Arc de Triomf
Passeig de Lluís Companys, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
Unlike most triumphal arches, this one isn't celebrating a military victory.
Barcelona Cathedral
Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain
Christians have been worshipping on this spot since the fourth century, and the building you see today is the third church to stand here.
Bunkers del Carmel
Carrer del Turo de la Rovira, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona, 08032, Spain
Barcelona holds a grim distinction: it was the first major city in history to be massively and systematically bombed from the air.
Columbus Monument
Plaza Portal de la Pau, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, 08002, Spain
The idea to build this monument came from a man named Antonin Fages i Ferrer in 1856, and it took him sixteen years of failed attempts before Barcelona's mayor finally backed the project in 1872.
Eixample District
Eixample, Barcelona, Spain
In the mid-nineteenth century, Barcelona was suffocating.
El Born Centre Cultural
12 Plaça Comercial, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
In 2001, workers digging foundations for a new library accidentally uncovered an entire neighborhood that had been buried for three centuries.
Els Quatre Gats
3 Carrer de Montsio, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, 08002, Spain
In 1899, a seventeen-year-old Pablo Picasso walked into this cafe on Carrer de Montsio and held his first solo exhibition in the main room.
Gothic Quarter
Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain
Here's the thing about Barcelona's Gothic Quarter: a surprising amount of it isn't actually Gothic.
Hospital de Sant Pau
167 Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona, 08025, Spain
For over eighty years, this was a functioning hospital — and it's one of the most beautiful buildings in Barcelona.
La Rambla
La Rambla, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, 08002, Spain
Before this was Barcelona's most famous promenade, it was an open sewer.
Montjuic Castle
66 Carretera Montjuïc, Sants-Montjuïc, Barcelona, 08038, Spain
Montjuic has been used to watch, control, and kill the people of Barcelona for nearly four centuries.
Palau Guell
Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3-5, 08001 Barcelona
Gaudi was only 34 years old when industrialist Eusebi Guell commissioned him to build a family palace just off La Rambla in 1885.
Parc de la Ciutadella
Passeig de Picasso 21, 08003 Barcelona
This park is built on the ruins of the thing Barcelona hated most.
Picasso Museum
Carrer de Montcada 15-23, 08003 Barcelona
The first museum dedicated to Pablo Picasso anywhere in the world opened right here on March 9, 1963 — and it almost didn't happen.
Placa de Catalunya
Placa de Catalunya, 08002 Barcelona
Less than two centuries ago, this 50,000-square-metre plaza was empty scrubland outside Barcelona's ancient fortifications.
Placa del Rei
Placa del Rei, 08002 Barcelona
If Barcelona has a single spot where you can feel the weight of medieval power, it's this enclosed square tucked deep in the Gothic Quarter.
Pont del Bisbe
Carrer del Bisbe, 08002 Barcelona
It's one of the most photographed spots in Barcelona, and almost everything people believe about it is wrong.
Santa Maria del Mar
Placa de Santa Maria 1, 08003 Barcelona
This is the people's church.
Tibidabo
Placa del Tibidabo 3-4, 08035 Barcelona
The name comes from the Devil.
Explore history in Barcelona
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.