The Spanish do love a good bank holiday – in fact, they have 27 of them. In England we love bank hols, too, but even with our appreciation of a day off I think we'd go mad finding enough things to do if we had that many.

We went to Barcelona and unwittingly found ourselves in a feast day for St Xavier.

We're still unclear what he is the patron saint of, and as we were there for only three days, which meant one day of no shopping for my other half, he wasn't really held in much reverence by us.

But it simply doesn't matter because Barcelona has so much to do.

You can barely walk down a major thoroughfare in Barcelona without seeing the striking work of architect Antonio Gaudi.

Born in 1852, he was a Spanish Catalan architect who belonged to the Modernist style movement and was famous for his unique designs. Some of them look as if they belong in a vampire film – others look like a building is literally melting before your eyes.

La Sagrada Familia is truly awe-inspiring – even if you don't have much time, don't miss it. The life's work of Gaudi, the magnificent spires of the unfinished cathedral, imprint themselves boldly against the sky with swelling outlines inspired by the holy mountain Montserrat.

They are encrusted with a tangle of sculptures that seem to breathe life into the stone.

Gaudí died in 1926 before his masterwork was completed, and since then controversy has continually dogged the building programme.

Nevertheless, the south-western (Passion) facade, with four more towers, is almost done, and the nave, begun in 1978, is progressing.

S ome say the shell should have been left as a monument to the architect, but today's chief architect, Jordi Bonet, argues that the task is sacred, as it is a church intended to atone for sin and appeal to God's mercy on Catalunya.

For us, we like nothing more than a bit of people watching, especially dogs and their owners, so we tried to find a park. We didn't need to look far – Barcelona has 68 of them. We chose Montjuic because of its stunning views across the harbour, although our view was slightly blighted by two enormous Amercian cruise liners which lumbered into dock as we took in the sights from above.

For me, one of the best things we did was visit the Nou Camp stadium, home to Barcelona FC. Although my partner wasn't raving about it, it was one of the most outstanding pieces of architecture in the city. The stadium has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957. It is a UEFA five-star rated stadium, and has a capacity of 98,772, making it the biggest stadium in Europe, and the 11th largest in the world.

Its official name was Estadi del FC Barcelona (FC Barcelona Stadium) until 2000, when the club membership voted to change the official name to the popular nickname, Camp Nou. Our tour included a stroll around its trophy room, which is a dazzling experience with its array of cups; and we took a look at the changing rooms, which include the very best in training equipment.

But don't think it's that easy to see a game – Barcelona FC has about 103,000 season ticket holders, known as members – which means that the ground can no longer accommodate all the season-ticket holders.

Even though you might see empty seats on Sky TV when watching a match there, this doesn't mean that tickets were available. It simply means that members did not attend.

But, as our bank holiday day drew to a close, the very best thing about our day came last.

The main cablecar that slices across the sky is simply awesome. Known as the Teleferico de Montjuic or the Transbordador, the cable journey is not for the faint-hearted.

The ride begins with a lift to the top of the cablecar tower which, in itself, requires a certain amount of courage. Passengers are quickly ushered on to the cablecar and on this occasion the staff had little time to chat with us.

A s the car sets off, you will be rewarded for your bravery with some stunning views of Barcelona. Take in the bird's-eye views of the port and harbour as you glide along.

The cablecar provides an opportunity to see the whole city clearly, so it's a chance to view Barcelona's great monuments, such as the Sagrada Familia and the Torre Agbar, from above.

The entire journey lasts about seven minutes and the car moves continuously throughout the trip.

Midway through the journey, the cablecar travels through a central tower – the Torre de Jaume I – where you can take a swift sigh of relief before continuing on your journey.

The car travels directly over the large World Trade Centre.

To your left, you can view Barcelona's working port and a great expanse of sea. To your right, there's all of the city. As you near the end of the trip you can take in the views of Montjuic mountain.

It might be a bank holiday, but there's still plenty to do.

Factfile

James Cowling flew to Barcelona from Bristol International Airport with easyjet (www.easyjet.com). Flights starts from about £30 one way and should be booked far in advance for the cheapest option.

To book parking at Bristol International Airport and a hotel stay at either end of your holiday, call APH on 0870 733 0809. Prices start from about £59, depending on departure date and availability, or visit www.bristolairport.co.uk

For more details about travelling on the Montjuic cablecar, visit www.bcn.es/turisme/castella/turisme/mobilitat/ser_tra_hom09.htm

For information and bookings for the Nou Camp stadium tour, visit www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/tour/barcelona-tour.html/stadiumtour