Just west of the city centre, the Fira district is the green lung of Barcelona. At its heart is Montjuic mountain which has terrific views over the whole city as well as one of best hotels you´ll find in Barcelona at the summit. Although not the poshest district in the city, there are enough attractions to compensate as well as range of cheap hotels to match your budget.
Sights
Montjuic mountain is on the itinerary of most tour groups in Barcelona and for good reason. Boasting gorgeous views over the city and sea, the mountain stands 300 metres and can be seen from almost everywhere in the city. Atop Montjuic there is a woodland and a castle worth a visit for its military museum. The AC Mirimar hotelm one of the city´s finest, is connected to a scenic cable car that runs to Barceloneta beach. Further down, the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 games is free to visit. The stadium holds 65,000 and sometimes hosts concerts.
Further down Montjuic, the wonderfully surreal Miro museum showcases the life work of Joan Miro, who was one of Catalunya´s most famous artists – it´s well worth visiting.
Best of all, though, the Palau Nacional (national palace) is a shimmering colossal classical-style building and one of Barcelona´s architectural highlights. Entered via a long avenue from the main Plaza España square, the towering palace is set back at the top of a flight of steps (or escalators for the lazy). The centrepiece of Barcelona´s 1929 International Exhibition, the palace was due to be demolished once the exhibition was over but its beauty gained it a reprieve. Today it´s one of the city´s best loved buildings, the scene of fireworks on national feast days. Nowadays it plays host to the Museu Nacional d´Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the best art museum in Barcelona with an unrivalled collection of medieval paintings at which you´ll swoon.
At the traffic hotspot that is Plaza España, you will often see streams of people heading into and out of Fira, an exhibition centre just off the Plaza. Here diverse exhibitions take place all year round so check out what´s on.
Heading north from Plaza España you reach several urban renewal projects in this part of the Eixample. Park Joan Miro, named after the artist, contains some interesting sculptures, a public library and shady benches to relax in. Good for a hot day.
Just a few blocks further north you reach Sants Station, the main intercity train station of Barcelona with high speed connections to Madrid. Once a small village cut off from the city, the charming patchwork of old streets surrounding Sants are lively and buzzing, and there is a good range of hotels near Sants station which are very convenient if you need to catch a train out of Barcelona.
Hotels in Plaza España, Montjuic and Sants
There´s a range of mid range hotels around Plaza España to suit all budgets, but for the views from the hotel atop Monjuic are incredibly romantic – a real attraction for couples. The hotels in the Sants area are useful for business travelers due to the number of international companies in the area, as well as train passengers.
Getting to your la Fira hotel
Metro lines 1 and 5 stop in Sants, as well as most intercity and commuter trains. Plaza España station is served by lines 1 and 3 as well as commuter trains and an “airport express” bus that take just a few minutes to get to the main airport. Muntjuic is accessible by local buses 50, 61 and 13 from Plaza España, by a steep funicular from Paral-lel metro station or best of all by the fabulous cable car that goes from Barceloneta near the Columbus statue. The views are well worth the steep ticket prices.
Top 3 reasons for staying in a Fira hotel
1. Taking in the sweeping city views from majestic Montjuic
2. Admiring the architectural icon that is Palau Nacional
3. Checking out Barcelona´s Olympic Stadium
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