Not exactly in Barcelona, but nevertheless a fantastic day trip, the monastery of Montserrat is absolutely magnificent.

First and foremost: the landscape. You can see it coming from a mile off; weird bulbous rock formations bulging out.

On the way up, there's a fantastic Romanesque chapel with amazing frescoes, and the whole area is riddled with hermits' caves.

The church itself is vast, 1000m above sea-level, and (oddly) reassuringly hideous in scale and detail.

Still, it's a mighty impressive spectacle and the surrounding countryside is simply breathtaking.

90 minutes from Barcelona (near Lleida)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_(mountain)

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We did the cable car ride up to the old castle on the top of the hill at Montjuic. There are some spectacular views from the top of the port and the gardens below. Highly recommended!

We took the metro which was close to our rental apartment (Paralelo) which has the funicular train, and the cable car is just over the road! Sorry I don't know if there's a website.

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Barcelona can be pretty expensive for tourists, so when you go there I can give you a good tip: buy a discount card; it saves you a lot of money! I bought one, named the Go and Connect discount card, which was only 12 euros. With this card I was able to go out for almost nothing. I got discounts in a lot of shops, restaurants, clubs, transport rentals and more!

If you are interested you can check out their site to see where you can get the card and where you can get discounts - I think it is a must in an expensive but amazing city like Barcelona.

www.goandconnect.com/en/Discounts/

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Take the Fat Tire Bike Tour around the city. Ride a fantastic American-style cruiser bike, see all the sights and finish on the beach for drinks by the sea. It's safe, not too strenous and really good fun! We loved it.

www.fattirebiketoursbarcelona.com/

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To call La Rambla a street somehow appears a little demeaning, thoroughfare or boulevard seem much more fitting words, however neither really adequately describe the 'slice of life' that is La Rambla.

Running from Placa de Catalunya down to the port area, La Rambla is a place for people to stroll, meet, pass through, trade, eat, drink, people watch and be entertained. And if you think it's busy wandering down its length at midday return at midnight when it's even livelier.

Entertainment comes in the form of buskers and street performers of the 'living statue' type - give them some coins and they'll perform for you or just admire them as they stand immobile. One favourite was the headless torso with the 'detached' head alive and chatting on a plate of vegetables next to him. There are also stalls selling flowers, sketch artists offering to draw your likeness and booths selling a variety of birds and small animals. Indeed it was quite incongruous seeing pigeons hoping around the ground in front of a booth where others were on sale.

Inevitably in such a busy place there will be pickpockets so be careful with your purse, camera and other valuables. However don't let that put you off, whether it's a morning, afternoon or evening stroll - La Rambla is the place.

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One of the entrances to Cathedral La seu is through the cloistered courtyard. It’s a wonderful space, stone flagged floors, arched recesses, gothic columns and lush green foliage. One can easily imagine walking slowly around the cloisters in quiet contemplation. Ah, except for the interruptions of the geese which share the space.

There are 13 geese, each representing one-year of the life of the martyred Santa Eulalia, the patron Saint of Barcelona. One does get the sense that the geese feel they are the real owners of the courtyard; everyone else is just an interloper. And they are probably right.

Inside the beautifully cool interior are some wonderfully ornate side chapels, paintings and gilding. The high ceiling has carved round plagues at each axis and the patches of weathering on the roof rather than detracting from the decoration actually add to the feel of the place, giving a sense of history and continuity.

The choir stalls are handsomely decorated with coats of arms and all through the cathedral are wonderfully rich colours and decorative flourishes. It is an incredibly impressive building, a focal point for the area and community, imposing yet also welcoming and peaceful.

A lift takes you to the roof and a walk along the bouncy steel walkway not only gives you fantastic views over the city but also allows you to see up close the architecture of the cathedral itself.

Plaça de la Seu
Barri Gotic. Metro: Lines 1 and 3 (Catalunya Station) and Lines 2 and 4 (Urquinaona Station.)
www.catedralbcn.org

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Designed by Gaudi, begun in 1883 and still being constructed, the Sagrada Familia radiates a compelling presence in the city, even before you visit it. Maybe it is the fact that it is unfinished, maybe it's the unusual architecture and decoration - which includes broken bottles and ceramics - but there is something so creative about the building that it'll work on your imagination.

From a distance the facade looks like someone has taken a lump of clay, kneaded and moulded it into a mass of spikes, icicles, holes and ridges. Closer up and you begin to pick out elements, even closer and you become overwhelmed by the intricate details. Inside the lines of the stone are clean, elegant, tactile.

The structure and composition of the building is very organic - photographs show how some of the columns were inspired by trees - and it is almost as if the building has developed on its own burgeoning from the earth, expending and blossoming as it grows. I particularly sensed this inside the structure and when climbing around inside the thin towers, the building has such a strong sense of identity, its own identity, separate from the person who designed it and the people building it. Maybe that is in part what makes this a remarkable structure, the way that is both representative of Gaudi's vision but is also somehow independent. This is not just a building it's an ongoing work of art.

Carrer de Mallorca 401
Metro: Line 2 or 5 Station: SagradaFamilia
www.sagradafamilia.org

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The company Cruisin' Barcelona is run by a young couple who also cruise the streets as bike messengers. They offer personalised tours on ultra cool beach cruisers. Mahrou knows the city from A to Z and can tell you about the weirdest little ins and outs. They rent their bikes as well but it's just nice to hang out with them while cruising through the city...

tel: +34 605948469;
www.cruisingbarcelona.com

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Personalised guided walking or bike tours

www.barcelonaexperience.com/

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Visiting Montjuic fountains at night for the fountain/light/music show is definitely worth a visit. From May to September it's on Thursday-Sunday nights 8pm to midnight. The fountains are just off the Placa Espanya near the MNAC. I would recommend seeing them close up and also from the top of the mountain at Castell de Monjuic. The views from the Castell during the day are also worthwhile, stop at the Joan Miro museum on the way up or down. Cable car or bus are available.

Nearest metro: Placa Espanya

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