4. Montjuic

Overlooking the city of Barcelona is the mountain of Montjuic, with its multi-purpose Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys which still boasts its beautiful 1920s Art-Nouveau facade.

Montjuic hosted the only Catalan derby Copa del Rey final to date, won 1-0 by Barça in 1957. It was also the main stadium for the 1992 Olympic Games, where soon to be Barça legends Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, as well as future Espanyol left-back Jose Emilio Amavisca, won gold in the final of the football tournament.

Espanyol called the 60,000-seater stadium home between 1997 and 2009, celebrating many special nights there including the club’s 100th anniversary, before moving to the RCDE Stadium in the city’s suburbs.

The Estadi Olimpic now regularly hosts American football, rugby and athletics events, as well as music concerts from top international acts such as Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay. It can be visited for free most days of the year and the stunning views of the city and the sea from the top of the hill alone merit the climb up.

Montjuic is also home to the Pompeya tennis club, whose restaurant witnessed one of the most famous moments in Blaugrana history back in December 2000 when former player-turned-director Charly Rexach wrote out a first contract for then-12-year-old Lionel Messi on the back of a napkin. The rest, as they say, is history.

5. To the beach for a game

The easiest way back to the centre from Montjuic is to take the cable car down to the Barceloneta port area. From there it’s just a raking Sergio Busquets or Esteban Granero diagonal ball to the beach, another of the city’s must-visit places.

Further along the water, past the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Casino, is the Bogatell beach, where permanent goalposts are fixed into the sand just waiting for impromptu games of beach football to break out.

Also down by the seafront is Blue Spot, a bar restaurant on Passeig Joan de Borbo, whose investors include Barça defender Gerard Pique and his partner Shakira.