Barcelona

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Barcelona Aerial View Placa Reial Can Serra La Rambla Park Guell Casa de les Punxes Vila Olimpica Beach

It is situated in a privileged position on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and the shores of the Mediterranean.

The city has a population of 1.510.000, but this number spirals too more than 4.000.000 if the outlying areas are also included. There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan, generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castilian Spanish.

The weather is mild, while the hottest month is July and the coldest is February. During the summer you can swim in the sea and enjoy the wonderful beach. In the winter you can ski in the great ski resorts that are only two hours away by car. Easter a wonderful time, if the weather is right you can do both.

Mealtimes in Barcelona are usually a little later than in the rest of Europe. Breakfast is between 9 am and 11am and is similar to other countries on the continent. Lunch is served in restaurants between 1 pm and 3 pm and dinner from 9 pm until midnight. The normal working day usually begins between 8 am and 9 am and people break for lunch at 2 pm. In the afternoon, businesses open from 4 pm to 8 pm.

Catalan cuisine is mainly based on products from the land, which adapt to the different seasons and the region's cultural and religious traditions. Olive oil, aromatic herbs, dried fruit, nuts and fresh produce are the basis of "market cuisine". The Boqueria, on La Rambla, is the city's flagship food market. Its colourful stalls, with their abundance of fruit, vegetables and fresh fish, are well worth stopping to admire.

There is nowhere better to make Barcelona's acquaintance than La Rambla, the bustling avenue, famous for its flower stalls, birds and small pets. The "human sculptures", one of many artists that perform here everyday, these actors stand perfectly still for a long time, and when someone throws them a coin, they move. Dressed in strange disguises, you can come across: a marble sculpture, a Roman gladiator, and many more.

A great way to see the main attractions in Barcelona is by bus, organized by the Barcelona City Hall, you can purchase a "Bus Touristic" ticket. Official guides give a full explanation to visitors of what to visit and do all in several languages. Tickets are valid for one day only, during which you can hop on and off as many times as you want at designated stops.

After its 1992 Summer Olympic Games, Barcelona turned its multi million-dollar building projects into permanently expanded facilities for sports and tourism. Its modern 150 million dollar airport can accommodate 12 million passengers a year. Barcelona is fast emerging as one of the hottest tourist cities of Europe.