Plaça de Catalunya divides the old town from the Eixample - a grid of streets laid out in the nineteenth century in which much of the city's finest modernist architecture is to be found. The most celebrated practitioner of the style was Antoní Gaudí, an eccentric recluse whose innovative work threw all design rulebooks out of the window in his quest to get architecture to mirror the curves and intricacies of nature. In addition to those described below, points of particular interest include Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau and the Palau de la Música Catalana both designed by Gaudí's contemporary, Domènech i Montaner. Passeig de Gràcia, the most stylish street in the city, is at the heart of the Eixample and intersects with the Diagonal - the city's main thoroughfare at its northern end. The Montjuïc mountainside has successfully managed the transition from being the site of the 1992 Olympic Games to become a permanent tourist attraction, boasting the remaining Olympic installations, museums and great views of the city.
Tourist Information

Centre d'Informació Turisme de Barcelona
Plaça de Catalunya 17 S (in the subway).
Website: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2100.
Other information desks can be found at the airport, at Central-Sants station and in the City Hall on Plaça Sant Jaume.

Passes
The Ruta Modernista pass allows admission to all the best of the city's modernista architecture for Pta600 (concessions available) (see the Tours of the City section).

The Barcelona Card offers discounts of up to 50% at all the most interesting tourist attractions, including museums, entertainment and leisure venues, shops and restaurants, as well as free public transport and assistance insurance. The card is available for 24, 48 or 72 hours at Pta2500, 3000 and 3500 from the main tourist offices at Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Sant Jaume and Central-Sants station.