Art trip to Barcelona by air: 4 days, 3 nights

Subject range: MFL, Art, Cultural

What you’ll experience: Park Güell includes beautiful gardens, architecture and mosaics. It is the reflection of Gaudí’s naturalist phase when the architect was inspired by organic shapes found in nature. The park also includes the Gaudí House-Museum which was the residence of Antoni Gaudí for almost 20 years. Located on Carmel Hill, there are also beautiful views of Barcelona.
Select says: Ensure you don’t miss Gaudí’s multi-coloured mosaic salamander, popularly known as the dragon.

Subject range: MFL, Art, Cultural

What you’ll experience: The most popular tourist attraction in the city, this impressive Catholic church is Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece. This large, sand-coloured church has fluid forms, towering spires and surfaces overflowing with sculptures. There are 8 existing towers, however when the church is finished it will have 18: 12 dedicated to the apostles, 4 to the evangelists, one to Jesus and another to Mary.
Select says: We recommend that you visit the excellent Sagrada Familia website prior to your tour for extra historical details and detailed information on specific symbolism.

Subject range: Art

What you’ll experience: 4,251 of Picasso’s works make up the permanent collection. The museum’s curators have arranged the paintings in chronological order from Picasso’s early days to his final works giving insight into the development of Picasso’s thinking over time. This gallery is highly recommended.
Select says: There are some excellent resources on the museum website to use pre-tour as well as highlighted artworks that can be seen at the museum.

Subject range: MFL, Art, Cultural

What you’ll experience: Las Ramblas is the central boulevard which cuts through the heart of the city centre and is primarily pedestrianised. It is approximately 1.2 kilometres long with Port Vell (near the cruise port terminal) at the Southern most end and Plaça Catalunya at the northern most end. You can also visit La Boqueria, a large food market housed in one of La Ramblas’ most interesting buildings.
Select says: Look out for live performances, human statue art, and working artists.

Subject range: Art

What you’ll experience: The museum is home to a wide range of art including: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern Art. Visitors can see paintings, carvings, sculptures, photography, metalwork, and enamels. The museum also exhibits the largest collection of Catalán art in Spain.
Select says: You an also view 135,000 examples of coins from the 6th century BC to the present day.

Subject range: Art

What you’ll experience: An architectural museum and complete village consisting of reconstructions of famous buildings from all over Spain, showing the variety of popular Spanish architecture. Many of the buildings house contemporary art, working crafts people, souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants.
Select says: A collection of Pablo Picasso’s ceramic pieces from the 50s and 60s can be seen in the Museum Fran Daurel within Poble Espanyol.

Subject range: MFL, Art, Cultural

What you’ll experience: Port Vell is a beautiful scenic city port. It was rejuvenated as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. There is a shopping centre and restaurants, including lots of Tapas bars.
Select says: The port is an easy walk from Las Ramblas.

Subject range: Art

What you’ll experience: The museum has the largest collection of art by Salvador Dalí, including paintings from all decades of his career, sculptures and 3-D collages. A highlight is a 3-D anamorphic living-room installation that looks like the face of Mae West when viewed from a particular position.
Select says: The museum also houses a small selection of works by other artists collected by Dalí, including El Greco, Bougereau, Marcel Duchamp and John de Andrea.