Mandarin Oriental Barcelona to Old Fashioned Bar
Your essential guide to Barcelona
By Sally Davies
Sally Davies has lived in Barcelona since 2001. She writes virtually Catalan culture and food for publications including Time Out, Lonely Planet, The Telegraph and The Guardian.
Observe your bearings
Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is at the centre of the Quadrat d'Or (Golden Square), a walkable commune showcasing the best work of the Modernista architects who transformed the city at the turn of the century. It is sliced in 2 past the Passeig de Gràcia, an elegant boulevard lined with period wrought-iron lampposts.
Feed your listen
Just across from Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is Gaudí's colourful Casa Batlló townhouse, its shimmering scales and sinuous curves created to evoke a dragon – a Catalan symbol. A brusque hop away is his apartment block La Pedrera, which is now an exhibition infinite and is all-time known for its distinctive chimney stacks. Rooftop concerts are staged hither on summer nights.
A few blocks away is the iconic Sagrada Família, Gaudí's unfinished temple, and beyond that the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista, which until recently was a working hospital, each of its riotously coloured pavilions a dissimilar ward. Today, it's attainable to tourists, who can wander through its gardens.
Casa Batlló
Casa Batlló: a slice of Gaudí'south imagination made real in the center of Barcelona. Photo: AdobeStock
Store like a local
The Eixample is Barcelona's shopping district par excellence, and y'all'll notice every sort of store hither, from family-run ironmongers to exclusive boutiques. The bottom of Passeig de Gràcia is where the flagship stores of most major brands are found, but the further n you walk the grander the names become – Stella McCartney, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo and a host of local designers among them. You'll too discover plenty of local names along the Passeig, from the stylish and affordable Bimba y Lola to design house Santa Eulàlia, which brings together a host of couture brands, to the ubiquitous Catalan purveyors of colourful, patchwork-like wearing apparel, Desigual. At the top, the street hits Avinguda Diagonal, where you'll find Prada and a couple of upmarket shopping centres. Meanwhile, Gràcia, the neighbourhood above the Eixample, has a completely different flavor, and its narrow streets and leafy squares are a smashing identify to stumble across tiny boutiques and quirky homeware stores among more workaday grocery stores and mechanic's workshops. For interesting, locally produced gifts, some of the best are to be found in the shops of the bigger museums, or try the showcase store for Catalan jewellery, ceramics and then on, Artesania Catalunya, in the Barri Gòtic.
Only in Barcelona...
"One of Barcelona'southward nigh mannerly museums is also ane of its least known. The Museu Frederic Marès has a weird and wonderful mixture of collections, from Romanesque crucifixes to antique ladies' fans."
Mayte Rabanal, Concierge & Butler Manager, Mandarin Oriental Barcelona
See some sights
Heading down towards the ocean from Standard mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, you'll find yourself in the Barri Gòtic, the urban center's atmospheric mediaeval quarter, crowned by its Gothic cathedral and flanked by Las Ramblas, the famous mile-long promenade, the attractions of which include the huge Boqueria food market. Across this is the Port Vell, a smart marina that runs alongside the old fishing quarter, and the beginning of Barcelona's seven kilometres of embankment. As you arroyo the port, wait out for Roy Lichtenstein'due south huge popular art sculpture, El Cap de Barcelona.
Toast your arrival
As a nod to the bank that was once housed here, the ceiling at Banker's Bar at Standard mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is lined with deposit boxes, and has some of the city's busiest and all-time mixologists. Endeavor the White Cosmopolitan with Ketel Ane vodka, Rex´southward Ginger liqueur, elderflower, ginger syrup and lime, or the Dark-green Lady which comprises Hendrick's gin, ginger syrup, lemon, mint and egg white.
Make fourth dimension to unwind
Make time to unwind
Spa & Wellness
The Spa at Standard mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is as well home to famed Spanish podiatrist, Bastien Gonzalez, whose squad will work wonders on your feet. So it's the perfect place to relish a luxurious pedicure, or mayhap a 4-handed massage or reflexology session.
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Dine in style
Managed past chef Carme Ruscalleda and her son, Raül Balam, Moments has ii Michelin stars and a worldwide reputation for excellence, Must-endeavour dishes include coca (crispy Catalan flatbread) with lobster and arroz caldoso ('soupy' rice) with prawn tails. Blanc, at the middle of the hotel, is less formal and open all day, while Terrat is an alfresco rooftop restaurant offering Peruvian dishes and stunning views. In summer, the Mimosa Garden, filled with Mediterranean plants and flowers, comes into its own – information technology'southward the perfect identify for a glass of wine and tapas.
Only around the corner is the lively Tapas 24, a relaxed and playful tapas bar run by renowned chef Carles Abellan.
Time travel
Until the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona was said to accept "turned its back on the ocean", with no beach to speak of. Ahead of the influx of visitors, tonnes of sand laid down to create the shoreline y'all can encounter today.
And finally
After night, caput over to the Magic Fountain – a riotously kitsch sound and lite show that takes places at the foot of Montjuïc, near the Plaça Espanya.
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