Towns & Cities of Barcelona

Barcelona's old city is, without doubt, one of the nicest and most romantic of Europe. Its small streets, shops, the air you breathe, everything invites you to wander around, getting to know every place of this charming area. Even if we propose you a route, our best tip is to walk haphazardly around, without rushing, guided by what you see.

Costa Brava

The rugged Costa Brava stretches from Blanes (about 60km northeast of Barcelona) up to the French border. Although parts of the coast are truly awful holiday resorts that are jam-packed with the cheap charter-airfare crowd in search of sand, sun and drinks (Lloret de Mar is a prime example of what to avoid), there are some equally spectacular locations. If you're driving, it is quite possible to choose a spot anywhere along the coast for a day trip. Those relying on public transport will find it a stretch and should plan on staying over at least one night. In the peak months of July and August, finding some lodgings can be difficult.

Montserrat

Montserrat, only 40 kilometres (30 miles) inland from Barcelona, is a very powerful symbol for the Catalan people, and you would be hard pressed to find a Catalan who hadn’t, at some point in time, visited Montserrat.

Girona

The province of Girona in the northeast of Spain, border, France and the provinces of Barcelona and Lleida. It covers an area of 5,886km2 and has a population of about half a million inhabitants.

Figueres

Another 40km north from Girona along the A-7 autopista, or by train, is Figueres (Figueras), a bit of a dive with a one-man show - Salvador Dali. In the 1960s and '70s he created the extraordinary Teatre-Museu Dali here, the town of his birth.

Sitges

Sitges attracts everyone from jet-setters to young travellers, honeymooners to weekending families, Barcelona night owls to an international gay crowd - anyone after a good time. The beach is long and sandy, the nightlife thumps until breakfast and there are lots of groovy boutiques if you need to spruce up your wardrobe. In winter, Sitges can be quite dead but it wakes up with a vengeance for carnaval, when the gay crowd puts on an outrageous show. Sitges has been fashionable in one way or another since the 1890s, when it became an avant-garde, art-world hang-out. It has been one of Spain's most anticonventional, anything-goes resorts since the 1960s.

Tarragona

Tarragona, located on the Mediterranean coast in the northeast of Spain, is the most southern of the Catalan provinces.

Conca de Barbera

This hilly, green back-country district comes as a refreshing surprise in the otherwise drab flatlands of southwestern Catalunya. Vineyards and woods succeed one another across rolling green hills, studded with occasional medieval villages and monasteries. The main attraction of the area, however, is the Monestir de Poblet. If you have time, you should explore the surrounding area, particularly the walled town of Montblanc, 8km southeast of the monastery.