Culture and cortados

Stay: El Palace
For those looking for old-school glitz, it’s got to be El Palace. Stalwart members of staff who’ve been here for decades joke alongside young Catalan hospitality hotshots – and the interiors are appropriately glamorous. A worthwhile splurge. El Palace, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 668, Eixample 08010

BOOK A ROOM

Culture: Palau Güell
Once past the intricate iron gates, Gaudí’s signature kaleidoscopic brilliance is everywhere. Particularly jaw-dropping is the main hall, lit by vast stained-glass windows, with rooftop lanterns glowing through holes designed to resemble a starry sky. Palau Güell, Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3-5, Ciutat Vella 08001

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Coffee: Cafè Pablo
Tucked away in the ancient arches of Museu Picasso is the improbable sight of a Parisian-style bistro, with red banquettes, golden fringe chandeliers and besuited waiting staff. The atmospheric surroundings are a brilliant way to upgrade your deep dive into one of Spain’s best-loved artists. Cafè Pablo, Carrer de Montcada, 15, Ciutat Vella 08003

Culture: Museu Picasso
The city celebrates the legendary artist with this vast museum, spread over five palace buildings connected by courtyards and Gothic archways. The more monastic spaces downstairs let his work do the talking, while chandeliers and frescoed ceilings are lavish backdrops upstairs. Museu Picasso, Carrer de Montcada, 15- 23, Ciutat Vella 08003

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Lunch: El Chigre 1769
Both a cider and a vermouth bar, its menu offers Asturian fabada (pork and bean stew) alongside Catalan fare such as esqueixada (salt-cod salad). The old stone walls pay homage to a traditional chigre but in ethos and execution, this is a thoroughly contemporary bar. El Chigre 1769, Carrer dels Sombrerers, 7, Ciutat Vella 08003

BOOK A TABLE

Culture: Pabellon Mies van der Rohe
A refreshing break from Catalan Modernisme, this pavilion was seen as radical when it opened in 1929. The structure is still a sensation with its clean lines and use of marble, red onyx and travertine paired with glass and steel. A must-visit monument. Pabellon Mies van der Rohe, Avinguda Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 7, Sants-Montjuïc 08038

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Culture: Fundació Joan Miró
Miró‘s vision was not only to showcase his own art (with some 10,000 works here alone) but to provide a community space. It’s worth battling the summertime queues to sit on the terrace sipping a cortado, surrounded by sculptures. The most family-friendly gallery in Barcelona. Fundació Joan Miró, Parc de Montjuïc, Sants-Montjuïc 08038

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Dinner: Sartoria Panatieri
This fun and forward-thinking pizzeria is endlessly inventive: expect seasonal concoctions such as pickled pumpkin, goat’s cheese ricotta and sweet potato. There are two in the city, but the flagship in Eixample – a beautifully converted industrial space – is the model for future pizzerias. Sartoria Panatieri, Carrer de Provença, 330, Eixample 08037

BOOK A TABLE

Explore: Palau de Maricel, Sitges
Head west of the city to this cobblestoned beach town to explore the palace built for American art collector Charles Deering. Look up to discover gilded ceilings in the Gold Room, then wander ceramic-lined terraces and cloisters, where stone balustrades frame the sea. Palau de Maricel, Carrer de Fonollar, s/n, 08870 Sitges

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Drive: La Roca Village
It’s an hour’s drive from Sitges to La Roca Village, home to 150 boutiques of the most covetable names in local and worldwide fashion, alongside complimentary parking and electric car charging points on arrival. La Roca Village, 08430 Santa Agnès de Malanyanes

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Lunch: Cèntric
Refuel with shrimp croquettes and calamari, followed by huge skillets of mountain paella, made with pork rib and mushrooms, before hitting the Village’s boutiques. Centric, La Roca Village

VIEW THE MENU

Shop: Barça Store
The official home of FC Barcelona merchandise, this boutique is packed with Blaugrana shirts, retro kits and Camp Nou scarves. Pick up a personalised shirt, logo-stamped footballs and striped bucket hats celebrating one of Spain’s most storied clubs. Barça Store, La Roca Village

VISIT THE BOUTIQUE

Shop: TwoJeys
This cult unisex jewellery brand, founded by two young friends, opened its flagship Barcelona spot on hip Carrer de la Canuda in 2023. Browse 1990s-style silver chains and slogan signet rings alongside a select line of streetwear, from canary-yellow baseball caps to rust-red hoodies. TwoJeys, La Roca Village

VISIT THE BOUTIQUE

Coffee: Ralph’s Coffee
Caffeine devotee Ralph Lauren is behind this café-style truck outside the men’s and childrenswear boutique. The only place in Spain to taste the designer’s special blends. Ralph’s, La Roca Village

VISIT THE BOUTIQUE

Drive: Girona
It’s less than an hour from La Roca Village to Girona, Catalonia’s foodie capital, renowned for its remarkably preserved medieval old town. 17001 Girona

Check in: Palau Fugit
Inside a restored eighteenth‑century palace in Girona’s Barri Vell lies the city’s smartest crash pad. Take a dip in the plunge pool before joining the locals for vermouth cocktails in the sun-dappled courtyard. Palau Fugit, Carrer Bonaventura Carreras I Peralta, 4, 17004 Girona

BOOK A ROOM

Explore: Girona
Wander the Jewish Quarter’s cobbled lanes, climb the cathedral steps to admire its Gothic nave or take a tour of the twelfth‑century Arab Baths. In May, Temps de Flors transforms courtyards and staircases with its imaginative and immersive floral installations. 17001 Girona

Dinner: Restaurant Normal
The Roca brothers are responsible for Girona’s fine-dining reputation, but this is their slightly more low-key little sibling. In the place of the 30-course tasting menu at El Celler de Can Roca, celebrating families feast on plates of orzo with artichokes and red-prawn carpaccio. Restaurant Normal, Plaça de l'Oli, 1, 17004 Girona

BOOK A TABLE