2 Surprising And Little-Known Places To Visit In Barcelona
If you’re thinking of visiting Barcelona any time soon, you’ve probably already added a tour of the Sagrada Familia to your itinerary, alongside taking a stroll down Las Ramblas, enjoying a picnic to Park Güell and stretching out on Barceloneta Beach. But the Catalan capital is full of other places well-worth discovering that, generally speaking, and despite their enormous cultural and historical value, perhaps aren’t so well known because of the sheer popularity of the other tourist attractions in the city.
In today’s post, we want to recommend two of our favourite places to visit, hidden among the streets of Barcelona, so you don’t miss out on your next trip. Read on to find out more!
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Planning on visiting Barcelona any time soon? Don’t miss out on the Temple of Augustus
Just behind Barcelona Cathedral, you’ll stumble upon a relic of Barcino, the name given to Barcelona when it was just another Roman colony, designed as a place for locals to worship the almighty Emperor Caesar Augustus.
It was also a central part of the Forum atop Mount Táber, though, nowadays, just three columns have been preserved in Barcelona’s famous Gothic Quarter.
This small part of the temple can be found inside a medieval building on one of the busiest streets in Barcelona, Calle Paradís. Officially belonging to the Barcelona Museum of History, visitors can access the building’s courtyard to admire the beauty of this architectural treasure, estimated to have been built towards the end of the 1st century. A magical insight into the past.
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Santa María de Pedralbes Monastery, a hidden gem
Founded in 1327 by King Jaime II and his wife Elisenda de Moncada, this monastery is one of the most outstanding monumental structures in the whole of the city. The monastery, which originally housed a community of the Order of Saint Clare nuns, is extraordinarily well-preserved thanks to the support of Queen Elisenda, who protected the building from various attacks that damaged other architectural jewels throughout the city.
Currently, various monastic treasures that belonged to the religious order are exhibited owing to the fact that, in 1931, the site became an official historic and artistic landmark, becoming part of the city’s Museum of History. As such, if you’re planning to visit Barcelona and want to discover a hidden treasure well off the beaten track, surprisingly, you can’t miss the Santa María de Pedralbes Monastery.
Categories: barcelona