Barcelona
Guide to Barcelona, a city located in Catalonia, Spain.
Cities of Spain - Barcelona
Barcelona: Modernist Architecture in a Modern City - One of Europe’s greatest cities, Barcelona is also one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean Sea, it has a population of over 1,600,000 and is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid. Walking through Barcelona is like taking a stroll through history, with constant reminders of its 2,000 years of existence.
Founded as the Roman colony of Barcino in 15 BC on the site of a former Carthaginian settlement, it later became a Visigothic capital, during the Arab occupation of Spain it came under the control of the Moors, who called it Barjelunah, snatched from the Moors by the Franks, Barcelona became part of Charlemagne’s empire, and later part of the independent district of Catalonia under Wilfred the Hairy.
Barcelona is one of Europe’s most dynamic cities and for the visitor there is so much to see and do, that a two week holiday would be hardly enough.
Barcelona is composed of three distinct areas, the Old Town with its many historic buildings, the Eixample, with the world’s greatest collection of Art Nouveu (Modernisme) buildings and the Montjuic, a hill district rising some 700 feet above the port, an area of parks, museums and nightclubs.
Among Barcelona’s famous landmarks are the cathedral, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter of the Old Town, the La Rambla walkway, a long tree-lined avaenue which runs along a dry river bed cutting through the centre of the city, the amazing Sagrada Familia, a still unfinished cathedral that became the life’s work of architect Antoni Gaudi, and the church of Santa Maria del Mar, a seafront cathedral built during the 14th century.
Barcelona has a number of fine beaches, some 7 in all, and these cover a 4.5 kilometre stretch of coastline San Sebastia and Barceloneta, two of the best known.
Much of the city was rejuvenated when it held the 1992 Olympic Games, many run down industrial areas being flattened to make way for stadiums and facilities.
Barcelona can be reached by road via the C-32, the A-2 or the E-9, by air via its own International Airport, by sea at the port, with ferry links to the Balearic Islands and Genova, it has rail links with the capital Madrid and also has its own Metro underground system.
Barcelona Links: Barcelona Map - Barcelona Weather
Barcelona Hotels: Fira Palace Hotel
Costa Brava Hotels: Casamar Llafranc - Eloy Tossa de Mar - Golden Bahia Tossa de Mar - Lloret de Mar Oasis
Costa Brava Golf: Club de Golf Costa Brava - Spain Golf Courses
Costa Brava Places: Begur - Besalu - Blanes - Cadaques - Calella - Canet de Mar - Empuriabrava - Estartit - Figueres - L'Escala - Llafranc - Lloret de Mar - Malgrat de Mar - Olot - Palafrugell - Palamos - Pineda de Mar - Playa de Aro - Roses - Sant Antoni de Calonge - Santa Cristina D'Aro - Sant Feliu de Guixols - Tossa de Mar
Costa Brava Cities: Girona
Related: Catalonia - Catalonia Map - Catalonia Weather - Builders
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