Barcelona is the first city of Catalunya, one of the richest and most intensely sovereign areas in Spain. Catalan inhabitants speak their own language and many do not think themselves to be Spanish. The golden age of Catalunya was in the region of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, when Barcelona was the center of the great seafaring empire of Aragon. In addition to Barcelona, Catalunya is made up of the cities of Lleida, Girona and Tarragona, and the lengthy Costa Brava, stretching from the French border to Valencia.

Barcelona has developed into a valid tourist trap for the fantastic mixture of activities on offer there. Its coastal site attracts sun worshipers who like the beach front resorts next to the shoreline, as well as the energetic nightlife of the city centre. The cultural and historical delights of the town interest the tourist, visiting for a long weekend, and the more enthusiastic will like mountaineering in the nearby mountains, where skiing can be found in winter.

As far as European cities go, Barcelona is a relatively uncomplicated city to navigate. Its natural mountains and seafront means that it has a gradual incline, and also is very compact. This does however mean that some of the city’s sights are missed, as it’s sometimes tiring walking uphill for half of the day, and downhill for the other half. The city’s underground system is a fantastic way to get around fast, but you miss out on truly seeing the city, and frequently are confused when you get back up to street level (everyone does the same in rotating the map around a few times to double-check where you are!).

The Barcelona Tourist Bus has 3 routes, but I would express only 2 are worthwhile – the red and the blue route (North and South routes). The third green route only takes you to the forum building. So if you concentrate on the red and blue routes, you can go to see all of the city’s sights, and have the added bonus of being above-ground as you do it, so you actually catch sight of the whole of Barcelona, too. Observably during the spring and summer months it’s fantastic to be on the top with no roof and a nice breeze running through your hair while you take in the beautiful buildings of Gaudi, the wonderful Camp Nou football stadium, the magic dancing fountains at Placa España, and many, many more attractions.

The most renowned character of Barcelona and one sight that all holidaymakers want to visit is Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. Even those that have not visited the city will be familiar with the dripping wax impression of the central façade. The infamous architect started work on this church in 1882, however the task took a long time as the building work relied on donations, and it had not been completed in 1926 when Gaudi was hit by a train and died. Work has since recommenced on the church and a lot has been added since Gaudi’s death, but there is speculation as to whether or not the building will ever be entirely finished, or in reality whether or not it actually should be.

You may pay to go up inside one of the towers, of which there are now eight, each one over one hundred meters high. The primary drawing was meant to incorporate eighteen towers, one for each of the twelve apostles, four for the Evangelists, and one each for Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Further piece of Gaudi’s masterpiece can be experienced throughout the town. You will want to pull the Park Guell, La Pedrera and the Mila residence into your tour if you possibly can.

If you´re still stuck for idea the Poble Espanyol has become the 4th most prevalent tourist attraction in the city. The model was copied from Modernist architect Puig i Cadafalch, and the creators visited 1600 villages in and around Spain and its islands to re-create 117 scale models of buildings and traditional sites from all about Spain.

Culture lovers will be charmed by the Fran Daurel foundation, boasting artwork from Picasso, Dali, Miró, Tapies and several others, in addition there is a fantastic Sculpture Garden offering photo possibilities in great quantities of sprawling Barcelona below. The village also has some great bars and bistros, as well as some great nightclubs in Barcelona on an evening.

Heres 5 inexpensive things to do in Barcelona

1. Walking in Barcelona – is free, effortless and entertaining and what better means to really get to grasp a city. I utterly love walking around side streets and alleyways in regions such as Barri Gotic in Barcelona. You encounter a number of cafes, antique and unusual shops.

2. Relaxing on the beach in Barcelona is not surprisingly very inexpensive and on a fine sunny day where else would you want to stay. If you do not care spending a lttle bit of money then there are tons of restaurants and eateries next to the boardwalk and if you like sea-food, you can munch anything from mussels to cod.

3. Museums in Barcelona has a great number of museums and a lot of of these are very worth visiting in Barcelona. Though several of them habitually charge for access, they are fairly priced and you can effortlessly waste away a few days of your holiday or trip by visiting a few of the numerous Barcelona museums.

4.Spending time around Las Ramblas and enjoying the street entertainers, shops, general atmosphere and the warm climate is a great means to loosen up. Get yourself a chair and a tipple slightly off of Las Ramblas (to avoid tourist charges on the main street) and enjoy all that Barcelona has to offer.

5.Remain in your hotel room. If you are paying a sufficient amount already for your hotel room or vacation apartment then you may aim to get your money’s worth so why not spend a lot of time in the hotel room. If you have a balcony which comes with the room then lounging out on the balcony with a bottle of Spanish wine from the supermarket and people watching can be a wonderful way to really experience a part of Barcelona living.

You can get comprehensive information concerning the sights of Barcelona before you go from your travel agent, the internet, or the tourist information office in Barcelona’s central square after you get there. Ensure that you pick up a map showing all the main sights as well as the main stores, restaurants and hotels. Also deliberate going on a bus tour of the city. It is a great way to get your bearings in a very busy and crowded city, and give you an sense of the distance between places of interest. Speak to your guide, they could be able to give you local information about great eating places and temporary exhibitions that will not be marked on your map. You will never get bored in Barcelona; your only worry will be how to fit in all you want to catch sight of.

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