MINI GUIDE
Shopping in Barcelona
COMPILED BY LORNA PARKES, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM REGIS ST LOUIS, SALLY DAVIES AND ANDY SYMINGTON. PHOTOGRAPHS: LUIGI VACCARELLA/SIME/4 CORNERS, DAVID RAMOS/GETTY IMAGES, MARK AVELLINO/GETTY IMAGES, INVICTUS SARL/ALAMYBarcelona essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Lonely Planet publishes
an in-depth Barcelona
city guide (US$21.99) and
a smaller Pocket Barcelona
(US$13.99), ideal for quick
trips. Shopikon.com/
Barcelona presents a
curated list of Barcelona’s
independent shops by
neighbourhood. Homage to
Catalonia (US$6.99;
Amazon) is George Orwell’s
classic personal account of
his involvement fighting for
a communist faction in
the early
days of the
Spanish
Civil War,
set in
and around
Barcelona.MODERNISTA TRAIL
Masterpieces to look out for:
OPalau de la Música Catalana
This concert hall in La Ribera
is a symphony in tile, brick, stone
and stained glass (Carrer de Sant
Francesc de Paula 2).
OCasa Amatller Extraordinary
gabled house by Josep Puig i
Cadafalch, on Passeig de Gràcia.
OCasa Batlló (below) A 1904
Gaudí creation with the look of a
slumbering bony dragon.
OFundació Antoni Tapiès
A building by Lluís Domènech i
Montaner with Islamic-inspired
details (Carrer d’Aragó 255).
OLa Pedrera A wave-emulating
Gaudí apartment block with
distinct rooftop chimneys.
OCasa Thomas A 1912 design by
Lluís Domènech i Montaner, with
oversized wrought-iron
decoration signposting the shop
window of interior design store
Cubiñá (Carrer de
Mallorca 293).US$105).
Suites Avenue provides fancy
apartment-style living secreted
behind a daring façade. The
apartments are good value and
include private kitchens and
access to a terrace, gym and pool
(suitesavenue.com; Passeig de
Gràcia 83; from US$160).
Tranquil Hotel Neri occupies
a beautifully adapted, centuries-
old building in the Gothic
Quarter, with timber furnishings
and stone-clad bathrooms.
There’s a bedding menu, and a
roof deck (hotelneri.com; Carrer
de Sant Sever 5; from US$230).WHERE TO STAY
Quirky and colourful interiors
hit you from the second you walk
into the foyer of Chic & Basic
Ramblas in El Raval. Each room
has a small kitchen and superior
doubles come with balconies
(chicandbasicramblashotel.com;
Passatge Gutenberg 7; fromTRANSPORT
Fly to Barcelona via its El Prat
airport on British Airways from
Singapore or Kuala Lumpur with
one stop in London Heathrow
(ba.com; from US$639). The
quickest way to get into town
from El Prat is with RENFE trains,
which leave every half hour and
take about 25 minutes to reach
Passeig de Gràcia (single
US$4.60; renfe.com/EN/
viajeros). Taxis from the airport
cost about US$35. Barcelona’s
metro is the most convenient
way to get around town; singles
cost US$2.40 per ride but the
T-10 (10-ride pass) offers better
value at US$11.15.Rooms at Chic & Basic Ramblas
are designed with a ’60s themeShopping Sleeping