Barcelona: Tessera Audio Guide

Barcelona is best seen on foot — and best understood with someone telling you what you're looking at. Tessera is that someone, in your pocket, with no signal needed.

112 short stories cover the city, from the Roman walls of the Gothic Quarter to Gaudí's Sagrada Família, Park Güell and the hill of Montjuïc. Each one is written to be heard on the spot: look up, listen, and the city starts to make sense. Why the stone of a quiet little square is pitted with shrapnel. What a life-size concrete mammoth is doing in Ciutadella Park. Why the city barely had a beach before 1992. Which fountain promises you'll come back.

EIGHT NEIGHBORHOODS
• Gothic Quarter — the cathedral, Roman Barcino, Plaça del Rei, the Jewish quarter
• El Born & Ciutadella — Santa Maria del Mar, the Picasso Museum, the Palau de la Música
• La Rambla & El Raval — the Boqueria, the Liceu, Gaudí's Palau Güell, the Columbus Monument
• Port Vell & Barceloneta — the old harbor, the fishermen's quarter, the beaches, Gehry's golden Fish
• Eixample & Passeig de Gràcia — Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, the Block of Discord, Casa de les Punxes
• Sagrada Família & Sant Pau — the basilica's façades, the Modernista hospital, Torre Glòries
• Gràcia & Park Güell — the dragon stairway, the serpentine bench, Casa Vicens, the village squares
• Montjuïc — the Magic Fountain, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, the Miró Foundation, the castle

WALKS FOR ANY SCHEDULE
• Barcelona in two hours or in three, planned on real streets
• Themed walks: Gaudí and Modernisme, Roman Barcino, medieval Barcelona of merchants and sailors, the sea and the 1992 Olympics, Montjuïc, Picasso and Miró
• A walk through every stop of each neighborhood
The guide leads you from stop to stop and shows the distance to the next one and how much is left.

HOW IT WORKS
• Walk up to a place and the guide offers its story. Nothing ever plays on its own
• Every place has a photo and the full text — read instead of listening if you prefer
• For museums and monuments with tickets, a link to the official site for hours and booking
• Search by name, theme, or any detail from the stories
• Works completely offline once downloaded: stories, photos, map and routes
• Eight languages: English, Русский, Español, Deutsch, Italiano, Français, Português (Brasil and Portugal), 中文

TRY IT FIRST
The introduction and one story in every neighborhood are free: the Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar, La Boqueria, Barceloneta Beach, Casa Batlló, the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and the Magic Fountain. One purchase unlocks all 112 places, every route and all eight languages — for good. No subscription, no account, no ads.

Tessera is an independent app and is not affiliated with Barcelona City Council, the Sagrada Família or any museum or monument. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each image. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.