Off the Beaten Track Barcelona Suggestions?

1.) Fonts just mean fountains in Catalan, generic word... better use the full name: Font Màgica as you're referring to a specific place, other members of the forum will benefit of this. Having said this, among us Barcelonians we do normally use the nickname Les Fonts like you did to refer to la Font Màgica de Montjuïc -official name-, but you wouldn't find info online with the nickname. If you've not been before, just prepare for large crowds. There are four shows, each 25' but playing to different tunes. My preferred one is the first one playing classical music. Be aware of your belongings -pickpockets roam around waiting for dumb visitors. Remember the show in summer is Thu to Sun. For a peek... video

2.) For info: Festa Major de Gràcia. A "festa major" is a sort of annual street party celebrated in most cities, neighbourhoods, towns and villages throughout Catalonia. Each one of them has its own festa major and it’s the most important celebration in the annual calendar. See an example here. Advice same than above: large crowds! The programme is here -only available in Catalan though. Some of the events (ie many of the popular street lunches) are reserved to neighbours only after all this is a neighbourhood festival that happens to attract people from outside the neighbourhood, if you catch my drift. Needless to say, everybody is welcome but respect and well behaviour is expected. Also note that fire, fireworks, and firecrackers are an intrinsic part of our heritage thus there are several activities including these, such as the correfoc (fire run). For first time attendees, it can be a bit scary but note that everything is under control (also, you'll see some of the members of the team in charge of making sure no accidents happen) If anything don't wear your best t-shirt, make sure it's cotton and don't get up front :) There are also plenty of other activities, from street concerts to displays of Catalan heritage such as castellers, also ball de bastons, the famous sardanes, the giants and bigheads (this video isn't Gràcia but suffices!), etc. One of the distinct features of the Festa Major de Gràcia is the street decoration contest, in which the neighbours of several streets compete to have the best-decorated street during the festa major. The aim is to make the decorations with recycled materials and some spend many months creating them. Something else... all activities are free.

3.) Not as far as I know.

4.) Which one would that be?... Casa Lleó i Morera? Casa Ametller? Also, there's a new modernist attraction in town, the Casa de Les Punxes (literally House of the Needles, because of the distinct lighting rods) in Diagonal Ave., very close to La Pedrera. But note only part is visitable as the rest is occupied by companies and private residences. Lastly to remind everybody of another gem worth visiting: Torre Bellesguard. It's located outside the centre, in the upper side of town, the posh side :)

Enjoy!

PS. For those interested, the pronunciation of the word "casa" -meaning 'house'- in Catalan differs from that in Spanish. Hear the difference voiced 's' in Catalan vs unvoiced 's' in Spanish by listening to these examples: in Catalan, http://forvo.com/word/casa/#ca -choose the one by user sbonet for clarity- and in Spanish, http://forvo.com/word/casa/#es -choose the one by user mayorcatorce.

Enric thanks for the info. I will look into your suggestions. As for the Modern area new attractions it was mentioned on Ricks radio show when he asked his local guides what was new in Barcelona for 2016 but they didn't mention specifics only that some new buildings were open to the public.

The new owners of Casa Vicens have indicated plans to open parts of the building to the public. Enric may have further insight here, as this has been talked about variously over the years, but nothing has eventuated.

Casa Vicens isn't open yet. I got the impression from what someone said that it was going to be awhile. And note that the relatively new sight, Casa Lleo Morera, has now closed. Rats.

Check the list of special exhibitions at the museums. Both CaixaForum and Fundacion MAPFRE have major photography shows at the moment.

I got a quick look at the Museu del Modernisme de Barcelona today, and I enjoyed it. It's not large, but it has interesting decorative elements from some of the city's important modernista structures, picked up back when modernisme was out of style.

If you haven't seen the Hospital de Sant Pau, I'd consider it a must. And there might be an additional building opened since your last visit.

The Ruta Modernisme discount booklet includes Palau Baro de Quadras, which seems to be open only on non-holiday Wednesdays, with multilingual tours at 11 and 1. I haven't researched this, but I think it's a tour-only place.

Also in the discount book (presumably because it's located in a modernista building), is the Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum. It's in the Palau Mornau., 35 Carrer Ample.

Just for info: Casa Lleo i Morera isn't closed, it's temporarily out of service because they're not in compliance with the law requiring premises to be adapted for disabled people, so they'll be doing renovations in order to adapt it. The "problem" so to speak is that this is a protected building so certain renovations cannot be done. I believe having read they're in talks both with the City Hall (in charge of enforcing the aforementioned law) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan Government) in charge of protecting the buildings classified as heritage. Complex issue if you ask me.

As per Casa Vicens is an ongoing renovation. The house -the first work by Gaudí- was recently bought by an investment fund and will be open for visits in 2017.

Access vs heritage, such a typical story of modern bureaucracy. Thanks for the updates friends.

I sure hope you're right, Enric, but I was told by a working-level (non-management) person--who seemed to be in a position to know--that the owners don't want to deal with the public-access business and just plan to,make the space available to corporations, etc. Perhaps that's only if they can't work something out with the various authorities.

•Right beside the very beaten track of the Picasso Museum is the very pleasant Asian cultures museum:
http://museuculturesmon.bcn.cat
which gets about 1/100th the amount of traffic.

• If 'the usual tourist spots' that you've been to doesn't include the MUHBA, then allow an entire day for it
http://museuhistoria.bcn.cat

This is assuming that you like museums. If not, nevermind.

Yesterday I took the one-hour English tour at Torre Bellesguard. It's a more minor site than the well-known spots like Palau Guell, Casa Batllo and La Pedrera, but the tour was interesting, and there are other modernista structures in the area (outside views only); I wandered around a bit on my way to Placa John Kennedy. However, the location is pretty far off the beaten path and I don't think there's a nearby Metro stop; the taxi from La Sagrads Familia cost about €13.

I do not recommend paying to enter the Casa de les Punxes. I believe it costs €12, and there's very little to see. The interior structure is not particularly unusual, and there's no original furniture. They've spent a good bit of money creating an audiovisual show about the legend of St. George and the dragon--complete with doors opening automatically as the story is projected on a blank wall in one room then the next, but there's noting in the rooms. You do get to go up to the roof, but it's not like a Gaudi roof. See this one from the sidewalk. Take the kids to a movie instead.