La Seu Cathedral (Plaça de la Seu; daily 7.45am-7.45pm; 4€), one of Spain’s most astonishing specimens of Gothic architecture. Dedicated to Santa Eulàlia – Barcelona’s patron saint whose tomb lies in the crypt – it features elaborate choir stalls in the interior, a beautiful cloister that overlooks a palm tree-filled garden and a terrace (daily 1-5pm) with superb views over the centuries’ old rooftops nearby. If you’re around on a weekend, stop by the cathedral square for the sardana (the Catalan national dance). Barelonans come to the cathedral square to dance the sardana, accompanied by musicians, at noon on Sundays, 6:30 pm on Saturdays and 7:00 pm on Wednesdays. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss.

Palau de Pedralbes – Designed by Gaudí for one of his major patrons, Eusebi Güell, this Italianate-style palace was officially opened by King Alfonso XIII in 1926.
It now belongs to Barcelona’s Town Hall who rent it out for special social or business functions. You can visit the beautifully landscaped formal gardens and two museums that take up one wing of the palace: 

• Museu de Ceràmica – Palau Reial de Pedralbes, Avinguda, 686, has one of the most impressive collections of medieval ceramics in Europe, plus contemporary pieces by Miró and Picasso.
• Museu d’Arts Decoratives – Features Spanish blown glass, period furniture and pocket watches from the 16th century.

Individual admission: 8 €

Opening hours
October to March, 9am to 6pm.
April to September, 9am to 8pm.
 
The museum is the repository of the history of the construction of the church in the form of plans, photographs, fragments of models, iconography and pieces of wrought-ironwork, woodwork and metalwork designed by Gaudí. The museum displays photographs and an audiovisual on other buildings by the same architect. The exhibition also includes models of the central nave and of the Nativity Facade and the Passion Facade.

The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (official Catalan name; Spanish: Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia; “Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family”), often simply called the Sagrada Família, is a massive Roman Catholic church under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Construction began in 1882 and continues to this day.

Originally designed by Antoni Gaudí (1852 – 1926), who worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to the endeavor, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked, “My client is not in a hurry.” After Gaudí’s death in 1926, work continued under the direction of Domènech Sugranyes until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

Parts of the unfinished church and Gaudí’s models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The design, as now being constructed, is based both on reconstructed versions of the lost plans and on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.

Over 2 million people visited the partially built church in 2004, making it one of the most popular attractions in Spain. The central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. Current work (2008) concentrates on the crossing and supporting structure for the main tower of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave which will become the Glory façade.

Palau Güell – Don Eusebio Güell i Bacigalupi, a prominent nobleman and Gaudí’s most important patron, commissioned this mansion, located in the Raval quarter at Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3, right off Las Ramblas, as a residence for himself and his family. Inside you’ll find more than 40 different types of columns, from brick to marble. Open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 – 1:00 and from 4:00 – 7:00. Guided tours are given in English for €2,50.