Barcelona - the city of inspirational contradictions

An exuberant metropolis and a long sandy beach, narrow medieval lanes with trendy designer bars. Down-home Catalan sausages meeting modern molecular gastronomy.

Take your first coffee at the Boqueria Market at five a.m. or dance the night away at one of the many clubs in the harbour district. Skate straight through the city or check out every corner at your own speed by bike. How about a day of climbing the local Montjuic or riding the waves right outside the city? Barcelona offers all of this and much more, in fact. Fans of art and culture will be pleasantly surprised by the many museums and Barcelona is a must-see for students of architecture and design.

Since the days when Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch created the Catalan Modernisme, many other greats have made their names here like Sir Norman Foster, Oriol Bohigas and Richard Meier and Jean Nouvel. Barcelona embraces its reputation as a worldwide capital of architecture and design.

Few metropolises are as enjoyable to get lost in as Barcelona, because no matter where you wind up, there’s something to see: a Gothic church, a cosy café, a sun-drenched terrace, a museum or a friendly person happy to help you find your way back to the next magnificent boulevard. In this city – by day or night – you are always somehow in the right place.

Source: swiss.com