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Barcelona Barcelona is a cosmopolitan, modern, artistic, & fashionable city with a rich cultural heritage. It is also a centre for industry in Spain, & a major Mediterranean port. As the capital of Catalonia (Spain's most prosperous region) it was once the centre of an empire, & its past dates back thousands of years. More recently it played host to the 1992 Olympic games, which led to enlargement, & improvements made to services & the appearance of many city zones. Barcelona Geography & facts The city is located on the northeastern coast of the Iberian peninsula (Spain), on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is in Barcelones, the most populated area within the province of Barcelona, & the capital of Catalonia (Cataluña in Castilian & Catalunya in Catalan), one of Spain's seventeen autonomous regions. It is north of the Costa Dorada, south of the Costa Brava, & 160km south of the Pyrenees mountain range that separates Spain from France. As the country's second largest city it has a resident population in excess of 1.5 million. Though (like many large cities) it has over the years swallowed up many of its surrounding towns, & as a result this figure rises to over 4.5 million if including its suburbs & closer satellite towns. There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona; Catalan, spoken in all of Catalonia, & Castilian Spanish which is the most commonly spoken dialect in Spain. Barcelona Sights & attractions It is difficult to know where to begin when summarising Barcelona's attractions. Suffice to say that there is something here for everyone. A good place to start is the incredibly long La Rambla; this tree lined promenade flanked with cafes & restaurants is packed with people from morning until past midnight. It cuts through the city from Plaça Catalunya (Catalonia Square) to the Port Vella harbour. Along the way & in the blocks leading from it you will find many museums, art galleries, urban palaces, & a red light district. In addition to the Gothic quarter, gardens, markets, & monuments. A horde of music & entertainment acts also vie for attention. No visit to Barcelona would be complete without seeing Gaudi's last work; the Sagrada Familia church (the most visited attraction here). Also worth mentioning are the old town, Museo Picasso (Picasso Museum), & the more modern Olypmic zone. Barcelona is also worth visiting for its vibrant & varied evening entertainment. A wealth of dining options, theatres, concerts, & live music venues pepper the city. In addition to the throng of bars & nightclubs that stay open into the early hours. Barcelona Shopping The chic & stylish nature of this city is reflected in its shops; & there are enough high end retail outlets to keep those interested for weeks. Alongside this are an abundance of high street offerings, markets, & department stores. Barcelona Seafront Barcelona boasts an excellent & varied seafront. However this was not always the case; the once shabby waterfront was only transformed during preparations for the 1992 Olympics. It now consists of many kilometres of clean sandy beaches, promenades, marinas, & leisure facilities. Great effort has been made to maintain the cleanliness of both sand & sea; so much so that visitors to Barcelona will find it difficult to imagine it was ever any different. Of particular interest to the tourist is Barcelona's lively Port Olympic, where (amongst other attractions) small boats (golondrinas) offer sightseeing tours of the city waterfront & surrounding coastline. Barcelona Getting around The best way to experience Barcelona's most central areas is by foot, & much of it is pedestrianised. Visitors are however likely to need the use of public transport at some stage, & when they do they will find that (as with many large cities) it is extensive. Barcelona boasts an underground network with lines run by two different groups. The first is the Metro; which runs 5 lines connecting many parts of the city. The second is the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya; operating 2 lines in the city & out to nearby towns. Confidence in the underground system is pretty high, with a high level of punctuality in its service, & air conditioned trains. The bus system is somewhat slower than the tube, but perhaps an easier way of getting your bearings, & of course admiring the sights as you travel. Barcelona is a hub for RENFE (the Spanish national rail company) & is well connected with many cities & towns across the country. An alternative to public transport is of course the taxi. Barcelona's official black & yellow taxi's operate a meter system & are generally affordable. There is a small surcharge for luggage, & tipping is customary. Barcelona History in brief Barcelona is thought most likely to have been founded by the Carthaginians at around 230BC, then led by Hamilcar Barca (father of Hannibal). The Romans redrew the the town as a military camp, naming it Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino. Some 400 or so years later it was conquered by the Visigoths, followed by the Moors in the early 8th century. During this period Barcelona remained a modest town, & it was not until the Frankish armies pushed the Arabs farther south in Spain & set up a buffer zone to this effect (which included Barcelona), that its status changed & autonomy followed. The collapse of the Moorish empire in the 11th century ensured that the city grew rich, with much of the resulting bounty making its way to Barcelona. This eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom of Aragon (modern Catalonia). With the Kingdom of Castile dominating much of central & southern Spain, Aragon set its sights towards the Mediterranean. By 1423AD its empire had included (for varying periods) the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Sicily, Malta, Athens, Corsica, Sardinia, & Naples, in addition to various north African ports. The eventual decline of the Kingdom of Aragon came for various reasons, certainly exhaustion of resources, plague, famines, & wars played their part. But the final nail in the coffin came when in 1410AD Marti I died heirless, & a marriage of his successor to the queen of Castile followed. From then Aragon-Catalonia effectively became part of Castile. It was not until the 19th century that Barcelona's population really began to rise significantly. This came as the city was permitted to trade with America; bringing much wealth from shipping & the beginning of the industrial revolution. Major expansion of the city ensued, with the bourgeoisie funding many works by modernist architects like Antoni Gaudi. Art also flourished. This changed the face of Barcelona for good; with its art & architectural heritage now what it is most famous for. Barcelona Climate The climate in Barcelona is in the main welcoming all year round. With average highs of 29°C (82°F) in the summer months, & 13°C (55°F) in the winter, it is possible to enjoy an outdoor life at any time of the year. However low temperatures are a good deal cooler here than in Spain's southern regions, & Barcelona experiences a lot more in the way of rainfall. Barcelona Tourist Office Tel +34 932 853 834 (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm & Sat 9am-2pm) Barcelona accommodation is plentiful and varied from expensive luxury Hoteles, to the more modestly priced cheap hotels Barcelona are called Hostales & pensiones. More Barcelona links: -
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Property & Tourist Information
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Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain - Barcelona Accommodation, Holiday, Property, and Tourist Information. Barcelona places to visit, tourism, flights, car hire, apartment sales, villa sales, and rental. |