DETAILS

Barcelona

GETTING THERE: All three airports serving the Washington area offer one-stop flights to Barcelona. From Washington Dulles, Air France and Delta offer the most convenient, best-priced service, with round-trip fares starting at about $1,100. Iberia also offers service from Dulles, with convenient connections through Madrid, but cheaper fares are sold out for most of the summer. Delta also offers convenient connecting service from Reagan National and BWI.

GETTING AROUND: Barcelona's a walker-friendly city and easy to navigate. The metro is easy to use, with stations every few blocks in the central tourist areas. A 10-ride ticket costs about $10.

WHERE TO STAY: Barcelona has a wide range of accommodations. The Centric Point Hostel (Passeig de Gracia 33, 011-34-93-231-2045, http://www.centricpointhostel.com/), central to major attractions, has doubles at $74 a night and spaces in six-bed dorms for $31 in summer, breakfast included. We stayed at the modern and friendly Apsis Aranea (Conseil de Cent 444, 011-34-93-247-7474, http://www.hotel-aranea.com/), close to many of Gaudí's architectural masterpieces; our small double ran $137 a night. For a splurge, the Ritz-Carlton's famed Hotel Arts (Marina 19-21, 011-34-93-221-1000, http://www.hotelartsbarcelona.com/) offers deluxe doubles with views of the Mediterranean for $678 a night.

WHERE TO EAT: Los Caracoles (Calle Escudellers 14, 011-34-93-302-3185) is known for its snails (caracoles), fat roasted chickens and paellas. A half-chicken is about $16. Botafumeiro (Gran de Gracia 81, 011-34-93-218- 4230) is considered by many to serve the finest, freshest seafood in Barcelona, much of it plucked live from tanks on-site. Dinner for two ran about $117. If you're craving paella, try 7 Portes (Passeig Isabel II, 14, 011-34-93-319-3033), a landmark 1800s restaurant that serves it up in myriad forms, different daily. I had the "rich man's paella," seafood with meat, for $24. Remember, many restaurants don't start serving dinner until 9 p.m.

MUSIC: A hot spot for blues and jazz is Bel-Luna Jazz Club and Restaurant (Rambla Catalunya 5, 011-34-93-302-2221, http://www.bel-luna.com/). We also enjoyed the intense dance and music at Tarantos (Plaza Reial 17, 011-34- 93-319-1789), the best-known flamenco club in the city.

WHAT TO DO: Barcelona is packed with excellent museums. Some of the best:

* The Picasso Museum, concentrating on the artist's early work (Montcada 15-23, 011-34-93-256-3000, http://www.museupicasso.bcn.es/). Admission is about $8.

* The Maritime Museum, covering Barcelona's long history at sea (Av. de les Drassanes s/n, 011-34-93-342-9920, http://www.museumaritimbarcelona.com/). Admission is about $9.

* The Fundacio Joan Miró, with the artist's lifetime work (Plaza de Neptu, Parc de Montjuïc, 011-34-933-291-908, http://www.bcn.fjmiro.es/).

* The Museum of Contemporary Art, with edgy installations and video art (1 Plaza dels Angels, 011-34-93-412-0810, http://www.macba.es/). Admission is about $10.

* Seeing the magnificent architecture of Antonio Gaudí is a must, starting with the soaring Sagrada Familia (Carrer de Mallorca 401, 011-34-93-207-3031, http://www.sagradafamilia.org/). Admission is about $11. The Modernism Center (41 Passeig de Gracia, 011-34-93-488-0139) has information and guidebooks to the buildings of Gaudí and other modernist architects.

SHOPPING: Barcelona is rich in markets with gorgeous produce and fresh seafood. The most famous is the Mercat de la Boqueria on Las Ramblas. Hundreds of vendors sell candies and cheeses, sheep's heads and hams, veggies and sliced fruit that they arrange like Old World still lifes.

For offbeat fashion, visit the Gracia District, an uptown area of bohemian boutiques. Here designers experiment with fabric and soft leather; hippie-chic crochet and punky cut-up cotton; clunky, funky jewelry and airy creations of layered silk. I found handcrafted sandals in red and green leather for less than $25.

SIDE TRIPS: If you visit the charming seaside town of Cadaques, about 75 miles north of Barcelona near the French-Spanish border, make reservations to see Salvador Dali's home in next-door Port Lligat. It's open March through September (011-34-97-225-1015). And if you're a Dali fan, don't miss his hallucinatory museum in his nearby home town of Figueres, Teatro-Museo Dali (011-34-972-67-7500, http://www.salvador-dali.org/museus).

INFORMATION: Barcelona Tourism, http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/. -- M.L.L.