The best views of Barcelona, part 1

An exciting city, a fun way to get around, five teams of great bloggers and a delicious finale. That was the challenge hotel.info set me, and I couldn’t say no.

So there we were at 5pm at the GoCar Barcelona headquarters, ready to do the #BCNRally, stopping off at various interesting spots around the city that we’d chosen ourselves.

My partner for the route was Isabel, from diariodeabordo, great company and an even better driver! She was there for my little mishap of trying to start the car by putting the key in the glovebox lock… honestly, the laugh of the day! Together we were Team Sagrada Família.

Our route surprised even us! Last-minute improvisations meant our stops went on longer than they should have, and we didn’t make it to all the places we’d have liked (we were supposed to cover 10 spots in the city, but we ended up visiting 5).

So here’s our little bird’s-eye route; we called it Barcelona’s Watchtowers, which fitted perfectly with our team name.

Watchtower 1. The Trade Unions Building, CGT

Just a few days before the CGT moves its headquarters to another part of town, we had the chance to go inside the trade unions building. And the lovely surprise was some OUTSTANDING views of Barcelona.

They let us in without any fuss to see the different panoramas this almost century-old building has to offer. Although the building doesn’t look particularly safe, we went right up to the top floor to enjoy the various terraces.

Fun fact: Shakira shot a music video in the colonnaded temple that crowns the building! 🙂

I discovered this spot thanks to la meva Barcelona, another blogger who was also taking part in the BCNRally; you’ll find more information about it in her post.

Watchtower 2. The Santa Maria del Mar Terraces

While some views seem to be on their way out, others are arriving. The church of Santa Maria del Mar has opened up its rooftop terraces, something unprecedented and special. Since Easter we’ve been able to enjoy this new perspective on Barcelona. Entry costs €5, which goes towards restoring and maintaining the terraces.

Narrow stairs lead up to the walkways around the buttresses. The streets below are so narrow you can almost see into the living rooms of the basilica’s neighbours. The last stretch is an open-air staircase that takes you right up onto the roof of the Cathedral of the Sea, giving you, once again, some incredible views of the city.

Watchtower 3. The Columbus Monument

The Columbus Monument dates from 1888 and is one of the most famous landmarks on Barcelona’s skyline.

It has been closed since May 2012, when some tourists got stuck at the top.

Pointing out to sea, the statue recalls the long voyage to unknown lands, inviting the new traveller to set off and see the world.

They’ve promised to reopen in June, so it’s a stop I’d recommend, as both the way up and the views from the top are quite out of the ordinary.

Watchtower 4. Mirador de Miramar

The Miramar viewpoint is on Montjuïc and you can get there in several ways: by car (or GoCar, like us), by bus (50 – 100 – 193 – Bus Turístic) or on the Barcelona cable car. One way or another, you reach a terrace that opens out onto Barcelona, with side-on views of the city, where you can see the port and have a drink in the sun… or in the shade, as on our unlucky day, though that didn’t stop us having a whale of a time.

Watchtower 5. MNAC

And we finished our little route with some very well-known but unmissable views of Barcelona, especially at sunset, when the Montjuïc fountain starts its show of music and colour: the top of the steps in front of the doors of the MNAC museum (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya).

These views sketch out the classic city skyline, with the Tibidabo basilica and the telecommunications tower outlined against the Collserola hills, and you can also see another symbol that was recently put back in place: the four Puig i Cadafalch columns.

All in all, these are some of the best views from the south side of Barcelona! 🙂

Here are some more views of Barcelona, this time from hotel terraces.

And here’s the route.

I’ll carry on with more views of Barcelona in another post, but here’s a sneak preview of another panorama I wrote about at the time, which is also well worth it: the Carmel bunker. It looks a little different now, but the views are still beautiful.

Last stop and meeting point. El Passatge restaurant at the Hotel Murmuri

And finally we wrapped up with an excellent tasting dinner of small dishes at El Passatge restaurant, including pan con tomate (bread rubbed with tomato), Iberian ham, assorted croquettes, patatas bravas, mussels steamed with herb butter, tuna belly salad with tomato, and steak tartare. For dessert, a delicious I-can’t-remember-what with a thousand layers, and popping candy in between!

Besides the ones I’ve already mentioned, the other bloggers taking part were:

BCN Cool Hunter

Una Vida en Mil Viajes

Viajandopor.com

Diario del Viajero

Sempre Viaggiando

In short… a great experience in very good company! Thanks to everyone and see you soon. 🙂