Things to do while visiting Catalunya

Benvinguts a Barcelona, Banyoles i entorns! Welcome to Barcelona, Banyoles and surroundings! Bienvenidos a Barcelona, Banyoles y alrededores!

Here is some information about stuff that we like in Barcelona, Banyoles and the area nearby, so that while you are there you can visit. Hope you will enjoy it!

BANYOLES


Banyoles, located about 120 km from Barcelona, in the Girona region, is the capital of the area called Pla de l’estany. Banyoles is known particularly for the lake and the rowing events and other things that you can discover when you are there :-).

Information can be found in http://www.banyoles.cat. Tourist office: Passeig Darder, pesquera n°. 10.

The historical centre, the old town of Banyoles is old, really old, and the Main Square is from the 13th century, the same as the church. The museum and the monastery is from the 12th century. The historical centre is mostly pedestrian and one of the characteristics of the town are the “Recs” which are small canals that are fed from the lake-- you can see some of them in the streets or inside the buildings (though do not imagine a Venice type of city). The canals are small and appear and disappear as they go under the buildings).

Walking around you can’t get lost; two easy references are the lake and the main square (Plaça Major). Around the town you can visit the different squares, the city walls (Muralla), the Llotja del Tint (Dyeing Market) is a civil gothic building from the 15th century originally dedicated to the dyeing of fabrics. The Pia Almoina a gothic palace that currently holds the Regional Archaeological Museum or the Darder Museum.

The lake, l’Estany in catalan, is about 6 km in diameter and it is very popular for walking, running, biking, riding horses, etc, On a Sunday morning, it’s the local equivalent of las Ramblas in Barcelona ;-). All around the lake, there are small fishing houses (Pesqueres), that are emblematic buildings privately owned, once used for fishing but nowadays are more for recreation. Activities in the lake include rowing competitions, but you can also rent small leisure rowing boats or canoes, or going for a tour in the larger tourist boat. Addition to the Nautical Club (Club Natació) which has an entrance fee, there are other areas for swimming, like the Caseta de Fusta, where you can just go and dive into the lake.
 
Nearby Banyoles, there are many routes to do walking or bicycling (they can be rented and we also have a couple).  A curious place to visit is Les Estunes, a forest with cracks in the earth (you can actually walk down inside the crevasses).

