Barcelona Cathedral

Every visitor to Barcelona walks past the Cathedral. Far fewer actually go inside, and fewer still discover the cloister garden hidden behind it — one of the most quietly enchanting spots in the entire city. The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia has been the spiritual centre of Barcelona for over seven centuries, built between 1298 and 1460 on the site of an earlier Romanesque church that itself replaced a Roman temple, and the city has simply grown up around it.

The Gothic nave is appropriately solemn and vast, the stone columns rising to vaulted ceilings blackened by centuries of candle smoke, the side chapels each housing their own retablos and accumulated centuries of devotional objects. In the crypt beneath the high altar lies the alabaster tomb of Saint Eulalia, Barcelona's co-patron saint, martyred by the Romans in the fourth century. It is carved with scenes from her martyrdom and is extraordinarily beautiful.

But the cloister is the real revelation. Step through the archway from the main nave and you emerge into a rectangular garden of palm trees, magnolias, and orange trees, with a central fountain and — the detail that stops everyone in their tracks — thirteen white geese living freely among the greenery. The geese have been here for centuries (they represent Eulalia's age at her martyrdom) and they are wonderfully incongruous and completely real. On Sunday mornings, the surrounding arcade fills with sardana dancers, performing the traditional Catalan circle dance in the open air.

Entry to the main Cathedral is free most of the day (though a small fee applies during certain hours). The roof terrace, reached by lift, gives views across the Gothic Quarter's rooftops and is significantly less crowded than other Barcelona viewpoints. Go on a weekday morning for the quietest experience of the cloister.