City guide · Barcelona
Barcelona
Gaudí's city: Roman walls, the Gothic Quarter and Catalan Modernisme
Barcelona layers two thousand years on a single map: the streets of the Gothic Quarter still follow the plan of the Roman town, the octagonal blocks of the Eixample are 19th-century town planning, and Gaudí's Sagrada Família and Park Güell make the city unique.
History
How the city came to be
Around 15 BC the Romans rebuilt a fortified town on the small hill of Mons Taber and called it Barcino; its forum stood near today's Plaça de Sant Jaume, and the city's political centre has not moved in two thousand years. In 801 Louis, son of Charlemagne, took Barcelona and made it the centre of the Spanish March, ruled by the Counts of Barcelona; in 1137 the County of Barcelona united with the Kingdom of Aragon through marriage. By the mid-19th century the walled city was extremely crowded, and the engineer Cerdà planned the Eixample (extension) outside the walls. Barcelona hosted World's Fairs in 1888 and 1929; in the Spanish Civil War the city stood firmly with the Republic and fell on 26 January 1939. The 1992 Olympics transformed the industrial city, adding 3 km of new beaches along the sea.
- c. 15 BCThe Romans rebuilt the fortified town of Barcino
- 801Louis, son of Charlemagne, took Barcelona and created the Spanish March
- 1137The County of Barcelona united with the Kingdom of Aragon
- 1888Hosted World Expo
- 1929Hosted a second International Exposition
- 1939The city fell in the Civil War and Catalan self-government was abolished
- 1992Hosted the Summer Olympic Games
Stories
Stories of the city
History · Sagrada Família
The church Gaudí spent his life building
On 19 March 1882 work on the Sagrada Família began under the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar; the following year Villar resigned and the young Gaudí took over, turning it into a work blending Gothic with curving Art Nouveau. Gaudí devoted the rest of his life to the church and was buried in its crypt. In 1936 anarchists set fire to the crypt and broke into the workshop, destroying some of Gaudí's original drawings. On 7 November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and declared it a minor basilica.
History · Park Güell
A park meant to be an upmarket housing estate
When the industrialist Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudí to design this hillside, the two envisaged an exclusive private housing estate with modern amenities, and public spaces such as stairs, terraces and gardens embodied their political and religious ideals, such as the Catalanist symbols on the entrance steps. Work ran from 1900 to 1914, and it finally opened to the public as a park in 1926.
People
People connected with Barcelona
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Before you go
Rules to know in Barcelona
Spain: show photo ID when police ask
- Carry photo ID
- Ignoring a direct instruction from the police
Police can take you to a station until your identity is confirmed; ignoring a direct instruction from the police can count as 'disobedience'. Real police check documents only and will not ask to see your wallet.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Spain travel advice
Spain: no dangerous stunts on hotel balconies
- Keep a safe distance on balconies
- Climbing over, crossing or jumping between balconies
The hotel will throw you out and you may be fined; travel insurance may not cover accidents on balconies.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Spain travel advice
Spain: drinking in the street is banned in some areas
- Drink in bars and restaurants
- Walking around drinking in the street
Illegal in some areas; you can be fined on the spot.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Spain travel advice
Spain: don't walk around town in swimwear
- Put clothes on before leaving the beach
- Wearing only a bikini or swimming trunks, or going shirtless, on the seafront promenade and nearby streets
Illegal in some areas; you can be fined.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Spain travel advice