The Palau de la Música Catalana is hidden. It stands on a narrow street in the old quarter of Barcelona, so close to the buildings opposite that you cannot step back far enough to take it in, and it was built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society that was the pride of Catalan cultural life at a time when Catalonia was finding its voice again. Lluís Domènech i Montaner designed it, and he threw everything at it: brick, mosaic, ceramics, sculpted flowers, stained glass, an iron frame so open that the walls are almost glass.
Inside, the concert hall is a revelation. Its ceiling is a great inverted dome of stained glass in gold and blue, with a sun at the centre, and around it the walls are covered with colour. Above the stage a ring of sculpted Muses seems to step out of the wall, and the sound, in a hall designed for choirs, is warm and clear. If you can, go to a concert; a guided tour is the next best thing. UNESCO listed it in 1997 with the Hospital de Sant Pau.
The district around it, the Born and Sant Pere, is a good place to walk. Narrow medieval streets, the market of Santa Caterina with its roof of coloured tiles, small bars and the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar lie within a few minutes. Barcelona is a city for walking, and a rider should leave the bike in a designated parking space and go on foot. Traffic and the one-way system in the old quarter are confusing, and thieves are active, so never leave bags on the bike.
Fuel is at stations on the ring roads and in the outer districts. In the evening, the Palau's lit windows are a fine sight from the street. A short ride beyond the city takes you to the hills of Collserola, where roads wind up through the forest to a ridge with views over the whole city and out to the sea.