Underrated Attractions In Barcelona To Add To Your Bucket List

Spain's center for art and gastronomy — and some might argue soccer! — Barcelona is a scintillating city that hugs the coastline of Catalonia. With its Mediterranean setting, and a temperate climate (yes, it gets hot in the summer but winters are amazingly pleasant), this cosmopolitan metropolis feels both like a city and a beachside escape. 

There is so much to admire here, from the fantastic cultural institutions to the excellent shopping, from fabulous food to the breathtaking coast. There's also incredible architecture around the city, including the city's iconic La Sagrada Familia, an unfinished, four-towered Gothic church designed by Antoni Gaudí, and whose origin dates to the 1880s. Yet, for the multitude of well-known sights and diversions around the city, there are scores of others, lesser known, that are equally captivating — buildings, destinations, gardens, and places of nature that might be off the typical tourist radar, but are definitely worth seeking out. Below, are some of the best.

Most tourists know about the famous Mercat de la Boqueria, and for good reason — it's a bustling market located right on the city's most famous thoroughfare, Las Ramblas. Yet, for that very reason, it feels a little too commercial, a bit more suitable for phone-toting outsiders than bona fide locals looking for key ingredients for their evening meal. 

For an altogether more authentic, and more off-the-radar, mercantile experience, head to Mercat de Sant Antoni, named for the central neighborhood where it's located. This is firmly a place filled with locals, a steel building designed by Catalan architect Antoni Rovira i Trias in the late 1800s that promises fabulous people watching. The selection of goods sold is equally fascinating, everything from fruits and vegetables to fresh meats and local seafood, from antique literary tomes to rare philatelic finds, though just wandering the lanes and stalls is a joy.

The terror inflicted on Spain's populace by the actions of General Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War is a blot in Spanish history, a period that left the country financially and emotionally drained. The war also spurred the use of air raid shelters in towns and cities throughout the nation, like the one that is today Refugi 307. 

Part of MUHBA — the Museum of History of Barcelona, which has a number of sites around the city — this sobering subterranean refuge is just one of 1,000 such shelters built in the city (hence the number in its name). A trip here lets travelers revisit the past and grasp the experience of Barcelonians during Franco's savage attack on the city, when his army led almost 200 bombing raids here. In scope, it features three entrances, is 400 meters in length, and rises to a height well over six feet.

Also launched in 1970, the collection of horse-drawn carriages makes this museum something unique, a way to quietly, seamlessly slip into a bygone time. The assemblage of vehicles here includes 13 that were used for funerals, others that were part of the procession, and a trio of motorised methods of transportation. 

In addition to allowing guests to pore over beautifully intricate wheeled mechanisms from the 19th and 20th centuries used to transfer the dead to their final resting place, the museum explores the concepts of last rites and the symbolism of these carriages. They really are mobile works of art, as spectacular as anything hung in a gallery or traditional museum. The facility also houses thousands of books that delve into the topic of funerals — a subject that's little discussed and often considered taboo — looking at the way they have evolved from prehistoric eras to modern day.

Spain is known as the spawning ground for many renowned painters throughout history — Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, Salvador Dali, Joan Miró (also buried in the city, as noted in the previous slide), and of course Pablo Picasso, who honed his craft at Barcelona's La Llotja art school. But how about contemporary and friend of Picasso, Oleguer Junyent? Who, you might ask? Visit this amazing studio, a fascinating window into his life and work, and you'll wonder how you've never heard of this prolific talent. 

Having studied at the same academy in Barcelona as Picasso, Junyent was perhaps most famous for his pieces for theatrical productions, often used in the performing arts space Gran Teatre del Liceu (close to the Mercat de la Boqueria). Junyent was also an avid collector of art, and his studio also plays home to a trove of Catalan medieval art. On the upper floor, visitors will find a collection of dolls, some dating to the 17th century, and clothing made by his late niece Maria Junyent, a theatrical costume designer.

The imprint of Antoni Gaudí is apparent on many buildings across the city, his signature fantasy mixture of Art Nouveau and neo-Gothic visible in the soaring La Sagrada Familia (where is he also buried, in the crypt), the trippy curves of Casa Mila, and the otherworldly textural vernacular of Casa Battló. But one space that is less well known is nevertheless vitally important in his canon of work. La Casa Vicens is conspicuous as the architect's first house. 

The project was a commission by a financial broker for a summer garden home, and Gaudí worked on the building from 1883-1885. Its footprint was subsequently expanded by another architect some decades later, and a garden added. Today, the house, with an arresting red exterior accented by checked tile work is a city landmark, a Unesco World Heritage site, and a hugely underrated museum, with timed tickets required for entry.

There is a special feeling you get from visiting a monastery — one of hushed awe, a sense that the walls around you have witnessed deep history and deeper spiritual practice. Such sentiments are apparent at this monastery in the west of the city, which functions for its intended religious purpose, but also opens for visits from the public six days of the week. 

Guests can enjoy a series of exhibitions during a trip here. A furniture show displays items like those donated by the monastery's founder, dating to the 14th century, and offers a window into the life and practices of the nuns that have lived here throughout those centuries. The green outdoors is beautifully presented with a look at the medicinal developments through Greek and Roman scientific practices, as well as a chance for guests to explore the large, walled medieval garden, where four plots are arranged to recreate their appearance in the Middle Ages.

Every one in Barcelona, be they a visitor or a city resident, knows about Las Ramblas (also known at La Rambla), the tree-lined thoroughfare that is the pulsing core of the city, the equivalent of New York's Fifth Avenue, or Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, but without the elite cachet. These days Las Ramblas is a classic tourist stop to check off your list, but for some it represents everything that is wrong about tourism in the world, with overpriced cafes and tacky souvenir shops galore. 

A far more interesting street experience is Carrer del Talles, an eclectic, narrow alley that branches off from Las Ramblas, but is often overlooked by tourists. Here, you'll find cute little cafes where the prices are affordable and restaurants aplenty. Other stops not to be missed are the numerous one-off, independent boutiques like the vinyl repository Revólver Records, and the sizable stock of vintage stores.

Some distance from the city center, though easy to get to by subway (close to the Mundet stop on the green L3 line), this slash of greenery front a huge piece of outdoors above the city, the Parc Natural de la Serra Collserola. Notable as being the city's oldest conservation garden, it is located on a former private estate of a Spanish noble, designed by a French landscaper in the early 1800s. 

The labyrinth, or maze, is made from dense cypress hedges, and at the center of the maze — the heart of the puzzle — visitors will find a statue of Eros, the Greek god of love. In addition to this main showpiece, the park has plenty more to entertain. Domestic trees provide a pleasant range of foliage to admire, while the site also features a Neoclassical pavilion, small temples, a Chinese gate, elegant topiary art, and ponds with fountains.

An easy 10-minute walk north of La Sagrada Familia, the Recinte Modernista Sant Pau is a gem of Modernist architecture, and a Unesco World Heritage site. The hospital was designed by a master of Catalan Art Nouveau, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, expressly built to address the city's rapidly growing footprint and population at the end of the 19th century. Work began in 1902, with the separate buildings dedicated to their own medical genre. Ventilation and natural lighting were key components in the scheme (how forward-thinking), and when the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau finally opened in 1930, it was done with the attendance of King Alfonso XIII. 

The working inner functions of the hospital were moved in 2009 to a modern facility, and today this vast complex is a visual marvel, with palatial exteriors and even grander interiors — winding staircases, windowed hallways, intricately tiles domes, opulent archways, and sumptuous ceilings that look like they belong in a place of worship.