Summer is serious party time, but year-round the city sizzles - it's always on the biting edge of architecture, food, fashion, style, music and good times.

The buildings, especially the work of the eccentric genius Gaud?, will blow you away. The art, with significant collections by Picasso and Mir?, will make you clammy all over. The people, with their exuberance, their creative spirit, their persistent egalitarianism, will fascinate you.

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is a cosmopolitan Mediterranean city that incorporates in its urban street pattern Roman remains, medieval districts and the most beautiful examples of Modernism and 20th century avant-garde art.

To take a stroll through the streets of Barcelona is to be surprised at every step. Pedestrian streets in the old districts, green spaces, and a splendid waterfront filled with modern structures all reflect the city's aim of integration. Barcelona has managed to exalt its past without forgetting its commitment to the future.

In a privileged position on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and the shores of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia, 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up Spain.

There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan, generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castilian Spanish.

Population: 1,593,000
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 ()
Daylight Saving Start: last Sunday in March
Daylight Saving End: last Sunday in October
Electricity: 220V 50 Hz

Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, dry winters and warm, humid summers. January and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of 10 °C (50 °F). Snowfalls are so rare that they are remembered as special events. July and August are the hottest months, averaging temperatures of 25 °C (77 °F). The highest recorded maximum temperature in the city itself is 38.6 °C. At the Fabra Observatory, situated on the Tibidabo hill, the record summer temperature is 39.8 °C (103.6 °F). However, it should be noted that the observatory is situated in the hills above the city near Collserola Park - an area where the impact of the "heat island" effect is likely to be diminished.

The foundation of Barcelona is the subject of two different legends. The first attributes the founding of the city to Hercules 400 years before the building of Rome, and that it was rebuilt by the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his family, in the 3rd century BC. The second legend attributes the foundation directly to Hamilcar Barca.

About 15 BC, the Romans redrew the town as a castrum (Roman military camp) centered on the "Mons Taber", a little hill near the contemporary city hall (Plaça de Sant Jaume). Under the Romans it was a colony, with the surname of Faventia, or, in full, Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino or Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino. Mela mentions it among the small towns of the district, probably as it was eclipsed by its neighbor Tarraco (modern Tarragona); but it may be gathered from later writers that it gradually grew in wealth and consequence, favored as it was with a beautiful situation and an excellent harbor. It enjoyed immunity from imperial burdens. The city minted its own coins; some from the era of Galba survive.

Some important Roman ruins are exposed under the Plaça del Rei, entrance by the city museum (Museu d'Hist?ria de la Ciutat), and the typically Roman grid-planning is still visible today in the layout of the historical centre, the Barri G?tic ("Gothic Quarter"). Some remaining fragments of the Roman walls have been incorporated into the cathedral. The cathedral, also known as basilica La Seu is said to have been founded in 343. The city was conquered by the Visigoths in the early fifth century, by the Moors in the early eighth century, reconquered from the emir in 801 by Charlemagne's son Louis who made Barcelona the seat of Carolingian "Spanish Marches" (Marca Hispanica), a buffer zone ruled by the Count of Barcelona. Barcelona was still a Christian frontier territory when it was sacked by Al-Mansur in 985.

The Counts of Barcelona became increasingly independent and expanded their territory to include all of Catalonia, later the Crown of Aragon which conquered many overseas possessions, ruling the western Mediterranean Sea with outlying territories in Naples and Sicily and as far as Athens in the thirteenth century. The forging of a dynastic link between the Crowns of Aragon and Castile marked the beginning of Barcelona's decline.

La Rambla, Gothic Quarter, Gaudi and modernism, Collserola Tower and the viewpoint, The Mountains of Tibidabo and Montjuïc. These are must see places, each with many attractions to see and walk itineraries. Here we could only mention some of them..Read More

Les Rambles in Catalan
A stroll along La Rambla, one of the world’s most famous walkways, is an absolute must for first time visitors to Barcelona. A network of five streets connecting Placa Catalunya and the Christopher Columbus monument.

Montjuïc
Miró Magnífic
A wonderfully captivating gallery showcasing the delights of Miró.

Gràcia
Hip Suburb A fully fledged suburb since the end of the 19th century, home to a combination of artists and students, bars and cafés of Gràcia. Plaça del Sol a pleasant place to sit during the day.

Montjuïc
Crazy Fountain
The biggest of Montjuïc's famous fountains splashes into life with an irresistible extravaganza of music and light. Festes de la Mercè in September there's a particularly amazing display that includes fireworks. All this and it's free!

L'Eixample
Spanish Wave

Port Vell
Fish Fiesta

L'Eixample
Holy Gaudí

El Raval
Vanguard Art

El Raval
Groovy Gaudí

Tibidabo
Funfair For All

Of Roman origin, Barcelona's long history and economic dynamism have provided it with an impressive cultural heritage, shown in the conservation of its rich historic and artistic heritage and in the encouragement of the newest artistic trends. Its long cultural agenda will lead you through museums, exhibitions, outdoor sculptures... and an extensive calendar of music, theatre, and dance. Popular culture also has a presence in this city, which does not forget deeply-rooted traditions, such as the Mercè Festival, or the holiday celebrations in the districts of Gràcia, Sants, or Poblenou, all excellent opportunities to get to know the more festive side of Barcelona.

The city has over 50 museums, showcasing permanent collections of works by artists such as Picasso, Joan Mirَ and Antoni Tàpies. At the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) you can see one of the world’s most important collections of Romanesque art. It also has famous collections of contemporary art housed in museums such as the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) and CaixaForum. Most museums stage temporary exhibitions.

The city is also a showcase for the best of the country’s theatrical talent. One of the most important cultural events is the “Grec” Summer Festival: a date with theatre, music and dance.

Barcelona is also renowned for its wide variety of musical events, which includes all the genres, and has three major venues: the Gran Teatre del Liceu, devoted to opera, the Palau de la Mْsica, a modernista marvel, and L’Auditori, the concert hall designed by Rafael Moneo.

And that’s not all... You will also find areas where you can play sports in the open air and a whole host of leisure attractions.

August 15th
Feast of the Assumption
There are popular festivals held in the district of Gràcia. The whole neighborhood hits the streets.

There are three main shopping areas in the city: Centro, Eixample and Diagonal. Municipal markets, art galleries and antique shops can be found in Barcelona alongside crafts shops, fashion shops and open air markets. To stroll around the streets of Barcelona from shop to shop is to discover a world full of possibilities to satisfy all kinds of taste and all pockets.

Barcelona itself is like a large shop whose main axis of shops, known as the Shopping Line, consists of five-kilometre pedestrian precinct with wide pavements which can satisfy the most demanding requirements. Craftsmen's workshops, exclusive shops, franchises, shopping centres and street markets all go to make up the shopping offer of Barcelona.

Barcelona's cuisine, cosmopolitan and filled with Mediterranean flavors, is a showcase for the greatest of Catalonian recipes. Examples of local dishes are "butifarra amb mongetes" (sausage with white beans), "escudella i carn d’olla" (Catalan stew) and the emblematic "pa amb tomàquet" (bread rubbed with tomato). Of course, one must not forget "crema catalana" (Catalan crème brûlée) for dessert, or the wines from Alella, Pla de Bages and Penedès.

Don’t miss:
Restaurants
Ca L´isidre (Barcelona)
Drolma (H. Majestic) (Barcelona)
Neichel (Barcelona)
Via Veneto (Barcelona)
Gaig (Barcelona)
Abac (Barcelona)