Barcelona

Since hosting the Olympic Games in 1992, Barcelona has boomed. The city's urban development has gone hand in hand with a clean-up of the more colourful parts of the old town and Barcelona is now a lively, cosmopolitan city with a population of just under 2 million.

Set between the mountains and the sea, Barcelona has a warm Mediterranean climate, although during the unbearably hot summer months, the locals tend to abandon the city to the tourists. Famous for its exuberant architecture and culture, it is also getting a name for itself as being home to one of Spain's largest gay communities and the nightlife, especially in the Eixample and Ciutat Vella districts, is legendary.

Barcelona has an excellent public transport system, with five subway lines as well as a railway network that reaches out into the suburbs the hair-raising traffic makes using your own car in the centre a real challenge in fact the locals favour mopeds. Rental accommodation can be found at a range of prices, mirroring the multi-facetted make-up of the city itself. Being the capital of Catalonia means that two languages are spoken: Catalan and Spanish.

Ciutat Vella Barrio Gotico area
Ciutat Vella Barrio Gotico area

The historic centre of Barcelona is divided in two by the famous Las Ramblas boulevard to the left,...

Ciutat Vella El Raval district
Ciutat Vella El Raval district

On the other side of Las Ramblas lies the historical and popular quarter of El Raval. Since the Oly...

Eixample neighborhood
Eixample neighborhood

Built in the latter half of the 19th century to accommodate the population overflow from the Cuitat...

Gràcia neighborhood
Gràcia neighborhood

The municipal district of Gràcia, hemmed in between Sarri-Sant Gervasi, Horta- Guinard and Eixample,...

Horta-Guinardó area
Horta-Guinardó area

Set in the upper north-eastern corner of Barcelona and bounded by the Collserola mountains, the muni...

Les Corts area
Les Corts area

Once a separate village surrounded by farmlands, Les Corts was incorporated into Barcelona city in 1...

Nou Barris district
Nou Barris district

Until the 1950s this part of Barcelona, Nou Barris, was predominantly rural and only sparsely inhabi...

Sant Andreu neighborhood
Sant Andreu neighborhood

The historic town of Sant Andreu de Palomar was annexed by Barcelona in 1897, apparently to the prot...

Sant Martí area
Sant Martí area

The eastern-most municipal district of Barcelona, bordered by Sant Andreu on one side and the Medite...

Sants-Montjuc neighbourhood
Sants-Montjuc neighbourhood

On the southern side of Barcelona, at the foot of Montjuc (Jewish mountain), lies the working-class...

Sarrià-Sant Gervasi districts
Sarrià-Sant Gervasi districts

The last town to be incorporated into the city of Barcelona, Sarrià-Sant Gervas has kept most of its...