Did you know? · Barcelona
Barcelona fun facts
Things you might not know about Barcelona. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
A tower for a centenary
The Tower of Jesus Christ, the Sagrada Família’s central and highest tower, was finished outside in February 2026 and blessed and inaugurated on 10 June 2026, the centenary of Gaudí’s death. The basilica is still being completed (sagradafamilia.org).
Two World Heritage inscriptions
Park Güell, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, Casa Vicens and the Nativity façade and crypt of the Sagrada Família are among the Works of Antoni Gaudí on UNESCO’s World Heritage List; the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau, both by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, are inscribed together (UNESCO).
A city on a grid
When the medieval walls came down in the 19th century, Barcelona spread across the plain in Ildefons Cerdà’s grid, the Eixample, where the Modernista architects built many of their finest houses.
A MICHELIN city
The MICHELIN Guide Spain 2026 gives Three Stars to four Barcelona restaurants, Disfrutar, ABaC, Cocina Hermanos Torres and Lasarte, and Two Stars for the first time to Aleia, Enigma and Mont Bar (guide.michelin.com).
Quimet & Quimet, the standing-room tapas bar in Poble-sec, says on its own website that it has been open “desde 1914”, since 1914.
Two tram networks become one
Barcelona is joining its two tram networks, the Trambaix and the Trambesòs, along Avinguda Diagonal; the work is under way (ajuntament.barcelona.cat).
Questions and answers
When was the Sagrada Família’s central tower inaugurated?
On 10 June 2026, the centenary of Gaudí’s death (sagradafamilia.org).
How many Three-Star restaurants does Barcelona have?
Four in the MICHELIN Guide Spain 2026: Disfrutar, ABaC, Cocina Hermanos Torres and Lasarte.