How to explore Barcelona?

The city of Barcelona has several districts, with lots of sights. In our view, it's worth exloring one quarter of the city in depth, rather just to rush through all famous sights.

The port

We started exploring Barcelona with the port. The harbor's palm-lined promenade offers a clear view of the anchored ships. On the seaside promenade, you can sometimes spot green parrots: they are most often seen in the trees, but sometimes they land on the sidewalk.

green parrots in the port of Barcelona

On Saturdays, the promenade is lined with artisans' tents selling various handmade jewelry and bracelets. You can also get the best tapas here, in a bar not far from the beach.

Barcelona port promenade

A little further towards the statue of Columbus (a column was erected in honor of the explorer), we find a wooden covered pedestrian bridge. On the top we can see a decoration evoking the waves of the sea.

pedestrian port bridge in Barcelona

The Maritime Museum is located near the harbor. In addition to the many ship models, there is also a 1:1 replica of the flagship that fought in the Battle of Lepanto, which is truly impressive.

the replica of the flagship

The museum also features original exhibits, such as a searchlight from a lighthouse or fishing boats. Interactive maps make the visit interesting.

This interactive map was created based on the Catalan Atlas from the 14th century, each area lights up at the touch of a button.

The CosmoCaixa Natural History Museum

Anyone who enters the CosmoCaixa Natural History Museum will see a huge, very tall tree trunk. The trunk, which comes from the Amazon rainforest, is the trunk of an acariquara tree, whose wood is so heavy that it would sink in water.

The giant tree trunk displayed in the museum's main hall

The museum also features several interactive games. You can generate a tornado or see how Jupiter's eye formed on a simulator by rotating a model of the planet.

the tornado generating game

But the biggest attraction is the rainforest. The artificial rainforest, which is in a truly humid environment (rain falls every fifteen minutes), is also home to many animals. Small and large fish, turtles, and rays swim among the waterlogged roots of the trees. Birds rest on the branches of the trees, and we can even see a real capybara.