Barcelona

Why visit Barcelona

Founded over 2000 years ago as Roman Barcino, Catalonia’s capital is one of Europe’s most desirable cities – a sunny, Mediterranean-hugging hub that breezily combines its rich cultural traditions with a forward-thinking, environmentally aware attitude. During Barcelona’s medieval Golden Age, great churches and mansions were built across the Ciutat Vella (Old City), shaping today’s Barri Gòtic, La Ribera and El Raval neighbourhoods, where creative tapas and vermouth bars and boundary-pushing galleries now sit between centuries-old walls. Then came the industrial boom, with areas like El Poblenou, Gràcia and Sants taking centre stage, and the creation of an entirely new district, L’Eixample, where Barcelona’s otherworldly Modernista buildings still command attention on almost every street. T oday’s Barcelona remains above all else a fabulous showcase of Catalan culture. All along the seafront, gold-tinged beaches and the shimmering Mediterranean beckon. As darkness falls, the whole city is reimagined, with plazas springing to life and the famous Barcelona night beginning. With tourism now a key part of the local economy, the city is pushing forward ambitious plans to balance the needs of local residents and the tourism industry, from the creation of leafy pedestrian boulevards to sensitive accommodation regulations.