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Introducing Catalonia
From metropolitan Barcelona spreads a land of such diversity that, although its furthest-flung corner is no more than 200km away, you could spend weeks dissecting it and still feel you’d barely begun. The Costa Brava, blighted by dreary pockets of mass tourism, still boasts much of the wild beauty that first drew visitors here. Just inland are the medieval city of Girona and Figueres, home of the ‘theatre-museum’ of that city’s zany son, Salvador Dalí.
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Running across the north, the Pyrenees rise to mighty 3000m peaks from a series of green and often remote valleys, dotted with villages that retain a palpable rural and even medieval air. These mountains provide some excellent walking and skiing. Enchanting Romanesque churches are scattered across the valleys of the north.
Excitement runs thinner in the far west and south, but there’s enough to keep you exploring for days, from the wetlands of the Ebro delta to the historic cities of Tarragona and Lleida. Strike out and you’ll discover grand medieval monasteries, lush vineyards and hilltop villages.
Throughout Catalonia (Catalunya in Catalan, Cataluña in Castilian Spanish) the sense of difference from the rest of Spain is intense, not only in the use of Catalan (although everyone speaks Castilian too) but in the festivals, cuisine and reminders of the region’s unique history.
Last updated: Mar 2, 2009
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Catalonia
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Catalonia Overview
- Places in Catalonia
- Tips & articles
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Our Top Picks For Catalonia
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1 Palafrugell and Begur
Chill out on the Costa Brava coves and beaches near Palafrugell or Begur
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2 Cadaqués and Port Lligat
Discover the magical village of Cadaqués and nearby Port Lligat, haunted by the memory of Salvador Dalí
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3 Teatre-Museu Dalí
Contemplate the absurd with a visit to the Teatre-Museu Dalí in Figueres
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4 Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Conquer the trails of the Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
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5 Vall de Núria
Take the cremallera (rack-and-pinion railway) up to Vall de Núria
Related Groups
Our favourite Catalonia Blogs (beta)
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The Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres
Blog: Atlas Parasite - 27 July 2009
There are quite a few places around Europe and the US where you can see scattered work by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí. Dalí has a lot of casual fans out there who may be satisfied with seeing a few pieces here and there by chance at various museums. But few people have heard of the Dalí Theater-Museum [...]Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
