Glòries stop
Glòries, Barcelona’s geographical centre, is where the city’s three most important thoroughfares converge: Av Meridiana, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Av Diagonal. It is the best starting point for discovering the city’s most dynamic neighbourhood, the 22@ district, and leading cultural centres such as the Auditori and the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya.
Gateway to 22 @
The Glòries bus stop on the Barcelona Bus Turístic’s Red Route is located in C/ Zamora, in the heart of the 22@district. The Torre Glòries is the most significant building in the area, a skyscraper designed by the architect Jean Nouvel as a gateway to the neighbourhood that brings together most of Barcelona’s information-technology sector's companies.
Built on former factory land, the 22@ district is undergoing a major transformation. Standing next to the Torre Glòries is the Disseny Hub, which houses the Museu del Disseny, and the Fira de Bellcaire, Barcelona’s most important outdoor market, popularly known as the Encants Vells. You will be able to discover, together with these new buildings, reclaimed Modernista industrial complexes and two large green areas, Parc del Poblenou and Gran Clariana, a hectare of lawn with a deck-chair service for peaceful enjoyment before moving on, to explore the centres that make this area a nerve centre of Catalan culture: the Auditori, the Museu de la Música and Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, designed by the prestigious Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill.
What to see
- Disseny Hub – Design Museum of Barcelona
With spectacular sustainable architecture, the new design centre is a key element in the new configuration of Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes.
- Torre Glòries
This skyscraper instantly became one of Barcelona’s icons upon its inauguration in 2005. Torre Glòries, which was built with strict adherence to energy efficiency criteria, lights up every night, projecting its colours over the city.
- Teatre Nacional de Catalunya
A spectacular building inspired by Greek architecture, designed by prestigious Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, is home to the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya.
- The Auditori
The Auditori de Barcelona is one of the leading Catalan cultural institutions. It is the home of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC), it offers a wide range of concerts and musical activities throughout the year.
- Museu de la Música
The Museu de la Música de Barcelona offers a journey all over the world through the history of music, showcasing instruments from different cultures. Organised in line with innovative museum trends, the Museum’s permanent exhibition offers an immersion in sound.
- Rambla del Poblenou
The most prominent street in the Poblenou district, around which the district’s social and commercial life is organised. Rambla del Poblenou, with its bars, shops and emblematic establishments, is the main meeting place for the residents of the district.
- El Poblenou
The district once referred to as ‘Catalan Manchester’ has given way to an open, quiet seaside district that fosters innovation and creativity.
- 22@ Barcelona – Industrial Heritage
The 22@ project converted part of Barcelona’s industrial past into technological innovation spaces and transformed some of the city’s most important sites into industrial heritage.