BARCELONA
Area: Cities
Country: Spain


Location:
On the Mediterranean coast of NE Spain, S of the Costa Brava, 80 miles from the border with France. 400 miles NE of the capital, Madrid. 8 miles NE of El Prat airport.

Telephone code from UK:
34

Website:
http://www.bcn.es/english/ihome.htm

Position:
The city occupies flat coastal plain bounded by two mountains, Montjuic to the S and Tibidabo inland to the W.

Description:
The most "European" and cosmopolitan of Spanish cities, Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympics, which it carried off with flair and efficiency. The city is capital of the NE "autonomous region" _ natives refer to it as the "country" _ of Catalonia. Its population of 2 million is a mixture of home-grown Catalans and "migrants" from the rest of Spain. Barcelona, like the rest of Catalonia, is officially bilingual and a majority of its natives are fiercely proud of their Catalan language. However, visitors speaking Spanish will have no communication problems. The legacy of hosting the Olympics is a modern communications network of road, rail and air, and state-of-the-art telecommunications. The transformation of the seafront area, where crumbling factories were replaced by the modern Olympic Village district, has returned to the city a series of clean, sandy beaches previously lost to the industrial revolution. This district contrasts with the central Ciutat Vella (Gothic Quarter), with its palaces, churches and guild buildings. The Eixample area is dotted with early 20th-century modernist delights (the Catalan version of Art Nouveau), including several fine examples of Gaudi's architectural skills. Finally, all visitors to the city will probably end up on the Las Ramblas (consisting of five linked boulevards), with an obligatory stroll to the harbour _ keeping a close eye on wallets, bags and cameras.

Suitability:
Virtually any kind of traveller will enjoy Barcelona, especially business people with an excuse to come. The city is making a special effort to attract congresses, conferences and the like.

Accommodation:
Following years of accommodation problems, in particular during major exhibitions, several hotels were built for the Olympics. Now there may be too many top-class rooms and still not enough cheaper hotels.

Shopping:
To suit all tastes, though top shops will be found on Passeig de Gracia and, increasingly, in the Diagonal business area, which can be trendy and relatively expensive.

Entertainments:
Daytime: sightseeing; but just being on the street is entertainment, except when FC Barcelona are playing at home, a good time to avoid Las Ramblas (and especially Pla?a Reial). Nightlife: very little lacking, as suits a cosmopolitan city, with cinemas (several original language), cabaret, clubs and bars (the trendy ones changing regularly).

Eating:
The city is full of restaurants of varying quality. There is a definite lack of mid-price restaurants, a good selection of upmarket ones and a wealth of relatively cheap ones of doubtful quality _ including bars on nearly every corner. Go for fish dishes, generally much better than meat. Most important, make it clear early on if you want a pause between courses, or you will find your meal dealt with within 30 minutes, with the option to stay on drinking coffee or whatever for a further hour.

Public-transport:
Plentiful, though road transport suffers from traffic jams. The Metro is modern and mostly air-conditioned, but be warned that travellers have to do a fair amount of walking between lines. Taxis are reasonably priced if you are in the centre, and a good option to get around comfortably. Train and bus services operate from the airport and, if you're not in a hurry, are a much cheaper option than taxis.

Local-excursions:
Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, the Pyrenees and Andorra; Montserrat basilica and shrine.