Barcelona is both a city of art and history, known for its Gothic and Modernist architecture, and a party town. A dynamic city where the sun is always out, giving it an air of perpetual holiday, its beaches and boulevards offer a magnificent area of freedom for runners, walkers and cyclists.
‘A thousand perfumes and a thousand colours, Barcelona has a thousand faces’, said the artist Joan Manuel Serrat. The city that Frédéric Beigbeder described as ‘a madman's dream’ is a veritable theme park for any runner wishing to combine sport and culture. Take a stroll through the Parc Guëll, with its astonishing enamel-covered roofs that resemble the legendary gingerbread house from the fairy tales.
Below, take the Rambla, Barcelona's emblematic avenue that links Plaça de Catalunya, the city's nerve centre, to Port Vell, where Christopher Columbus's column stands. Before enjoying tapas in the city centre, you can also enjoy Barceloneta, the long sandy beach that borders the city. Or climb - and it's an uphill climb! - to the spectacular fountain on Montjuïc hill.
Gaudí, Barcelona's (almost) patron saint
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet, a Catalan architect of Spanish nationality, is the leading exponent of Catalan Modernism. His work has left an indelible mark on Barcelona's architecture, making him the figurehead of this artistic movement. In many ways, he is the city's patron saint.
All the more so as Gaudí, who was deeply religious and led an ascetic life, is in the process of being beatified. During your tour, you will discover some of his works. Seven of them, all in Barcelona, have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. These include Güell Park and Palacio Güell, as well as the crypt of Colonia Güell. As well as several famous facades: Casa Milà, Casa Vicens and Casa Batlló. Last but not least, don't miss his most famous creation, still unfinished: the Sagrada Familia.
Running from the Rambla to the Gothic Quarter
The poet and playwright Federico García Lorca called La Rambla ‘the happiest street in the world, the street where the four seasons of the year live together, the only street on earth that I wish would never end, rich in sounds, abundant in breezes, beautiful in encounters, ancient in blood’.
This symbolic avenue in Barcelona is characterised by its many newsagents, flower stalls and pet shops. It is also a favourite haunt for living statues, and in the middle of the avenue is the adjacent Boqueria covered market. It is completed by a footbridge, known as the Rambla de Mar, giving access to the Maremagnum shopping centre.
At the heart of the Old Town, the Barri Gòtic is Barcelona's oldest district, a maze of narrow streets with Gothic architecture. It is home to vestiges of Roman Barcelona. You can walk along the foot of the ancient walls and the columns of the Temple of Augustus, as well as admire numerous buildings from the medieval period. As you run along, you'll come across the Cathedral of Saint Eulalia, the Casa de la Ciutat and the Palace of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
As you stroll through this maze of narrow streets, you're likely to come across the Plaça Nova, where two cylindrical towers dating back to Roman times stand. Or the Plaça del Rei, home to the Palau Reial Major, a count's and then royal residence.
There are also many traces of the violence of the Spanish Civil War in the streets and buildings of the district. In the Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, for example, the façade of the church of the same name bears the scars of machine-gun fire from a Nationalist air raid on 30 January 1938.
From the beach to the hills
Now the focal point of mass summer tourism, Barceloneta borders Port Vell, the city's historic port. This beach, which originally adjoined the fishermen's and sailors' quarters, was occupied by shanty towns until the 1960s. After the 1992 Olympic Games, the city created a number of sports facilities, cultural establishments and infrastructures geared towards seaside tourism. If you decide to run along this long stretch of sand, you'll be sure to enjoy the lively scene, with its casino, private bars and clubs, and luxury hotels. Further along, you'll find the Rambla de Mar in Port Vell, with the Maremagnum shopping centre and the Barcelona Aquarium.
If you prefer to run on steeper terrain, the hills are the place for you. The highest point of the Collserola massif, overlooking the city, Tibidabo has also become one of Barcelona's tourist hotspots. Here you'll find the Sagrat Cor expiatory temple and the Fabra astronomical observatory. The Castell de Montjuïc dominates the city from the top of its hill, and below it you can see the 1992 Olympic site. There is also the site of the 1929 Universal Exhibition, where the Font màgica stands, with its water, sound and light shows that attract many tourists in the evenings.
Run, walk or cycle with JOOKS, from Plaça de Catalunya to Montjuïc Hill!
Find all the routes in Barcelona and over 1,500 others on the JOOKS application.
Comments