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Barcelona has something to suit everyone and, despite being big enough to house over three million people, is a surprisingly easy place to find your way around. The modern city came into being in the late nineteenth century when a vast planning project was conceived to link the small core of the old town with the villages around it. The city remains to a large extent a series of self-contained neighbourhoods, and these have retained their separate identities and functions upto the present day. Most things of historic interest are in the old town, which - despite its confused streets and alleys - is small enough to master quickly on foot. A couple of central park areas - formerly defensive positions for various city rulers - hold the bulk of Barcelona's best museums, while beyond, in the planned new town areas, the good transport system and a decent map are all you need to negotiate your way around the regular grid-pattern of streets and avenues.

The old town - La Ciutat Vella or Casc Antíc - spreads northwest from the harbour for about 1.5km up to the southern borders of the city's nineteenth-century grid system. At its heart is the Barri Gòtic ( Barrio Gótico in Castilian), the medieval nucleus of the city - around 500 square metres of gloomy, twisting streets and historic buildings, including the cathedral and the palaces and museums around Plaça del Rei. Bisecting the old town, at the western edge of the Barri Gòtic, are the famous Ramblas , Barcelona's main thoroughfare - a succession of five short, lively streets which combine to form a continuous broad avenue. You're likely to emerge here off the train from the airport or the metro from Sants station, either in Plaça de Catalunya , at the top of the Ramblas (and the edge of the old town), or at Liceu metro station, halfway down. At the southern end of the Ramblas lies the harbour and the Port Vell (old port) development, where walkways and a swing bridge skip across the harbour to a popular shopping, restaurant and cinema complex. West of the Ramblas, between the harbour and c/l'Hospital (Carrer de l'Hospital), lies the warren of streets known locally as the Barrio Chino (China Town) and officially as El Raval de Sant Pau, or simply El Raval . On the far side of the Via Laietana, northern boundary of the Gòtic , you'll find La Ribera , whose eastern end, known as El Born , is home to the celebrated Museu Picasso.

The old town is flanked by green spaces on either side, with the agreeable Parc de la Ciutadella ( Parque de la Ciudadela ) east of La Ribera, and the fortress-topped hill of Montjuïc ( Montjuïch ) to the southwest, where the city's best museums and main Olympic stadium are sited. A cable car connects Montjuïc with Barceloneta , the waterfront district east of the harbour, below the Parc de la Ciutadella. This former fishing suburb is still noted for its excellent seafood restaurants. Beyond here to the northeast, the old industrial suburb of Poble Nou has been thoroughly transformed over the last few years from grim decay into the Parc de Mar site - a new marina (the Port Olímpic ), Olympic Village, apartment blocks and beach all now jostle for space.

Beyond Plaça de Catalunya stretches the modern city and commercial centre. Known as the Eixample ( Ensanche ), it was a symbol of the thrusting expansionism of Barcelona's early industrial age. The simple grid plan of this extension is split by two huge avenues that lead out of the city: the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and the Avinguda Diagonal . Between the two, west of the centre, is the city's main train station, Sants Estació , now flanked by a brace of stylish urban parks. No visit to Barcelona is complete without at least a day spent in the Eixample, as it's here that some of Europe's most extraordinary architecture - including Gaudí's Sagrada Família - is located. Each block of the Eixample is known as a mansana , and originally the patio in the centre of each one was supposed to contain a garden. Lack of space - and early speculation - meant that most were eventually built over with garages and the like; part of the city's current regeneration scheme involves turning some back into open public spaces and restoring the often startling modernista buildings that adorn them.

Beyond the Eixample lie suburbs which until relatively recently were separate villages. The nearest, and the one you're most likely to visit, is trendy Gràcia , with its small squares and lively bars. Or there are the parks of nearby Horta , and wealthy Sarrià and Pedralbes way to the northwest of the city. Gaudí left his mark in these areas, too, particularly in the splendid Parc Güell , but also in a series of embellished buildings and private suburban houses which the enthusiast will find simple to track down.

