Why Les Corts Is a Must for Football Fans on Holiday in Barcelona ?

If you’re planning a holiday in Barcelona, football and Les Corts may well be on your planned itinerary. The area of Les Corts is generally considered to be one of the doorways or gateways into Barcelona itself, as it is right at one end of the Diagonal Avenue, which is the longest road in Barcelona, crossing the entire city.

The district itself is extremely quiet and it’s also known as one of the safest neighborhoods in Barcelona. Though I have to admit there are few things to see for tourists. However, if you’re planning a holiday here and you’re bringing children, particularly young children, then this would be a nice place to stay away from crowded city centre.

Of course, without doubt one of the main reasons why many people come to Les Corts is the football, both the stadium itself and the museum and exhibitions. The main football stadium of the Barcelona Football Club is Camp Nou, although you’ll rarely hear it called that round here. The locals refer to it as simply as Barça.

The first of these exhibitions is the Museu Historic, and it is here that you can learn all about the history of the football club, with many fascinating posters and photographs, interesting memorabilia and content which will be of interest to children and adults alike.

This stadium is huge - in fact it’s the largest football stadium anywhere in Europe, with seating for a staggering 100,000 spectators. Despite this incredible number of seats, tickets are still very hard to get for the major games. Imagine chanting the team along with 99,999 other avid supporters! The atmosphere here on the day of a big match is electric.

Of course, if you’re planning on a quiet holiday to Barcelona and staying at Les Corts, then you would be wise to check whether there are any important matches on first. If you want to see Barça in action, and experience the stadium at its most intense, then this would be a great opportunity. On the other hand, if you’re expecting a quiet, leafy little suburb to amble down with your two small children, and suddenly tens of thousands of people start pouring past you, cheering and whooping, you might wonder what’s going on!

For football fans, it isn’t just the stadium itself which is the appeal. The Barcelona football museum nearby is a treasure trove for the football enthusiast. Not only does the museum allow access to the empty stadium itself, an experience which most small boys will treasure, but includes three very large and well stocked exhibitions.

The second exhibition here is the El Fons D’Art, and perhaps surprisingly, this actually has nothing to do with football! If you’re an art lover, then this really will be a surprise, and well worth visiting. It is here that many really great works of art can be found, including some by Dali and Miro. The third exhibition is more football related again, and includes the world’s largest collection of football memorabilia and curios dating from the 19^th century right up to the present day.

While you are enjoying your holiday in Barcelona, I would also suggest that if you are in the Les Corts district, take time to visit the fabulous Monastir de Pedralbes. I would suggest this for two reasons. The first is simply to enjoy the lavish neighborhood. This really is a posh place to live! You won’t be surprised to learn that this is the most luxurious area of Barcelona, with incredible high-class mansions and historic homes.

But the second reason why I would suggest visiting Monastir de Pedralbes is the stunning 14^th century stone monastery. Although no longer an active monastery, it does contain an intriguing museum which clearly portrays the monastic life which would have taken place here many years ago. The architecture is simply beautiful, and is certainly the finest example of Catalonion gothic architecture to be found.

The area of Les Corts is easy to reach, with regular bus and train services dropping you off close to the stadium. With 100,000 football fans regularly turning up, you’d expect nothing less than an efficient transport link! The best ways to reach Les Corts from the city center are the L3 green line metro service. There are also busses, although you’ll find that this doesn’t cover the Pedralbes district - busses here tend to be rather infrequent, and you could find waiting for a taxi rather, well, taxing. However, as it isn’t a long walk from the stadium, and the scenery and neighborhood is beautiful, this shouldn’t pose a problem.

I would recommend Les Corts as an nice place to stay if you’re planning a very quiet holiday in Barcelona, but for football fans it is an absolute must for at least a day’s visit.