Why Go To Barcelona? Here Are The 5 Most Attractive Things To Do During Your Time In The City

1. Certainly one of the most renowned boulevards in the planet, La Rambla merits a wander down even when you only have a single day in Barcelona. A gateway to rural Catalonia, the mile-long boulevard is filled with tourists, performers, human statues, fortune-tellers, dancers and musicians.

Bright flower stalls, a cultural and exhibition centre, the superb La Boqueria market, a Joan Mir mosaic, newspaper kiosks and cafs line the street. You may well pay a heck of a lot to sip a cola at a roadside caf but the people-watching opportunities will be worth the price.

2. In Barcelona, you can stare in wonder at Gaud's fairytale architecture. The Sagrada Familia is magnificent and grotesque by turns. At first glance, it seems as though a careless giant has thrown melting wax over a Gothic church, but a closer look reveals that the protuberances generate a stone tapestry of Christ's life.

Take the elevator to the top for a breathtaking view. Park Gell is a magical place that emulates an English garden city. After seeing the gatehouses, structured on designs for the opera Hansel and Gretel, you can walk up a splendid staircase, past a mosaic dragon to what once was a marketplace. Outside, climb to the heights of the park to look down at the magnificent panorama.

3. Barcelona has a wide share of live music locations, such as Razzmatazz and Bikini. But there are also fascinating concert halls. The Gran Teatre del Liceu is a splendid place, decorated by gold leaf, plush red carpets and complex carvings. L'Auditori is a sleek 2,400-seater venue that covers not only classical but also jazz and world music.

The Palau de la Msica Catalana is well known for its Modernista architecture, and sheer volume of musical activity. There are a range of music festivals, ranging from the pop-infused Primavera Sound, to the odd Festival d'"pera de Butxaca I Noves Creacions and the Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona.

4. Picasso remembered Barcelona as stunning and dazzling, a city where he spent his early years. Follow in the path of the artistic genius by visiting the attractions that shaped his youth. Walk along the Calle Reina Christina and then cross over to 3 Carrer de la Merc to see where his family lived, though the building was later ruined. For a breather, stop by the Els Quatre Gats, a caf attended by Catalonia's fin-de-sicle avant-garde. Then, head directly to the Museu Picasso, a gallery that records Picasso's formative years.

5. Pick on pintxos, platters of bite-sized food served resting on bread (a Basque kind of tapas), is a well-liked culinary trend in Barcelona. Custom calls you to pick at the food with toothpicks, and at the end of the meal you will pay for the quantity of toothpicks that you have bought. The Old Town Basque house Euskal Etxea invites you to savour elegant little croissants crammed with cured ham, chicken tempura with saffron mayonnaise, melted provolone with mango and ham, or a mini-brochette of pork and peppers.