Looming over the waterfront, this huge brick edifice was built in the 1880s as a storage depot for goods arriving from the port. Revitalised in the city's pre-Olympic makeover, the palau today houses an excellent history museum, the Museu d’Història de Catalunya (with a rooftop restaurant, 1881, opening to a panoramic terrace), plus street-level eateries and bars, including innovative microbrewery BlackLab.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.68 MILES
The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…
2.84 MILES
Visitors and locals alike love Park Güell. The waving balcony and the colorful Guard’s House, with the imposing Barcelona skyline and sea in the…
1.34 MILES
One of Europe's strangest residential buildings, Casa Batlló (built 1904–6) is Gaudí at his fantastical best. From its playful facade and marine-world…
1.61 MILES
In the top tier of Gaudí's achievements, this madcap Unesco-listed masterpiece, with 33 balconies, was built in 1905–10 as a combined apartment and office…
0.73 MILES
Barcelona's most central fresh-produce market is one of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe. It's housed in a packed-out Modernista…
0.4 MILES
Located along the grand, medieval street of Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is dedicated to one of the world’s greatest artists, Pablo Picasso. Born…
1.6 MILES
Joan Miró was a Catalan painter and sculptor born in Barcelona who combined abstract art with surrealism. He is considered one of the most influential…
0.62 MILES
La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented (and…
Nearby Barcelona attractions
1. Museu d’Història de Catalunya
0.02 MILES
Within the revitalised 1880s Palau de Mar, this excellent museum travels from the Stone Age through to the arrival of Modernisme in Catalonia and the…
2. Església de Sant Miquel del Port
0.14 MILES
Dating from 1755, this sober baroque church was the first building completed in Barceloneta. Built low so that the cannon in the then Ciutadella fort…
0.18 MILES
Devoted to the history and culture of the barri (with displays in Catalan), this tiny cultural centre occupies a brick-walled 1761 building that's a prime…
0.19 MILES
An icon by the waterfront, this eye-catching 15m-high primary-coloured sculpture was designed by famous American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein for the 1992…
0.21 MILES
The heart of the redeveloped harbour is Moll d'Espanya, a former wharf linked to Moll de la Fusta by a wave-shaped footbridge, Rambla de Mar, which…
0.25 MILES
Designed by architects Josep Goday and Jaume Torres in the 1920s, Barcelona's main post office building is filled with Noucentista paintings and crowned…
0.29 MILES
Opposite the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar's eastern flank, an eternal flame burns brightly over a steel arch and an apparently anonymous sunken square:…
0.29 MILES
The work of Enric Miralles, completed in 2005, this shimmering glass waterfront office tower is only 86m (20 storeys) high, but remains extraordinary for…