PARC DE LA CIUTADELLA

This delightful walled park is a haven of shade and tranquillity just a stone's throw from the old city and waterfront. What's more, hidden among the trees, lawns, promenades and a boating lake, you'll find the Parc Zoologic  and a host of other attractions. In 1888 the park was the site of the Universal Exposition and still contains some impressive relics of that great fair, including a striking Modernista cafe which now houses the Museu de Zoologia. With highlights that include a fascinating Whale Room and a Sound Library of recordings of animal sounds Nearby, the neo-classical Museu de Geologia. with its rare and valuable minerals, fossils and rocks, opened in 1878 as Barcelona's first public museum. The main showpiece of the park is the Font Monumental a huge, neoclassical style fountain, smothered in allegorical sculptures.

At the heart of the Eixample is the famed 'Golden Square', an area of elegant streets lined with Modernista architecture ranging from private homes to public buildings, two of them by Gaudi: Casa Mila and Casa Baltic. The Eixample is also where you will find Gaudl's amazing unfinished La Sagrada Familia.

One of the city's most celebrated sights. Gracia, once an outlying village, is now a picturesque suburb. It is home to students, artists and writers and its atmosphere, narrow streets and shady squares contrast sharply with the orderly grid plan of fashionable Eixample. Gracia also has a building by Gaudi - Casa Vicens.