Alternative Barcelona, five original and different plans to enjoy the city from another perspective.
In addition to Las Ramblas, the emblematic modernist buildings of Antoni Gaudí, the Barceloneta and Parc Güell, Barcelona has many more interesting sites that usually often go unnoticed along the typical tourist routes. . From clandestine dinners in unconventional places to bars specialized in video games to meet local gamers. If you are one of those travelers that when you visit a city you like to really get to know it, you already know that you can’t limit yourself to the hotspots that appear on the map.
The key can also be to find local people with the same hobbies as you. If you are a second hand vinyl enthusiast you will love to stroll around Sant Antoni’s Sunday market, if you usually try your luck at Jackpot slots in Lowen Play you will like to meet local players in the casino of Port Olímpic or if you are a cook you can look for a class with tasting. This way you will have the opportunity to live in first person the local atmosphere of something you already know and, besides enjoying the experience, have an important cultural enrichment.
If you already know the city or think you’ve seen everything interesting, take note of these alternative plans.
GRAFFITI TOUR
At first glance it may seem a plan especially suitable for street art enthusiasts. It is, but taking a tour among the most representative murals of a city is much more than discovering which artist has left his mark on the walls of one neighborhood or another. With a street art tour we have the opportunity to to know the city from the street and to know the most current history of its neighborhoods. something that one of the many guidebooks we have in our pocket can’t tell us.
So I would say it’s a definite plan recomendable for all those interested in street art, but also for those who are for all curious and attentive tourists .
MONTJUIC CEMETERY
Visiting a cemetery is not usually a very appealing plan, but in this case we have an exception. In a way, the Montjuic Cemetery could be considered a full-fledged tourist attraction and, in addition, with a unique charm . It was inaugurated in 1883, it is a project of the architect Leandre Albareda and is characterized by a peculiar eclecticism in which neoclassical and historicist elements are mixed with the new modernism that arose at the end of the 19th century. It is currently registered as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest and in fact its visit is most interesting.
Doing the artistic route we will have the opportunity to walk among a large number of tombs and pantheons of the most spectacular of renowned architects such as Joan Martorell, Antoni Rovira i Rabassa, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Miquel Pascual and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, among many others.
VICENS HOUSE
Among Antoni Gaudí’s buildings, it is one of the least known. It is the first work of the architect of catalan modernism and has only been open to the public for a few years. And that, together with the fact that its location is away from the center and the main tourist attractions of the city, makes it a perfect place to do some cultural tourism .
It is never too crowded and the house is beautiful.
This summer residence in the neighborhood of Gràcia is the first masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí and one of the first buildings that inaugurate Modernisme in Catalonia and in Europe. In Casa Vicens we have the possibility of getting to know a different Gaudí and analyzing his artistic evolution. In Casa Viçens naturalism was already the common thread but with the most eclectic nuances because in this first major project Gaudí summarizes a bit all his art and his vision achieved so far.
JARDINES MOSSÈN COSTA I LLOBERA
The typical is to go for a walk in Parc Güell or rent a boat in the Ciutadella Park but, if you have already been or just want to take a walk in the green and discover something different, you will love to know these gardens. In Montjuic there is a lot to walk around, but in particular the Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens deserve a special mention. We are talking about one of the Europe’s most important gardens specialized in cacti and succulent plants . The walk among succulent plants overlooking the sea is especially pleasant and will allow us to enjoy the city in a different way.
PANORAMIC TERRACE
Instead of strolling through the crowded streets, Hop on one of the many hotel terraces with bar service. You will have the opportunity to enjoy the views of the city from the top mingle with the most sybarite locals and have a drink in a unique environment. In the Raval you have the 360 of the Barceló in Layetana the Sky Bar of the Gran Hotel Central , en Passeig de Gràcia el rooftop del Majestic Hotel and in the Born the terrace of The Barcelona Edition .
