Find your bearings
Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is at the heart of the Quadrat d'Or (Golden Square), a walkable district showcasing the best work of the Modernista architects who transformed the city at the turn of the century. It is sliced in two by the Passeig de Gràcia, an elegant boulevard lined with period wrought-iron lampposts.
Feed your mind
Just across from Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona is Gaudí's colourful Casa Batlló townhouse, its shimmering scales and sinuous curves created to evoke a dragon – a Catalan symbol. A short hop away is his apartment block La Pedrera, which is now an exhibition space and is best known for its distinctive chimney stacks. Rooftop concerts are staged here on summer nights.
A few blocks away is the iconic Sagrada Família, Gaudí's unfinished temple, and beyond that the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista, which until recently was a working hospital, each of its riotously coloured pavilions a different ward. Today, it's accessible to tourists, who can wander through its gardens.
A few blocks away is the iconic Sagrada Família, Gaudí's unfinished temple, and beyond that the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista, which until recently was a working hospital, each of its riotously coloured pavilions a different ward. Today, it's accessible to tourists, who can wander through its gardens.