BARCELONA
 
Sights
In the guides, you will find all the sights you must see in Barcelona and all the places you can visit. It's useful to get one if you don't want to miss anything, you can also get a lot of information from the Tourist office website: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/. However, here are some ideas to start with.
  •  To be 100% tourists, you can take the Bus Turistic, there are 2 different routes red (north part of the city) and blue (south part of the city). You can get on and off the bus as many times as you want and the buses come quite frequently. They stop in all the “must see” places and they get you discount tickets for several places. It’s a good way to see the city specially if you don’t have much time.
  • Modernist buildings, the most famous ones are those built by Gaudi such as Casa Batlló, Casa Milà or La Pedrera, Parc Güell and of course La Sagrada Familia.
  • The Cathedral and some emblematic churches such as Santa Maria del Mar, Santa Maria del Pi.
  • If you have the possibility to buy tickets, go to the Liceu (Opera house) or to the Palau de la Música for a concert-- they are impressive buildings.
  •  Visit the installations made for the Olympic games in 1992: Olimpic Stadium and Palau Sant Jordi. From there are very good views of the city.
  •  Tibidabo is an amusement park with attractions for the kids and good views of the city.
  • Parks: Parc de la Cituadella (it is one of the largest in the city and it has the Zoo), El Putxet, Park Güell (it’s very special, designed by Gaudi, it’s on a top of a hill so the views are nice and the park is very original)
  •  Markets: there are several markets in the city that are worth visiting. Two of them are Mercat de la boqueria (very famous), Mercat de Santa Catarina (recently renovated and in a very nice building). They are also good for buying delicatessen style food and they have restaurants and tapas bars. It’s nice to go there mid-day, do some food shopping and have a tapas and an aperitivo in the bars.
  •  Districts to visit and to walk around: el Born, el Raval, el Gòtic, Ciutat-Vella, Barceloneta, las Ramblas...
  • Also you can go to the beach in the city, there are several of them. One is La Nova Marvella, in summer they have bars in the beach and it's normally good to swim.
Exhibitions / Museums
This is a list of some of the most visited ones as well as some smaller ones but totally worth visiting:
  • Caixa Forum: Very interesting exhibitions. Visits to the general museum are free (area: Montjuic) http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/nuestroscentros/english/caixaforumbarcelona/
  •   Palau Nacional (National Palace) and MNAC (Catalunya National Art Museum): Holds the world most important Romanesc collections (area: Montjuic) http://www.mnac.cat 
  •  Museu del Modernisme Catala (MMCat): This is a small and private museum where you can get a comprehensive idea about the modernism movement. It is centrally located and after the visit you can go to La Pedrera and the Casa Batlló http://mmcat.cat
  •  Palau Robert: Neo-classical palace from 1900 located in Passeig de Gracia / Diagonal. It has very interesting temporary exhibitions (photography, drawing, history, etc). The visit is free. http://www.gencat.cat/probert
  •  Museu Picasso: Located in a narrow street in the heart of El Born, is one of the most visited and sometimes there are queues going around the block. http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/
  • Fundació Miro: Holds the work of Joan Miró as well as several other contemporary artists. Located in Montjuic overlooking the city. One of the ways to get there is taking the cable car from El Paral•lel and enjoying the views over the sea and the harbour  http://fundaciomiro-bcn.org

Shopping 
  • Diagonal-Passeig de Gràcia-Rambla Catalunya- Portal de l’Angel are some of the most well-known streets for shopping and there are some of the most popular boutiques and fashionable stores. A couple of shops that we found entertaining to visit is Vinçon, which it has home design and decoration, and the shop in la Pedrera or Bulevard Rosa which is a sort of commercial center with many different boutiques.
  • All over the city there are stores from Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Desigual, etc.
  • Then, there are some malls (big commercial centers) such as "El Corte Inglés", where you will find everything, from clothes (with known brands) to almost anything. There are 3 or 4 in Barcelona, but the biggest ones are in Plaza Catalunya and in Diagonal. Another shopping center is L'Illa, it's in Diagonal street.
  • A good area for shopping in little boutiques and artists is El born and Gotic. There are many little shops, clothes designers, shoes, jewellery, etc. The area of El Born, has become a sort of fashion area and many of new restaurants and trendy shops are there. El Gotic is the part of the old town, used to be the Roman village, and there are very ancient buildings and it’s a mix of old and new.
  • Another area for crafts, bars and terraces is Gracia. This neighbourhood was a town until 1897, characteristic of narrow streets, low traffic, small shops and business, craft studios and traditional trades. It gets crowded at night time with people having drinks at its multiple squares (Pl. de la Revolució, Rius I Taulet, Vierreina o Pl. del Sol). If you get lost around the narrow streets, don’t worry, it’s been happening to me for 30 years, but there is always a way and you will always end up finding a plaza and helpful people that will help you navigate around J.
Restaurants
Besides the well-known restaurants that can be found in all guides, here is a list of some traditional restaurants not so known by tourists and some of the restaurants we like:
The other Barcelonas
Besides the most known and touristy neighbourhoods, if you have time and are willing to explore the city, here are a few, less touristic areas “con encanto” (with charm):
- Sant Andreu I Horta
Like a few other neighbourhoods in Barcelona, Sant Andreu was a separate town and was annexed to Barcelona around 1900 but it still preserves its own character. Sant Andreu’s old city hall is in the Plaça Orfilia (metro stop Sant Andreu). Nearby the plaça, there is the Can Fabra public library and music atelier. The building was an old thread factory now converted but still preserving the façade and structure. From the city hall and going to Pl. del Comerç, there is the Bar Versalles which is well known in the neighbourhood, offers menus , tapas and diverse food; it was founded in 1928 and in a modernist building worth seeing and enjoying the atmosphere. Other places to stop for a bite, Can Roca (Gran de St Andreu 209) or Restaurant Can Rebasseda (by the market, Pl. Mercadal).
Horta is another neighbourhood similar to Sant Andreu, in the sense that is not on the tourist path and still feels a bit like a separate town, where you can find old and small houses. It’s nice to walk around, get a drink in Bar Quimet (Pl. Eivissa).  Going up direction Vall d’Hebron, there are a lot of parks, green spaces, even old farms. There is one park especially unique which is called, Parc del Laberint-- it’s Barcelona’s oldest garden and as the name says it’s a labyrinth; the park takes its name from the maze, created from pollarded cypress trees,  full of hidden corners to be discovered, some of them decorated with sculptures of mythological figures.
- The seafront and the mountains
Walking around the seaside in Barcelona, it’s a good exercise, about 9 km long from Moll de la Fusta (at the end of Las Ramblas – where Colon statue is) to Marbella and Forum (that area was built in 2004 for the cultures forum. There are restaurants all along; you can rent bikes and even trips in a catamaran from the Olympic port.
If you feel more like visiting the mountains rather than the seaside, Vallvidera and Collserola are the largest forests just outside Barcelona and accessible by public transport. There are several options for forest parks and pleasant walks that make you feel like you’re far from urban areas.

