Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is located near the Spain's border with France and is, also, a good jumping off place for a vacation in the Balearic Islands or Costa Brava. A city with sea and mountains, nature and culture, shopping and fun, it's a complete holiday's location.
However, we think you will find Barcelona so refreshing and attractive on its own that you may not want to leave it for other destinations. It is a place unlike any other in Spain or Europe.
If you are looking for fun, the whimsical, or a delightful change of pace, Barcelona is a good place to spend a few days. Be prepared to change your pace, as Barcelona is a city that comes alive only at night. Dinner is commonly taken at 10 PM or later and nightlife extends for hours after that.
The Barcelona area of Catalonia has served as a crossroads throughout history and the city has taken on the flavors of the invading cultures. Carthage, Rome, the Visigoths, the Moors and France (under Charlemagne) at one time claimed this area and each of these cultures left lasting impressions on the city. Under Spanish rule, Barcelona was not always been a good place to be, but since the end of the Franco dictatorship, the city has revitalized and taken a leading role in Spain's growth and modernization.
The city has a population of 1.5 million, although the surrounding built-up area is closer to 4.5 million in population. Barcelona, as other cities in Spain, has a crime problem and tourists should be careful in the southern section of La Rambla and the Barri Gotic, especially late a night.
The top places to visit in Barcelona are:
- Las Ramblas Street
- Gaudí's Sagrada Familia
- Gaudí's La Pedrera
- Gaudí's Park Güell
- Barri Gòtic (Old Town)
- Picasso Museum
- MNAC Museum
- Miró Museum
- '92 Olympic Games Zone (Montjuich)
- F. C. Barcelona Football Stadium
I'll give some information about each of those places in the next posts! ;)
Places To Visit in Barcelona
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Internet Marketing Plan
2 comments:
Barcelona is a fabulous city, filled with amazing Gaudi architecture, great restaurants, a pretty harbour and good shopping. I could spend days just wandering around in the old quarters with their narrow streets, browsing in shops and stopping off for a coffee or some tapas.
It is one of my favorite cities and I have been lucky enough to visit Barcelona twice now, first in Oct 2003 and then again in Jan 2007. Even after two visits I still have plenty more to see - stayed tuned for visit number three!
One of the deepest joys in life is to discover a great new city, and Barcelona is one for me. My first day there seemed as rich as a week's vacation, staying to dinner past midnight in a restaurant of Barcelona hotels where I stayed and walking through rainy streets crowded with young people, hearing Irish and British and French and German and American voices as well as Catalan and Spanish. This place has a New York-like energy, probably more so than Chicago or London, but the energy takes place within a labyrinth of centuries-old narrow Gothic streets, with more shops on them than I've ever seen anywhere. There's a perfumerie on every block, it seems, and the densiity of cafes, tapas bars, restaurants, and sweet shops -- all of them overlapping in function -- far exceeds that.
Post a Comment