Barcelona 3D

Why is it famous?

Barcelona is home to some of the most imaginative buildings on Earth, designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí, whose towers, roofs, and walls curve and ripple like something out of a dream.

The city also has golden sandy beaches right in town, so you can go from exploring ancient stone streets to splashing in the Mediterranean Sea in just a few minutes.

A city with a long story

Barcelona began as a small Roman town about 2,000 years ago, and you can still find pieces of the old Roman walls tucked between newer buildings in the historic Gothic Quarter.

For centuries the city grew slowly around its medieval core, but in 1992, when Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games, it opened up a whole new stretch of waterfront and beaches that had once been old docks and factories.

Quick facts

• Gaudí covered many of his buildings in 'trencadís,' a mosaic made from broken pieces of colorful ceramic tile, turning trash into treasure.
• The tree-lined street La Rambla stretches over a kilometer through the heart of the city and has been a favorite place to stroll for hundreds of years.
• Barcelona built seven sandy beaches along its coastline, transforming a once-industrial shore into one of Europe's most popular city beach destinations.