Mediterranean Destinations
Barcelona, Spain

Find Barcelona

Latest News

Photo by: Wolfgang Staudt- Flickr More Photos Flickr

Barcelona is a magical city of fanciful buildings, neverending nightlife and home to tasty tapas.

It offers a variety things to see and do including:

• La Rambla is the most famous boulevard in Barcelona.
• The Gothic Quarter , with the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia and the Gothic Church of Santa Maria del Pi. Also worth the visit is the Gothic Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, near the Picasso Museum.
• La Plaça Reial is located next to La Rambla and is considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in the world. Also look at the Guadi streetlights!
• Zoo-Barcelona: It is located in Parc de la Ciudadella. This zoo once was famous for its white gorilla "Snowflake". Unfortunately he died. But still this zoo has many other features including a science museum inside the zoo.
• Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in the Palau Nacional has the single best collection of Romanesque art in the world, and a fine Gothic collection as well. Includes the Pantocrator from the Taüll Romanesque church.

Barcelona also sports a number of festivals which include:

• Festes de la Mercè Around the 24th of September, the main celebrations in the city. Live music during all the day and night, theatre, life in the streets, castellers, and most of it for free!
• Festes de Gràcia Around the 15th of August, the celebrations from the Gràcia quarter. Many streets are decorated by the neighbours, live music, food in the street, party all night long. They have a website (http://www.festamajordegracia.org/)
• Festes de Sants Similar to Gracia's ones, but smaller and a bit later in August. If you can't go to the Gracia's, try these! They have a website (http://www.festamajordesants.org)
• Sant Jordi 23rd of April. Is like Saint Valentine's in many places. People give roses and books around the streets. Is one of the most popular and interesting celebrations in Catalonia.

Near Bacelona:

Photo - Wikipedia More Photos Flickr

Santa Maria de Montserrat

Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey located in the Montserrat mountain, in Monistrol de Montserrat, in Catalonia.

It hosts the Virgin of Montserrat, and the Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, a publishing house, the oldest press in the world, still running, with the first book published in 1499.

The monastery is Catalonia's most important religious retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona and all over Catalonia make overnight hikes at least once in their lives to watch the sunrise from the heights of Montserrat. "La Moreneta" (the black virgin), is Catalonia's favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Deu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. Montserrat, whose name means serrated mountain, is 48 kilometers (approx 30 miles) west of Barcelona, and can be reached by road, train/cable car.

Photo: Robert Paul Young - Flickr More Photos Flickr

Girona

Girona is a city located in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the rivers Ter and Onyar. Highly fortified under Roman rule, the city is famous for its ancient quarter where many ancient buildings remain intact.