Visiting Barcelona is always a good idea. The capital of Catalonia is a harmonious mix of art, culture, entertainment and good living, and stands as one of the finest examples in Europe of how a city can transform itself in a sustainable direction while preserving its own character — and indeed improving the lives of its residents and the experience of its many visitors. Barcelona never stands still and is moving swiftly towards a green future. It is a city that invites you to walk, to get around by bicycle and to enjoy its outdoor spaces. Between unmissable classics and new destinations waiting to be discovered, we propose 5 stops for experiences suited to every type of traveller.

Before you go: what to know about visiting Barcelona

The capital of Catalonia is a populous city of around 1.6 million inhabitants. The languages spoken are Catalan and Spanish: the independence movement in the region has many supporters, and referring to a Catalan person as Spanish can sometimes be considered an insult. Bear this in mind. Visiting the city's attractions is often not cheap — some sights, such as the Gaudí buildings, have high admission prices. It is certainly worth purchasing the tourist cards offered by the Barcelona tourism office.

When to visit Barcelona

When it comes to Barcelona, this question is easy to answer: temperatures are always mild, even in winter — it is a city on the sea. Rainfall is scarce. It may be more useful to know that, especially in recent years, temperatures in summer easily reach 40 degrees, making it inadvisable for those who struggle with extreme heat. Prices also rise accordingly. Make the most of the winters, then — all the more so because there are many events during this period, such as the festival for the patron saint, Santa Eulàlia, and carnival.

What to see in Barcelona

The Catalan capital is a city for everyone and has an enormous amount to offer from every point of view. But how many days do you need to visit Barcelona? A great deal depends on what kind of traveller you are. What it is most famous for is undoubtedly its modernist architecture: Casa Batlló, La Pedrera (Casa Milà), the Sagrada Família and Parc Güell are not, however, the only works by Gaudí in the city. Do not miss, for example, his Casa Vicens, which is splendid and less well known. And the cathedral deserves a thorough visit, as it is a treasure chest of the city's past. Another unmissable trail is the one that winds through the city's many markets, which offer the very best of Spanish gastronomy and are architecturally striking too — such as the Sant Antoni market.

Visiting the Palau de la Música Catalana, for music lovers

Barcelona is the home of Modernisme: the movement that, especially in its artistic and architectural expression, changed the face of the city. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some of the greatest architects of this current worked in the Catalan capital — foremost among them, Antoni Gaudí. But he was not the only one; an immense exponent was certainly Lluís Domènech i Montaner, whom Catalans know well but the rest of the world less so. Several splendid buildings in Barcelona are his work, and he also designed works for other cities in the region. What we absolutely recommend you visit is the Palau de la Música Catalana. First of all, it is worth knowing that it was born as the home of Catalonia's choral society, which still works there today. It is hemmed in by narrow lanes in the Barrio de la Ribera and therefore does not flaunt its beauty shamelessly — beauty that is considerable on the outside but becomes incredible in the interior spaces, to the point of leaving you breathless. For this reason it has been proclaimed a Unesco World Heritage Site. The entrance ticket includes a most enjoyable guided tour that will allow you to discover all the secrets and curiosities of this treasure chest of wonders. Everything culminates in the concert hall, which is the expression of all the peculiar characteristics of Modernisme and more besides. The mix of materials used (glass, ceramic, iron, marble, stone) and the genius with which they have been assembled and harmonised make it a place — "a garden of music," as it is often called — of truly rare beauty.

Heading to the beaches outside Barcelona, for those who want the sea

Barcelona is a seaside city. Its many other riches often cause people to forget this. Especially after the hugely successful 1992 Olympics, the port area and the city's beaches were strongly revalued and developed, and today they are a tourist attraction. For those who wish to spend a day at the sea without straying too far from the centre, it is possible to reach the coastline — very long and largely free — by metro, or to take a lovely cycling excursion, suitable for everyone, from Port Vell all the way to the area known as El Fòrum. The round trip is approximately 16 kilometres, safe because it runs entirely on a cycle path. The distance can also be covered on foot for keen walkers.

These areas are undoubtedly very busy even outside the summer period, owing to the often mild temperatures. They are therefore not places suited to those seeking peace and quiet. For a day of true escape from metropolitan and beach chaos, we recommend going outside Barcelona and doing so by public transport: one of the most easily and quickly reachable spots is Montgat. From Plaça de Catalunya, in around 20 minutes on the R1 (train) you can arrive for a couple of euros in a place that is certainly more peaceful and on a human scale. Another village, even more pleasant and only a little further away, is Garraf, one of the comarques of Catalonia — that is, one of the 41 portions of territory into which the region is divided. It is reached via the R2 in just over 30 minutes.

Wandering through the green spaces, for those who cannot do without nature

Barcelona is a green city — you notice it straight away. There are more than 24,000 trees in the city. 240 kilometres of cycle paths to make the most of parks and gardens but also for getting around in everyday life. Even more than for two-wheeled travel, the Catalan capital seems to be transforming in favour of those who get around on foot. Especially in recent years, the pedestrianisation of large areas has been gaining ever more ground, and residents are pleased about it — tourists even more so. Despite being a populous city of over one and a half million inhabitants, it appears less congested than others. People often choose to walk for the sheer pleasure of doing so in a city that is an open-air museum, but also for the ease of it.

And if you get tired, the good public transport network will come to the rescue (a metro ticket costs €2.40, but multi-day cards or the 10-journey carnet are better value). Among the alternative walks to take in Barcelona's parks, there is a route that leads to the discovery of the Parc de Montjuïc through its exceptional botanical diversity. This is an area of rare beauty that brings together several different gardens, all magnificent: among others, we highlight the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera, where you can admire a forest of cacti. For a diversion that is also suitable for children, the Parc del Laberint d'Horta is worth a visit — the oldest park in the city, which is home to a maze.

Admiring great twentieth-century artists, for lovers of beauty

Among Barcelona's great heritage, its artistic heritage — preserved in museums that are sometimes works of art in themselves — deserves a prominent place. There are many to visit, some very famous, others less well known but truly outstanding. Among the must-sees, the Museo Picasso certainly holds a place of honour: the Spanish painter was born in Málaga but lived in Barcelona for a long time, and it was he himself who donated part of the works that now bring this beautiful space to life. The location itself, in medieval palaces, is of rare evocativeness and houses largely the work of the early Picasso, the lesser-known one. It is an excellent way to fully appreciate the greatness of an artist who was able to reinvent himself over time and always find his own personal vision of the various currents emerging in the art world.

A lovely gem is the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, which reveals its contemporaneity from the outside: it is a building by Lluís Domènech i Montaner surmounted by an aluminium and steel sculpture called "Cloud and Chair,"