The rooms have been thoroughly modernised, and start at €120 (£75). The best budget option, if you can get a room, is the friendly and central Hostal Galerias Malda (9), tucked inside the shopping centre on Carrer del Pi (00 34 93 317 3002). Cheap rooms that are basic but comfortable are also available at the Hostal-Residencia Rembrandt (10) at Carrer de la Portaferrissa (00 34 93 318 10 11); doubles with bathroom start at €58 (£36).TAKE A RIDE Barcelona has an efficient metro system with five lines that connect all corners of the city; a single ticket costs €0.90 (55p). In addition, a funicular runs several times an hour from Paral-lel metro station (11) up to the top of Montjuic hill (3). A marvellously antiquated cable car connects Montjuic with the seafront at Barceloneta (12). There is also a tourist bus – the Bus Turistic (00 34 93 343 79 93; ) – that runs several times an hour along two routes around the city, overlapping at the Placa de Catalunya (1).

Tickets cost €14 (£8.75) and are valid all day, so you can hop on and off wherever you please.TAKE A VIEW The city is seen at its best from Montjuic hill (3), south of the centre of Barcelona and next to the sea. It was the location for the 1929 Universal Exhibition, and, many centuries before that, the site of a Roman temple; now it is the setting for a number of the city’s finest museums, and the stadium and pool that were built for the 1992 Olympics.TAKE A HIKE Barcelona’s architecture has been greatly influenced by the modernist movement, particularly its most famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, and a walk around the city is a good way of appreciating his talents. Start on the Carrer Nou de la Rambla with the Palau Guell (13) (00 34 93 317 3974), one of his earliest commissions. Then go up the Ramblas and beyond to Calle Casp and the Casa Calvet (14).

Walk up the Passeig de Gracia where Gaudi’s Casa Battlo (15) at number 43 contrasts with the neighbouring houses, Casa Lleo Morera and Casa Amatller, designed by two of the city’s other famous modernist architects. Further up, at number 92, is La Pedrera (16), which contains Gaudi’s apartment and an exhibition of his work (Prouenca 261-265, 00 34 93 484 5530; open 10am-7.30pm daily except Sunday, €6/£3.50).LUNCH ON THE RUN Just off the Ramblas is the attractive Placa Reial (17), a typical Spanish square with arcades, flat-fronted neo-classical buildings and palm trees in the centre. There are plenty of caf?where you can get a snack, but for something slightly more elaborate try Les Quinze Nitz (00 34 93 317 30 75) at no 6.CULTURAL AFTERNOON Pablo Picasso spent some formative years in Barcelona, arriving in his mid-teens and leaving in his early twenties. He donated much work to the city, ranging from pencil sketches to starkly expressive self-portraits.