 GIRONA
http://www.girona.cat/turisme 
Girona is the capital of the province and 15 min away from Banyoles. It is a really nice city to walk around, full of shops, museums and nice buildings and with plenty of bars and restaurants, one of these being the recently awarded first restaurant of the world, el Celler de Can Roca(http://www.cellercanroca.com/) . It is worth a visit and the food is really good, but it is usually booked up months in advance.

BESALÚ

Very close by to Banyoles is Besalú, a cute medival town built on an island in the Fluvià river. There’s a church consecrated in 1003, some similarly aged Jewish structures (baths, remains of synagogue, etc.) and more recently it has been hosting the Museum of Miniatures. Interestingly, Wilfred the Hairy, credited with unifying Catalonia, was the Count of Besalú.
More interestingly, the town is surrounded by walls, with the only access by a 12th century bridge. It also has a well in the town centre. This is where I’m going in the event of a zombie apocaplypse.

 
FIGUERES
Close to the French border, in a town called Figueres, you will find the Dalí Theatre and Museum, not to be confused with the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Walking around this museum is like walking around inside one of his paintings. Or if you went to a normal museum and dropped acid. Same effect. Just don’t look up, or down. Or turn around too quickly. Old Salvador also happens to be buried in the basement.

ROSES
If you feel like going to the beach, the nearby town of Roses is an excellent choice, we recommend l’Almadrava beach. Settled around the 5th century BC, this cute town is right on the seaside. It has a storied history, having been passed around, annexed, freed, besieged and occasionally blown up during various medieval wars. It has good seafood restaurants. It was recently home to El Bulli, but sadly the restaurant has shut down. If you want go to the best restaurant in the world now, you’ll have to go back to Girona.

ANDORRA
Since you’re already in the neighbourhood, why not strike another country off of the list and head on up to Andorra. It’s a mountainous country, essentially a big ski resort, sandwiched between Spain and France. The official language is Catalan. They have no native currency. Many things are tax free, it’s much looser about smoking laws and you can buy stocks from the ATM machines.
It has a very funny governance structure, being co-ruled by a bishop and the president of France. It’s way too complicated to explain, so have a look on Wikipedia if you’re curious.
Geographically it’s not far but you have to drive on a long, windy mountain road to get there. It’s actually more straightforward to come back through France. Speaking of…

FRANCE

Why not strike a third country off of your list on this trip and visit France. It’s about an hour away from Banyoles and the closest major town, Perpignan, isn’t so bad.

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