The good public transport links make it easy to head further out of the city , too. The mountain-top monastery of Montserrat is the most obvious day-trip to make, though the beaches on either side of the city also beckon in the summer. With more time, you can follow various trails around the local wine country, head south to the Roman town of Tarragona , or north to medieval Girona and the Dalí museum in Figueres .

While for sheer size and scope Barcelona cannot compete with Paris or the world's other fashion capitals, it is "per capita" one of the worlds most stylish cities - architecture, fashion and decoration permeated by Catalan disseny ("design") which endows even the quotidian with a refreshing and stimulating aesthetic. All of this, naturally, makes for great shopping , from designer clothes and accessories to household accompaniments. Moreover, Barcelona is an undeniably pleasant place to shop: the wide boulevards of the Eixample and the pedestrianized streets in the Barri Gòtic both encourage lengthy browsing.

The best shopping areas are the old streets off the upper part of the Ramblas, like c/Portaferrissa, c/del Pi, Avenida Portal de l'Àngel and Baixada de la Llibreteria; the area immediately around Plaça de Catalunya; in the Eixample, along Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya; and further north, along main streets like c/Muntaner, c/de Balmes, Avenida Diagonal and Via Augusta. It's in this last area that the big international designer names such as Calvin Klein and Versace are to be found. Good souvenirs include ceramics, which are widely sold in the streets around the cathedral; leather goods; anything from the city's delicatessens, particularly cooked Catalan meats and sausages, and tinned seafood; a porrón (the long-spouted glass drinking jar); and CDs and tapes of Catalan rock and pop, sardana music, Spanish rock or flamenco. If you're looking for original gift ideas, some of the best hunting can be found in the shops of any of the city's museums, where you'll find reasonably priced and unique examples of Catalan disseny , and other original items ranging from postcards to replica works of art.

Shop opening hours are typically Monday-Saturday 10am-1.30/2pm and 4.30-7.30/8pm, although many shops close on Saturday afternoons, and various markets, department stores and shopping centres open right through lunch, or may vary their hours in other ways. Check our listings for further details. All the stores we've listed are open in August unless otherwise stated.

There are two ways to eat in Barcelona: you can go to a restaurant ( restaurante in Castilian) or cafetería and have a full meal, or you can have a succession of tapas (small snacks; sometimes tapes in Catalan) or raciones (larger ones; racions in Catalan) at one or more bars. This last option can be a lot more interesting, allowing you to do the rounds and sample local specialities. Otherwise, at the budget end of the scale, you'll be able to get a basic, filling, three-course meal with a drink - a menú del dia - for ?5.50-9, though the cheapest tend to be served in drab dining rooms and are usually available only at lunchtime. There are some excellent exceptions, though, and plenty of proper restaurants also provide a good-value menúdel dia for between ?9 and ?12.

Travellers on an extremely limited budget can do well for themselves by using the excellent markets, bakeries and delis and filling up on sandwiches and snacks.

Good restaurants and cafés are easily found all over the city, though you'll probably do most of your eating where you do most of your sightseeing, in the old town, particularly around the Ramblas and in the Barri Gòtic. Don't be afraid to venture into the Barrio Chino which hides some excellent restaurants, some surprisingly expensive, others little more than hole-in-the-wall cafés. In the Eixample prices tend to be higher, though you'll find plenty of lunchtime bargains around. Gràcia , further out, is a nice place to spend the evening, with plenty of good mid-range restaurants. For the food which Barcelona is really proud of - elaborate sarsuelas (fish stews) and all kinds of fish and seafood - you're best off in the Barceloneta district (Metro Barceloneta, or bus #64 or #17, final stop), down by the harbour, or in the Port Olímpic (Metro Ciutadella, or bus #41 or #59). Nor should you necessarily eschew local chain or franchise outfits, which can be surprisingly good and sometimes score quite well on ambience and decor.

Note that the Barri Gòtic can be a dangerous place late at night. The tapas bars themselves are all right (watch your possessions; bag-snatchers operate in crowded bars), but take care if you're on a bar crawl - stick to the main streets, don't let anyone lure you up a side street, and only take out the money you're going to spend that night.

