Barcelona – My Favorite! It is one of the best tourist spots in Spain. Here are some of its highlights. The Cathedral of Barcelona is dedicated to the Saint Eulalia. It has beautiful carvings on the choir and on the tomb of Saint Eulalia that is housed in the crypt. There are street performers, many vendors and cafes around the cathedral. It took a very long time to build this religious structure. Work began in 1298 and went on till 1913 as civil wars and plague disrupted its construction.

The National Museum of Catalonian Art (MNAC) is located near the Parc de Montjuic and has a beautiful collection of works from the Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic, Rococo and Modern periods. Lectures are also held to educate the tourists about art history. The museum is open to visitors from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm and from 10am to 2:30pm on Sundays.

The Picasso Museum is based in central Barcelona (in the historical Born district) and is easily reached by metro. Out of the five Picasso Museums in Europe, this one was the first to open (in 1963). It features the beautiful works of Picasso that were made by him in his formative years. In addition, there are temporary exhibits of artists who influenced Picasso as well of those who were influenced by his legacy.

Next in line is the Barcelona Aquarium. Opened in 1995, it has 35 tanks containing 11,000 sea creatures from 450 different species. Fourteen showcase Mediterranean habitats whilst seven exhibit coral reef and other tropical communities. You can closely look at the beautiful aquatic creatures moving around freely in their habitats. The Oceanarium is a very big tank that has a glass walkway underneath it, which enables you have mind-boggling view of the sharks, morays and other countless species of fish.

Paying a visit to the La Sagrada Familia in is an enlightening experience. Antoni Gaudi, the brainchild behind this marvelous piece of architecture. He started work on it in 1882, it is still continuing and expected to be completed by 2035. The facades on the east side depict the birth of Lord Christ while the west facing facades depict the demise of the Lord. The rear side is dedicated to Virgin Mary while work on the front side is yet to be completed.

I sincerely hope that you have a joyful and enlightening experience in Barcelona!

**This short Travel Story was submitted as part of the Holiday Travel Writing Competition. All short-listed entries such as this one are published in our online Travel Guide**

Story written by Milan Matchev | Photo Credit: Jurvetson | Since 2006 Holiday Velvet offers Barcelona accommodation.