The capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, it is one of Europe’s most exciting and popular. Its rich cultural heritage along with beaches, museums, galleries and restaurants in abundance, means that you will be entertained every second of the day. This city, of Roman origin has perfect geographical location (allowing you to visit the beautiful coastline and surrounding villages) and its Mediterranean climate makes the ideal place to visit at any time of the year. The city is clearly divided into parts, including two popular areas, the Barri Gothic (the old quarter) and the Olympic port, a more modern buzzing part of the city. Naturally, there is plenty to discover all over the city, wherever you end up. Gaudi’s architectural influence in the city is not to be missed, such as the Sagrada Familia, and a main reason for attracting so many visitors annually. Other sights include Las Ramblas, a famous, lively boulevard in the centre of Barcelona, Montjüic, the Jewish hill, considered to be one of the most famous landmarks in the city, and an abundance of museums.
Barcelona is an extremely cosmopolitan and diverse city with a population of approximately 1,5 million people. This Spanish centre of fashion, food, architecture, music and style, sits on the Mediterranean coast and is the heart of the autonomous region of Cataluña (one of the richest and most modern areas of Spain).
Barcelona believes in combining the old and the new with marvellous and unusual results. You can find many examples of this curious mixture of medieval and modern in places such as : El Barrio Gótico, Las Ramblas, La Plaza de Catalunya, the Olympic port, Picasso Museum, and the Miró Foundation. And if that is not enough to take your breath away, the various architectural works of Antonio Gaudí, such as El Parque Güell, La Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera., surely will.
Visitors of this unforgettable city can also enjoy Barcelona's stunning white beaches, one of the many reasons Barcelona remains among the most popular cities in Spain.
Barcelona is more than just a single city. It is a collection of multi-faceted and diverse cities. It may be surprising to a visitor that in the centre of a modern and enterprising city remain the maze-like, narrow streets of the Gothic centre, still almost intact. This intimate, village-like district feels a world away from the grid-like Eixample, the urban planning "Enlargement" project from the end of the 19th century.
