Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya, one of the richest and most intensely self-governing regions in Spain. Catalan inhabitants speak their individual language and several do not consider themselves to be Spanish. The golden era of Catalunya was in the region of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, when Barcelona was the hub of the vast seafaring empire of Aragon. In addition to Barcelona, Catalunya is made up of the cities of Lleida, Girona and Tarragona, and the long Costa Brava, stretching from the French border to Valencia.

Barcelona has developed into a real tourist trap for the fantastic combination of activities on offer there. Its coastal venue attracts sun worshipers who take pleasure in the beach front resorts down the shoreline, as well as the vibrant nightlife of the city centre. The cultural and historical delights of the town allure the tourist, visiting for a long weekend, and the more active will love hiking in the close by mountains, where skiing can be found in winter.

As far as European cities go, Barcelona is a reasonably straightforward 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 metro system is a wonderful means to get around without delay, although you miss out on truly seeing the city, and regularly 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 say only 2 are worthwhile – the red and the blue course (North and South routes). The 3rd green route only takes you to the forum building. So if you concentrate on the red and blue routes, you can go to all of the city’s sights, and have the added advantage of being above-ground as you do it, so you actually observe the whole of Barcelona, too. Obviously throughout 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 stunning architecture of Gaudi, the awesome Camp Nou football stadium, the magic dancing fountains at Placa España, and many, many more attractions.

The most legendary icon of Barcelona and one sight that all holidaymakers want to visit is Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. Even individuals that have not visited the city will be accustomed with the dripping wax image 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 great deal has been added since Gaudi’s mortality, but there is speculation as to whether or not the building will ever be entirely completed, or in truth whether or not it really 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 preliminary design was intended to incorporate eighteen towers, one for each of the twelve apostles, four for the Evangelists, and one each for Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Other piece of Gaudi’s masterpiece can be viewed all over the city. You will want to pull the Park Guell, La Pedrera and the Mila house into your tour if you possibly can.

If you´re still stuck for idea the Poble Espanyol has become the 4th most widespread tourist destination 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 typical sites from all in the region of Spain.

Culture lovers will be enthralled by the Fran Daurel foundation, boasting artwork from Picasso, Dali, Miró, Tapies and countless others, in addition there is a fantastic Sculpture Garden offering photo opportunities in abundance 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, simple and fun and what easier means to really get to be acquainted with a city. I definitely adore walking around side streets and alleyways in regions such as Barri Gotic in Barcelona. You come across a number of cafes, antique and rare shops.

2. Relaxing on the beach in Barcelona is not surprisingly very inexpensive and on a lovely sunny day where else would you want to be. If you do not care spending a tiny bit of change then there are heaps of restaurants and eateries beside the boardwalk and if you take pleasure in sea-food, you can eat anything from mussels to cod.

3. Museums in Barcelona has a substantial amount of museums and scores of of these are distinctly worth going to in Barcelona. Though several of them regularly charge for entrance, they are fairly priced and you can easily squander away a few days of your holiday or break by going to a a small number of of the many Barcelona museums.

4.Spending time around Las Ramblas and enjoying the street entertainers, shops, general atmosphere and the inviting climate is a great means to unwind. Get yourself a chair and a drink just off of Las Ramblas (to avoid tourist charges on the main street) and benefit from all that Barcelona has to offer.

5.Hang about in your hotel room. If you are paying an adequate amount of already for your hotel room or vacation apartment in that case you might want 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 feel a part of Barcelona living.

You can get detailed information concerning the sights of Barcelona before you go from your travel agent, the net, or the tourist information office in Barcelona’s central square as soon as you get there. Make sure you pick up a map showing all the main sights as well as the most important stores, restaurants and hotels. Also deliberate going on a bus excursion of the city. It is a great way to get your bearings in a very occupied and crowded city, and give you an impression of the distance between places of interest. Speak to your guide, they may possibly be able to give you local information about great eating places and temporary exhibitions that will not be apparent on your map. You will by no means get bored in Barcelona; your only fear will be how to fit in everything you want to witness.