View from Alcalde Observation Deck
The best way to start exploring Barcelona and get a general idea of the city is to take the Montjuic funicular and then take the cable car to Mirador de l'alcalde Station.
From here, you can see most of Spain's second-largest city. In terms of population, Barcelona is second only to Madrid, but it occupies a leading place in terms of the number of tourists who visit the city.
From the height of the observation deck, you can see all the main sights of Barcelona, having estimated their location, you will easily navigate the huge city.
Let's start looking at the city from left to right. We are looking at the neighborhoods of the Sarrio district, which are mostly modern buildings. Behind them, you can see the top of Tibidabo with the Colserola TV tower.
Then we turn our gaze to the east, where we will see surrounded by construction cranes the main jewel and the main long-term construction of Barcelona-the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. The construction of this grandiose temple, designed by the great Antoni Gaudi, began in 1882.
To the east and closer to us is the Gothic Quarter - the historical center of the city. On the right you can see the three towers of the Cathedral, on the left-the tower of the church of Santa Maria del Pi.
Far beyond the Gothic Skyline stands the "cucumber " of the Glories Tower, better known as the Torre Agbar, one of the symbols of Barcelona. Closer to us is another high-rise-the Columbus skyscraper, the first building in Barcelona to overcome the hundred-meter height mark.
Let's move the view a little more to the right. In the foreground - the seaside Gothic part with the Merced Church, behind it you can see the Post Office tower, then the Ribera quarter, where you can see the facade with a large round window (rose) of the church of Santa Maria del Mar. Beyond the Ribera, you can see the Ciutadella Park massif, with the glittering golden chariot of the Grand Cascade Fountain.
Seaside part of the city. In the distance, you can see the high-rise buildings of the eastern districts, followed by the pipes of the Sant'adria power station, popularly called " Three Towers "(Tres Torres).
Behind the port you can see the building of the Museum of the History of Catalonia, behind the nm quarter of Barceloneta, even further the Olympic Village with the high-rises " Torre Mare Nostrum "and the hotel "Arts'. The Art Nouveau water tower in Barceloneta Park is clearly visible.
Directly below us is the Columbus Column, then the boulevard of the same name, the Port Authority building, and the blue mirror of the Port Vel itself, or old port. The Mole de la Fusta palm avenue stretches along the waterfront, where the schooner Santa Elualia (peeking out to the right of the Port Authority), a floating exhibit of the Maritime Museum, is moored.
It is a passenger port where Balearia ferries to the islands of Ibiza and Palma are moored. Behind it, you can see the undulating structures of the Rambla del Mar Bridge leading to the MareMagnum shopping center.
We will complete our tour of Barcelona with pier 18, where the Jaime I tower of the Teleferic del Port cable car and the World Trade Center building are located. Behind the Shopping center, you can see the beach of San Sebastian, and another cable car tower, also named Torre San Sebastia.