Around the left-hand corner of the City Hall's rather dull 18th-century neo-classical façade sits the old entrance, in a wonderfully flamboyant 15th-century...

An array of fabrics and accessories for traditional Spanish costumes is on display in this colourful, shambolic interior, dating all the way back to 1886....

Elegant Catalan ladies have come to Alonso for those important finishing touches for their outfit for more than a century. Behind the Modernista façade lie...

Hurrah to local gallery owner and entrepreneur Emilio Álvarez for keeping the Barcelona contemporary art world alive - and its various factions talking to...

This large, bright bookshop has an appealing café at the back - an ideal spot in which to check out your purchases (DVDs to postcards, poetry to magazines,...

Thanks in part to its location in front of the cathedral, this market charges prices that are targeted at tourists - be prepared to haggle. The set-up dates...

This fine old library hosts occasional concerts, either in its leafy central patio or a small auditorium. Worth looking out for is the '30 Minuts de Música'...

Celta's unapologetically '60s interior is fiercely lit, noisy and not recommended for anyone feeling a bit rough. It is, however, one of the more authentic...

This quintessentially Gallic bar once served pastis to visiting sailors and denizens of the Chino underworld. It still has a louche feel, with...

The website of this hoteliers' organisation lists 264 hotels and apartments in all categories, with special offers and last-minute rates. Credit-card...

This converted flat on Plaça Reial is decorated with oak, velvet, Sherlock Holmes-style memorabilia and a bar that's often impossible to get anywhere near,...

Bonic is painted in daisy-fresh colours with sunlight streaming through the windows and lots of meticulously restored original features, such as ornately...

José Juan Guzmán has styled everyone from Ferran Adrià to Ricky Martin, and regularly works on fashion shoots for the likes of Marie Claire. He's behind...

Spain's monks and nuns have a naughty sideline in sweets including 'pets de monja' (little chocolate biscuits known as 'nuns' farts') candied saints' bones,...