Barcelona

Domènech i Montaner built it 1908–11; the Café Vienés downstairs still runs jazz nights.

An 18th-century palace on Plaça Sant Felip Neri — the church wall opposite still carries the 1938 shrapnel.

Small rooms, a plunge pool on the terrace, and Montjuïc starting at the end of the street.

A Civil War anti-aircraft battery on the Turó de la Rovira. Full 360° of the city, and no ticket office.

Domènech i Montaner's stained-glass hall. A cheap seat at a short concert beats the guided tour.

Sunday mornings around the Sant Antoni market: second-hand books, comics and football stickers.

Under construction since 1882. Book a timed slot — the tower lifts sell out first.

The Monumental Zone is timed and ticketed; the woodland above it is free and nearly empty.

Catalan Gothic raised in 54 years, the stone carried up from the beach by the port's bastaixos.

Books and roses on every street; the Rambla becomes one long bookstall.

Seaside festival at the Fòrum, the line-up that sets the European summer.

The patron-saint festival — castellers, correfoc and free stages across the city.