La Sagrada Familia
Palau de Güell
Parc Güell panorama
City and port from the air
Harbour cable car ride page 1 page 2
Views from the Columbus monument
Boat tour of the harbour
Views from Mont Juic panorama
Barcelona is a vibrant city on the Spanish Mediteranean coast (aerial views), 120 km south of the Pyrenees and the border with France.
One of the attractions in the city centre is Las Ramblas, a 1.5km tree-lined walk through the old city to the port. Mont Juic, a hill overlooking the port, is where the 1992 Olympic Games were held.
The architect Antoni Gaudi gave the city some of its most famous buildings, including the Sagrada Familia temple (planned completion date 2050), the Palau de Güell (off the Ramblas) and Parc Güell (overlooking the city).
For views of the city and port, a 1.5 hour Golondrina boat trip (from near the Columbus monument) is particularly fun, as is the cable car ride over the harbour to Mont Juic. The hop-on-hop-off bus tours , though a little slow, are a relaxing way to see the city.
The 9th floor restaurant in the Corte Ingles department store on Placa de Catalunya is rather pleasant and has great views. The Sbarro restaurant on Placa Universitat, whilst perhaps not "authentic Spanish", is also a good lunch-stop.
Warning: Barcelona has a problem with pickpocketing, including the usual variants (from ketchup distractions, to "I'm a plain-clothes police officer!" to the simple ' how did they manage that?!'). A little care in tourist areas, including restaurants etc, is necessary (with local advice seeming to be not to wander too far into the narrow old city streets off the Ramblas); carry only what you need and keep a careful eye on what you do carry. The police are efficient at processing crime reports and will supply a list of telephone numbers for the major credit card companies etc. It can be very frustrating trying to cancel a credit card – keep details of the credit card account number and issuing bank in a separate safe place / with someone at home.