Travel information for visiting Barcelona

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La Pedrera, designed by famed Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudi, is hard to miss on Paseo de Gracia, one of the city’s most beautiful streets. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s magical masterwork, is still a work in progress. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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The dizzying spires at La Sagrada Família. The church has been under construction for nearly 120 years and won’t be completed for more than a decade. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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Park Güell, with its unusual buildings, colorful mosaic-clad benches and large terrace overlooking the city, has become a favorite stop for tourists. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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Agustí Puig, with some of his paintings, assisted in the making of the film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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Cynthia Fusillo, an American artist who has lived in Barcelona nearly half her life, has a great appreciation for her adopted city: “The people, the weather, the food. La Rambla -- the idea that you can walk right down the heart of the city. I love the Gothic Quarter; I love Gaudí -- it’s all wonderful.” (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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The Plaza de Catalunya is a gathering spot for people as well as pigeons. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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A shopper peruses a flower stand along La Rambla, the pedestrian mall that runs from the Mediterranean to the center of the city. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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Colorful produce, cheese and meat stands draw customers to Mercat de La Boqueria, a cavernous open-air market. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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The Casa de las Punxes, Catalan for “the House of Spikes,” has six towers with conical points. The building, at Avenida Diagonal, was designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, one of the Modernistas who helped change the face of the city. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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The giant copper Peix (fish) sculpture by L.A.’s Frank Gehry glitters in the sunlight over Port Olimpic, a marina built for the 1992 Summer Olympics. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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Early morning light pierces a narrow cobbled street in the Barri Gòtic, or the Gothic Quarter, where Picasso, Joan Miró and other artists once worked. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

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The skyline of Barcelona spreads into the distance. The city, one of the world’s great art centers, is a bold and exuberant place known for sensory overload. (Rosemary McClure / For The Times)

By Rosemary McClure

March 14, 2010 12 AM PT

THE BEST WAY

From LAX, connecting service (change of plane) to Barcelona is offered on Air France, American, Dlta, Lufthansa, KLM, British and Swiss. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $540 until March 28, then increas tto $678.

TELEPHONES

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 34 (country code for Spain), 93 (the code for Barcelona) and the local number.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Pulitzer Barcelona, 8 Bergara; 4-81-67-67, https://www.hotelpulitzer.es. Boutique hotel with a great downtown location, just off Plaza Catalunya, and a chic cosmopolitan style. Its Parisian-style rooftop bar is a bonus. Doubles start at $146 per night.

Hotel Casa Fuster, 132 Passeig de Gràcia; 2-25-53-000, https://www.hotelcasafuster.com. Modernist fans can indulge their passion at this central Barcelona landmark designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1908. Refurbished as a small luxury hotel in 2000. It is chic and refined, with panoramic views of the city from its rooms and rooftop pool bar. Doubles from $235 a night.

Hotel Arts Barcelona, 19-21 Marina; 2-21-10-00, https://www.hotelartsbarcelona.com. This high-rise on the coast is a favorite with celebs such as Madonna (she needed an entire floor for her entourage), the Rolling Stones and Woody Allen, who stayed here while making the film “ Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Ritz-Carlton amenities and vibe, great views. A bit out of the way; you’ll need to take a cab to reach most museums and attractions. Doubles start at $521 per night.

WHERE TO EAT

Les Quinze Nits, 6 Plaza Real; 3-17-30-75, https://www.lesquinzenits.com. You’ll get a three-course meal, plus wine or beer, for $12 at this efficient little restaurant in the Gothic Quarter. Included are starters such as salad, soup or pasta, seafood or meat entrees, and dessert. It may well be one of the best deals in the city.

Los Caracoles, 14 Escudellers; 3-01-20-41, https://www.loscaracoles.es. Guests enter this well-known café through the kitchen and make their way to the dining room, where they can order Catalan entrees ranging from $16 to $20. Specialties include roast chicken ($21.50), which can be seen turning on a spit outside this Gothic Quarter restaurant.

Restaurant Casa Calvet, 48 Correr de Casp; 4-12-40-12, https://www.casacalvet.es. Gaudí fans can sit on wooden benches designed by the great Catalan architect at this restaurant within a building he designed for a textile manufacturer a century ago. Offices and boardrooms have been converted into semi-private dining rooms. A varied menu includes entrees such as sole with razor clams and oxtail stew, with prices starting at $34.

TO LEARN MORE

Barcelona Tourism Board, https://www.barcelonaturisme.com.

Spanish Tourism Institute, https://www.spain.info.

Planning your trip to Barcelona

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