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:
- Bar Velódromo: Area: Eixample (Diagonal). It’s normally full and you have to wait to get a table http://www.timeout.com/barcelona/restaurants/bar-velodromo
- El Agua
- Fabrica Moritz Barcelona
- El café de la Princesa
- El Tragaluz
- Casa Alfonso
- Bar Bilbao
- Bar Roure
- Restaurant Roca
- Restaurant Can Ponsa
- Tickets Bar Restaurant
- Can Culleretes
- Taverna Can Margarit
- Cafe Adonis
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
