The beautiful Catalan capital, which sits on the coast of the western Mediterranean, is the second most populated city in Spain and attracts tourists from all over the world.
Known as the Ciudad Condal (as the capital of the County of Barcelona between the 9th and 12th centuries), the city welcomes several million visitors a year both for business and tourism. Various national and international trade fairs, conferences and exhibitions are held in the city all through the year. These take place alongside an array of appealing cultural events, ranging from folklore events to opera performances, as well as concerts featuring Spanish guitar, jazz and swing.
From September to July The Gran Teatre del Liceu presents renowned operas – such as Verdi’s La Traviata, , Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Tosca, as well as other operas which may be less widely performed but which are equally worth seeing. What is more, each season the programme at this opera house also includes ballet performances and concerts – usually featuring classical composers – as well as recitals. If you do visit Barcelona, we recommend attending a performance at ‘el Liceo’ (as it is popularly known). This is one of the world’s most important opera houses, where many of the greatest artists have performed since it first opened its doors in 1847 in the city’s emblematic paseo (walkway) of La Rambla. But remember to book your tickets in advance to avoid missing out on your chosen event.
Another opera related performance is Ópera y Flamenco, which takes place at both the Teatre Poliorama and at the Palau de la Música Catalana, depending on the date. This is a show in which bailaores (flamenco dancers), a soprano and a tenor masterfully fuse flamenco and opera.
Barcelona may not a have the widest range of options for seeing ballet, but the art form is still very much a part of the city’s cultural programme. Stages such as the already mentioned Liceu de Barcelona, the Teatre Poliorama and the Teatre Tivoli, among others, present classical ballet and modern dance by great composers (such Tchaikovsky with his famous ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker) and world-renowned choreographers (such as George Balanchine and William Forsythe), performed by prestigious ballet companies such as the Spanish National Ballet, the Semperoper Ballet or the Moscow Ballet.
There are a great many concerts in Barcelona, which range from those featuring Spanish guitar to rock concerts by groups of international standing. It is worth mentioning L’Auditori de Barcelona (designed by Rafael Moneo), which has a programme that includes – between September and July – symphonic concerts, chamber concerts, recitals, contemporary music, early music and classical music, with several of these performed by the OBC – the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra) – . Other established venues for concerts of the highest calibre are the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Iglesia de Santa Ana, the Basílica de Santa María del Pi, and even the Museu Europeu d'Art Modern (MEAM).
Another enticing option is to combine a concert or show with dinner. For this, the Palacio del Flamenco, Aquarella Music Restaurant or the Silken Gran Hotel Havana offer a wide range of events to suit all tastes, from flamenco and jazz to opera and cinema music.
Why not book your tickets at Barcelona Opera Tickets, and enjoy cultural offerings which are as varied and colourful as the magnificent works of Gaudí which also add to the beauty of this captivating Mediterranean city. And don’t forget the various sight-seeing tours on offer, which enable you to fully explore the treasures of the Catalan capital. Barcelona is, without doubt, a destination offering something for all tastes: truly a place where one can never be bored.