Welcome to Barcelona
Welcome to Barcelona - The City of Gaudì and La Rambla
Barcelona is a one of the largest cities in Spain and also the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The city has the Roman origin, and then became the capital of the County of Barcelona. Barcelona, merged with the Kingdom of Aragon, continued to be an important city in the Crown of Aragon. It had a dynamic and complex history and for this has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. The city's architecture reflects all the salient point of its history, bringing with them the weight of 2000 years of history and developing important cultural and artistic movements. Among this the most important are the Catalan modernisme architecture movement and Gaudi's distinctive creations, the majority of which are declared as World Heritage Sites. Another characteristic place is La Rambla, the most famous street in Europe, in which there are many cafes, restaurants and shops. This is usually crowded with tourists for the special performances of street artists.
Information and fact
Night-life
You can start your night in Barri Gòtic or Las Ramblas, key spots in which there are a great selection of bars and clubs to choose from. Here you can find the most popular and trendiest nightclubs and bars.
Shopping
Barcelona is a perfect city for shoppers and the perfect route to satisfy their desire at Las Ramblas, through Placa de Catalunya along Passeig de Gràcia and up Avenue Diagonal: about three miles (5km) shopping line tracks. Most of it is pedestrianised and pleasant to navigate on foot. There is a service specifically for shoppers: The Tomb bus, that reach all the major retail centres, it departs every seven minutes from Catalonia Square and makes 28 stops up until Placa Pius XII.
Sigthseeing
The major attractions that Barcelona offers are two masterpices designed by the master architect Antonio Gaudì: Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera. Another important art site is Picasso Museum, which includes Picasso's paintings in chronological order from his early days to his final works, and the Mirò Museum. Finally another attraction in the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, performances are nightly but times vary depending on the time of year.
Time
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour
Climate
Barcelona is characterized by a wonderful climate with hot summers and cool winters. June and September are the ideal months to visit the city. January is the coldest month, with top temperatures average 55°F (13°C), while August is the hottest, with an average of 82°F (29°C).
Public transport
Barcelona has an excellent transport network, which includes the metro, buses, trains, funiculars and cablecars; tickets for all are transferable across the system. The best way to move quickly across the city is The Metro, except during the rush hour when it becomes very crowded. During summer the hop-on hop-off Bus Turistic links all main sights and tourist destinations.