There are lively bars and cafés throughout the centre - in the Barri Gòtic as well as the Eixample and Gràcia - catering for all types and styles. One of the city's great pleasures is to pull up a pavement seat outside a bar, sip a coffee or a beer, and watch the world go by (except in the Barri Gòtic's Plaça Reial, where the world watches you). Alongside the regular bars and cafés, Barcelona also has a range of music and theme bars geared towards late-night drinking, and there's a disco and club nightlife that is currently one of Europe's most enjoyable.

For full listings of bars and clubs, get hold of a copy of the weekly Guia del Ocio (?0.75, comes out on Thurs), or SexTienda's map of gay Barcelona with a list of bars, clubs and contacts. If you're very keen on bar-hunting, there's a user's guide called Barsalona , available from newsstands, which has an English-language section at the back, and in designer bars and clothing shops you'll also find other lifestyle magazines, such as the bimonthly Barcelona Divina (?3) as well as free, glossy magazines (including Venus, Micro and B-guide ) which, amidst the ads, contain bar and club news and reviews.

Barcelona hosts a wide range of live music events throughout the year, and, though many venues either close or drastically reduce their programmes during the summer, this is the time that the city's festivals come into their own. The Generalitat 's summer Grec season features various musical and theatrical events. At the end of September things liven up further with the Festa de la Mercè , an excuse for four days of world, jazz, classical and rock music concerts all over the city. There is a whole series of annual festivals dedicated specifically to music, the most important of which are April's Tradicionàrius , a festival of folk music, the Festival de Jazz Ciutat Vella, European jazz festival and SÓNAR , a cutting-edge electronic music festival, all held in June. There's also the annual jazz festival in October/November, which highlights visiting bands in the clubs and hosts street concerts and events. All year round, the permanent experimental music festival, LEM ( ), sponsors free or cheap concerts featuring the Gràcia collective and international guests.

To keep up with concerts and events and to buy tickets , there are a number of options. You might check the venues we've listed and keep an eye out for posters advertising concerts, but it's better to actively research, as the best events sell out early. There are concert listings in El Pais newspaper, and in a free monthly guide published by Amics de la Música, which is available at the tourist information office, as well as in Metropolitan, the monthly free English-language listings magazine. The weekly Guía del Ocio is the best source for what's on day by day - look in its "Agenda musical" section. You can pick up a schedule of Ajuntament -sponsored productions, performances and exhibitions, including the Grec season events from the Centre d'Informació (Palau de la Virreina, Rambla Sant Josep 99) which also sells tickets for these events The booth on the corner of c/Aribau and the Gran Vía, close to Plaça Universitat (Mon-Sat 10.30am-1.30pm & 4-7.30pm) sells tickets for major rock and pop concerts and for most theatre productions; record shops also carry concert tickets; or go straight to the relevant venue's box office. For more popular rock and contemporary music, check the listings outside record shops in c/Tallers (such as Revolver), which also act as ticket agents (cash only) - the better shows will sell out weeks in advance. Otherwise tickets can be bought at the door (with a small surcharge) or from scalpers (with a big surcharge). The bank, La Caixa, has ticket-dispensing Servicaixa machines next to many of their ATMs (check for listings), which dispense theatrical, concert and even cinema tickets, though foreign credit cards don't always work - annoying when the Servicaixa is the sole ticket outlet for the event.

Quite apart from the city's countless bars, restaurants and clubs, there's a full cultural life worth sampling. We've covered live music venues, and film and theatre are also well represented, as you'd expect in a city this size. Even if you don't speak Catalan or Spanish there's no need to miss out, since several cinemas show films in their original language, while Barcelona also boasts a series of old-time music hall/ cabaret venues putting on largely visual shows, which are appealing in any language. Catalan performers have always steered away from the classics and gone for the innovative, and so the city also boasts a long tradition of street and performance art .

Finally, if you're lucky (or you've planned ahead) you'll coincide with one of the city's excellent festivals and open-air events in which case you'll be able to immerse yourself in what Barcelona does best: enjoying itself.

© 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.

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