24 HOURS IN BARCELONA 49
2pm You’ ll want to walk off your hearty feast, and right around the corner is the milelong La Rambla boulevard. Popular with tourists for its highly-skilled street performers, who set up under the shade of towering trees down the mile-long pedestrian mall, visitors can sip coffee at cozy sidewalk cafes, and content themselves with the city’ s best people watching. If you get peckish, delve into the crowds of La Boqueria markets, a treasure trove of local produce, great tapas bars and Spanish wines, best enjoyed in the sunny courtyard. www. boqueria. info
4pm The Fundacio Joan Miro museum, named in honor of the Spanish surrealist artist, is a must visit, home to a permanent collection of over 300 of his paintings and sculptures. A fantastic new visiting exhibition entitled Insomnia runs until June, showcasing aspects of the world of cinema since the 1960s. When you’ ve finished, laze beside one of the Arabian ornamental pools in the surrounding leafy Jardins de Laribal park, designed by French landscape artist Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier. Parc de Montjuic, Tel: + 34-933-298-609, www. fundaciomiro-bcn. org
7:30pm One thing you will soon learn is that the residents of Barcelona like to eat and party late. Don’ t be surprised if clubs don’ t begin to fill until midnight, or don’ t spill out until well after the sun comes up. Push dinner back a little with a rooftop tipple at the W Barcelona’ s Eclipse bar. The bar team, made up of some of Europe’ s best mixologists, concoct fresh Mediterranean cocktails like the Mad Med, a heady mix of Gin Mare gin and fresh rosemary, while DJs spin soulful sounds. 1 Rosa del Vents, Tel: + 34-932-952-800; www. w-barcelona. com
9pm For dinner, dress to impress at Via Veneto, where Barcelona and Real Madrid footballers are often spotted, and enjoy the finest caza game and fungi around. Look out for rovellons and ceps, both wild mushrooms from the Catalan forests, cooked to perfection in olive oil and rock salt. Other treats include liebre hare stuffed with foie gras and served with baked apples, while the cellar boasts over 10,000 bottles to pair dishes with. 10 Ganduxer, Tel: + 34-932-007-244, www. viavenetorestaurant. com
11pm Sala Be Cool is a popular late-night haunt for Barcelona’ s well heeled crowd. International DJs regularly grace the decks, playing everything from house to disco beats. Upstairs, the comfortable Red Room is a good spot to share a bottle of bubbly with some good company, and offers a respite from the pounding sound system below. 5 Placa de Joan Llongueras, Tel: + 34-933-620-413; www. salabecool. com
10am If you’ re nursing a sore head from the night before, then make a bee-line for the Aire de Barcelona spa. Styled like an Arabian bathhouse, there are plenty of hot and cold plunge pools to shock the system into action, as well as a special salt-water pool and a traditional hammam range. Therapists offer a long list of signature massages, including the Argan Ritual, which incorporates argan plant serum, liquid gold and jade stones to improve circulation and refresh travel-worn skin. 22 Passeig Picasso, Tel: + 34-902- 555-789; www. airedebarcelona. com
La Boqueria
W Barcelona
Mandarin Oriental’ s guest rooms
Vibrancy on La Rambla
www. jetsetter. hk