The essence of Barcelona is in its differences

Cities fall in and out of vogue. A bestselling novel, celebrity endorsement or an alarming crime statistic can change the fortunes of a place overnight.

There are some places, though, that weather every storm. And Barcelona has routed the stalwarts such as Paris, London and Rome to secure its position as greatest city on Earth according to a study by The Telegraph. It scored highly across every category, from museums to LGBT+-friendliness; from green spaces to Unesco World Heritage Sites.

A progressive mayor has doubled the number of cycle lanes, given over dozens of streets to pedestrians and introduced low-emission zones. A showcase for architecture from every century, Barcelona has the perfect climate, miles of beach and a daring arts scene. It might not have the dance chops of Berlin, but Barcelona effortlessly attracts international artists of a calibre normally found in cities twice the size.

The Catalan capital is not a box to be ticked. “We’ve done Barcelona,” is not a thing people say. Every visit is a gateway to a deeper exploration. A first-timer staying in the Barri Gòtic, the web of medieval alleyways stretching out from the cathedral, does not have to stray far to fetch up in Gràcia, a villagey barrio of low-slung apartment blocks and rambunctious plazas, beloved of families, students and lovers of spoken word poetry.

Wander east from the honeypot hood of the Born, with its 15th-century mansions, grandiose basilica and film-set squares, and you will wind up in the postindustrial Poblenou district, where loft-dwelling designers rub shoulders with fintech entrepreneurs. Barcelona’s diversity is not limited to the geographical. Described by its most eminent poet, Joan Maragall, as “the great enchantress”, the city has been luring immigrants for centuries. Foreign-born residents make up over 20 per cent of the population, rising to over 50 per cent in the Old City. Languages from five continents ring out from every playground, and stumbling, pidgin Catalan can be heard on every corner.

A few words of the regional language goes a long way with the locals, who are fiercely protective of their way of life, but welcoming and generous to those who embrace the cause.

One happy consequence of this is an explosion of flavour across Barcelona’s kitchens. Anthony Bourdain once famously declared: “You’d have a hard time finding anything better than Barcelona for food,” and that was in 2011, when it was pretty much impossible to find a decent curry, let alone a banh mi. This expansion has not been at the cost of seaside paellas or the rich, sticky stews beloved of local palates. It certainly hasn’t affected the upper echelons of the dining scene and this city of 1.7 million people continues to chalk up an indecent number of Michelin stars (29 in 2022).

The essence of Barcelona, however, lies not in its accomplishments but in its differences. Time a trip to coincide with any of the myriad festivals and you might see vertiginous human towers, fibreglass giants or fire-breathing dragons. Head to the cathedral on a Sunday and you’ll see circles of gently bobbing heads as beribboned feet dance the sardana.

This is a city where eccentricity is embraced, where artists such as Picasso and Gaudí could flourish. Barcelona performs solidly in every quality-of-life survey, but where it outshines other cities is in its unshakeable zeal for the playful.