Six hidden Barcelona highlights that most visitors miss

Sure, you can tick off many of the main Barcelona sights in a weekend. But there’s always more to see, including a slew of lesser-known attractions you might not want to miss.

Old Hospital de la Santa Creu

The former hospital in El Ravel is now the home of the National Library of Catalonia.Credit: Getty Images

This highly atmospheric 15th-century former hospital is hidden away in El Raval. It’s the place where Gaudi spent his final days after being hit by a tram in 1926; the hospital closed shortly afterwards, moving to the modernist Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau in Eixample in 1929. Since 1939, the Old Hospital de la Santa Creu has housed the National Library of Catalonia (Biblioteca de Catalunya). Set below striking cross-vaulted hallways, the library – accessible with a library card or via a guided tour – contains nearly 20,000 manuscripts and 500,000 letters, as well as graphic collections from the 16th century until the present day. The ancient complex also hosts the Institute of Catalan Studies, a school, and the Jardins de Rubio Lluch, a tranquil courtyard bursting with orange trees and jacaranda that’s frequented by local students and workers. See barcelonaturisme.com

Casa Vicens

Casa Vicens was the first masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi.Credit: Getty Images

One of Gaudi’s first buildings – a summer mansion constructed for wealthy broker Manel Vicens i Montaner – can be found on a quiet side street in Gracia. Very different from his other, more famous constructions, the four-storey building, topped with domes and turrets, was constructed between 1883 and 1888 and inspired by the Mudejar (Arabic-meets-Spanish) style – which in this case means green-and-white checkerboard tiles beautifully offset with bricks and dark-red wood. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005, it was a private home until 2014 and has only been open to the public since 2017. It now hosts a gallery and museum showcasing the creative and imaginative designs and patterns of the architect. See casavicens.org/ca

The Royal Monastery of St Mary of Pedralbes

A harmonious mix of Gothic and Catalan Gothic styles.Credit: Getty Images

Located just outside the city, but easily reachable by public transport, this stunning Catalan Gothic monastery was founded by King James II of Aragon for his wife Elisenda de Montcada in 1326 as a convent for the Order of Saint Clare (also known as the Poor Clares). Some residual members of the order still live on-site. A harmonious mix of Gothic and Catalan Gothic styles, the ensemble of buildings includes a three-storey cloister, a chapel with 14th-century murals, a dormitory and refectory, as well as a chapter house and day cells. You can lose yourself for quite a while here amidst the stone carvings, stained-glass windows and rose windows, not to mention the lush gardens. See monestirpedralbes.barcelona

CosmoCaixa Science Museum

The five-floor science museum makes for a wonderful family day out.Credit: Getty Images

A wonderful spot for all the family, especially if the weather isn’t playing ball, this five-floor science museum is one of the largest in Barcelona. Set inside a former modernisme factory, it opened in 2005 and cost its sponsoring bank a cool €100 million to create. It’s impressively modern and delightfully hands-on, with an endless array of experiments designed to educate visitors about nature, the environment, science and space, plus exhibitions (permanent and temporary), films, lectures, special demonstrations and other events. Highlights include a recreation of the Amazonian ecosystem, a Foucault pendulum with a 40-metre thread, and a 3D planetarium. There’s a decent cafe-restaurant on-site too. See cosmocaixa.org/es/cosmocaixa-barcelona

El Poblenou

Poblenou features plenty of Modernista architecture.Credit: Getty Images

The low-key but central district of El Poblenou is a great place to beat the crowds but still enjoy some inner-city buzz. Overhauled along with the nearby seafront in time for the 1992 Olympic Games, it’s home to some great cafes, galleries, bars and restaurants, as well as doubling as a creative business district. Notable architecture includes the Torre Glòries and the Design Museum of Barcelona, as well as the Palo Alto co-working space and art colony, which was created from a converted factory unit and now hosts the monthly Palo Market Fest, a stylish street market with live music, street food, and stalls for books, clothes, antiques, handicrafts and more. A stroll along La Rambla del Poblenou is a good way to explore the district, especially as it ends down at the beach. See poblenouurbandistrict.com/en

Montjuic

Teleferic de Montjuic cable car.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

True, some tourists make it to Montjuic, the city’s large and hilly public park. But far from all – and even those that do don’t tend to explore its full spread of highlights, which can take a whole day to enjoy. The castle, fountains and cable cars are well-known, but the park also contains a scenic cemetery for the victims of Franco’s regime, a Greek-style amphitheatre constructed in the 1920s for the Barcelona International Exposition, botanical gardens as well as an expansive cactus and succulent garden, and several major art and museum spaces. These include the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Fundaciao Joan Miro, the National Museum of Catalonian Art (housed in the National Palace), the Caixa Forum for contemporary art, and El Poble Espanyol, an open-air architectural, art and handicrafts museum. See barcelona.de/en