Barcelona is the capital city of the autonomous region of Catalunya, with a population of 1.6 million people, and is situated on the Mediterranean Sea about 120 km south of the French border. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with a variety of sites to see and enjoy.
Much of Barcelona can be enjoyed by strolling through its various neighborhoods, including a walk down the famous Rambla and through the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter to see the iconic Barcelona Cathedral. The Born district, Parc Ciutadella (city park), and of course the beaches are also nice places to take stroll and enjoy the atmosphere.
Barcelona is also well-known for the impressive architectural works of Antoni Gaudi, the most famous of which are the Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell. To visit these sites, as well as Gaudi’s other famous works, it is highly recommended to buy a timed ticket ahead of time.
Here you can find a video highlighting some of the most famous tourist destinations in Barcelona:
More information can be found at: barcelonaturisme.com
Barcelona is easily navigated via its metro, bus, and tram systems ( www.tmb.cat ). A single ride costs €2.40, and a 10-trip ticket (called T-casual) costs €11.35. Note that these tickets are only valid for 1 zone within the city limits.
There is also a ticket called the Hola Barcelona travel card, which provides unlimited trips within a 48, 72, 96, or 120 hour window, with cost ranging from €16.40 up to €38.20: holabarcelona.com
There are also several nice day trips to see sites outside of Barcelona:
| Montserrat: | Montserrat is a mountain range that is the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat. It can be reached by the Catalan train system known as FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) from Plaça Espanya, and takes a little over 1 hour to reach the bottom. From there you can hike to the abbey, take a funicular, or ride an old-school cable car up the mountain. |
| Tarragona: | Tarragona is down the coast from Barcelona, and is the home of many scenic Roman ruins, as well as pristine beaches that are much less crowded than those in Barcelona. A train ride from the Passeig de Gracia or Sants stations will take a little over 1 hour to reach Tarragona. |
| Girona: | Girona is in the opposite direction, about one hour northeast of Barcelona by train. Its old town is punctuated by medieval architecture and its scenic cathedral, which was also the site of some scenes in season 6 of Game of Thrones. |
