Barcelona

Gaudí's unfinished basilica has been under construction since 1882 and is still rising. The outside is extraordinary, its towers and facades covered in carved detail, but the real surprise is the interior, where columns branch like trees and the stained glass fills the nave with coloured light, warm on one side and cool on the other.

TipTickets must be booked online, often weeks ahead in summer. Choose a time in the late afternoon for the best light through the windows.

A former hospital complex designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, a short walk up the avenue from the Sagrada Família. Its pavilions, covered in mosaics, tiles and sculpture and linked by gardens, are a World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful, and least crowded, Art Nouveau ensembles in Europe.

A hillside park Gaudí designed as a garden suburb, with a terrace bordered by a long, curving bench covered in broken tiles, gingerbread-like gatehouses and the famous mosaic dragon on the stairs. Much of the park is free to walk, but the monumental zone with Gaudí's best work needs a timed ticket.

TipWalk up the hill behind the monumental zone to the Turó de les Tres Creus for a wide view over the city to the sea.

The oldest part of the city, built on the Roman town of Barcino, is a maze of narrow lanes, hidden squares and medieval buildings around the Gothic cathedral. Look for the Plaça del Rei, the remains of Roman temple columns in a courtyard on Carrer del Paradís, and the small Plaça de Sant Felip Neri.

Two of Gaudí's apartment buildings stand on the Passeig de Gràcia, the city's grandest avenue. Casa Batlló, with its scaly roof and bone-like balconies, is the more playful; La Pedrera, also called Casa Milà, has a rippling stone facade and a rooftop of strange sculpted chimneys. Both can be visited inside, and both are worth it if you have time for only one more Gaudí building.

A lively neighbourhood of boutiques, bars and medieval mansions. Five of these now hold the Picasso Museum, which is especially strong on the artist's early years, when he lived in Barcelona. Nearby, the soaring Santa Maria del Mar is one of the finest Gothic churches in Spain.

La Rambla, the city's famous promenade, is crowded and touristy, but the Boqueria market halfway along is a feast of fruit, cured ham, seafood and tiny counter bars. For a quieter market with more locals, try Santa Caterina in El Born.

TipGo to the Boqueria in the morning, when the locals do their shopping, and keep an eye on your bag along La Rambla.

A concert hall from 1908 that is a masterpiece of Catalan modernisme, with a stained-glass skylight like an upside-down dome and walls covered in sculpted muses and mosaic flowers. It can be seen on a guided tour, but a concert is the best way to experience it.

A hill above the port with gardens, the 1992 Olympic stadium, a castle, and two outstanding museums: the National Art Museum of Catalonia, with superb Romanesque church paintings, and the Fundació Joan Miró. A cable car climbs from the port and from the funicular station.

The old fishermen's quarter of Barceloneta leads to a string of city beaches stretching north for several kilometres. The beaches further from the centre, such as Bogatell, are usually calmer.