Mary of Grace, La Mercè, which notes the beginning of autumn, in late September. Fire-spitting dragon replicas and “Devils” chasing the crowd, fireworks race, human castles compose a wild street party with Catalan temperament and Dionysian elements. 
• Sonar The ultimate electronic music festival every June at Montjuïc park.
• Saint George's Day The Catalan equivalent of Saint Valentine's Day, is Sant Jordi's day in Barcelona. Every year on 23 April, the locals honour the chivalrous saint that saved a pretty queen, by slaughtering the dragon. As custom has it, men offer roses to women and they return the favour offering books.

Getting to and from the airport in Barcelona

Aegean Airlines lands at El Prat International Airport, 14 km from the city centre. The second largest airport in Spain, has many shops and restaurants as well as banks, foreign exchange offices, post office and car rental agencies. Wi-Fi is free for 15 minutes. To get to the city you can take the R2 train line from El Clot-Aragó station. If you prefer the bus, you can take line L46 to Plaça d'Espanya or lines Aerobús 1 and 2 to Plaça de Catalunya. If you choose a taxi, note that the journey takes from 20 to 40 minutes.