Your essential guide to Barcelona

SHOP

Sate your retail needs along the Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona’s most exclusive boulevard. Design house Santa Eulalia is a treasure trove for fashion followers. For take-home gifts, head to La Boqueria market for bottles of locally produced olive oil, and a glass of cava while you browse.

SNACK

Crema Catalana is the region’s sweet treat, with distinct family recipes running through generations. Try a zesty interpretation at the always-popular Bar del Pla. Its position tucked away on an unassuming side street belies the quality of the food.

IMMERSE

Minutes from your five-star hotel are two of Gaudí’s modernist architectural masterpieces: Casa Batlló and La Pedrera (aka Casa Milà). At the latter, choose the mixed reality glasses to enter a hologram world that reimagines the designer’s creative vision.

DINE

Catalonia’s much-lauded culinary offering is on display at Moments, Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant. Moments is renowned for its creative themed menus, crafted with local and seasonal ingredients. One standout is "The Trip," introduced in 2016, offering diners a gastronomic world tour with dishes inspired by Mandarin Oriental destinations.

FLY

Witness the meeting of Barcelona’s medieval and modernist attractions in one fell swoop with a helicopter tour along the city’s glittering coastline. Look out for big ticket monuments, from the gothic Sagrada Familia to Barcelona FC’s Camp Nou stadium and the gherkin-shaped Glòries tower.

EAT

Beachfront Barcelona knows good seafood. Raval’s Suculent leads the pack – whet your appetite with a vermouth aperitivo before diving into moreish roasted duck croquettes and red prawn ceviche. A 15-minute saunter away, the Picasso and Moco museums are set cheek-by-jowl and very much worth a postprandial visit.

STROLL

A visit to hilltop Park Güell is one of the best things to do with kids. It offers fairytale-esque architecture, flowering cacti, a twisting dragon stairway and vistas across the city and coast. For a postcard-worthy sunset, pay a pre-dinner visit to Carmel Bunkers, a former Civil War military base with sprawling panoramic views.

DRINK

Home to three of the world’s top ten bars, Barcelona offers an embarrassment of options for blue-sky drinking. Taking the top spot is speakeasy-style Paradiso, where science meets theatre. Order the Supercool Martini to watch an ice tower form in the glass before your eyes.

EXPLORE

Forty minutes from Barcelona, riverside Girona is a day-tripper’s dream. Choose cream-filled xuixos at bakery institution La Vienesa before wandering the winding alleys of the medieval Jewish Quarter, and three kilometres of ancient city walls. Finish with the tasting menu at El Celler de Can Roca, consistently ranked among the world’s best eateries.

LUNCH

For the full Spanish experience, settle in for a languid lunch at Mantequerias Pirenaicas. Its tortilla is claimed to be Barcelona’s best – no small accolade in a city so food-savvy – so arrive early to sample it, preferably between two slices of crusty bread.

SAIL

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a sundowner out on Barcelona’s slice of the Mediterranean Sea. Charter a private yacht for a golden-hour glide. When the anchor is dropped, you might find yourself swimming alongside moonfish, turtles and even whales.

CLIMB

Scale heady heights visiting the mountain-side Montserrat Benedictine community. Tread one of many walking trails across this jagged rock formation and stand in the shadows of the 11th-century monastery, where around 80 monks currently dedicate themselves to studying religious works and hosting pilgrims.

One of the best ways to get to know Barcelona is through a privately guided tour of the Old Town and the gorgeous Modernist architecture it’s so famed for, much of which is within walking distance of the hotel. Stroll through the Eixample district to Manzana de la Discordia for a patchwork of contrasts that charts the architectural trends of the 20th century.

- The concierge team at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona.