Gaudí, Beaches and Mountains in One Region
Catalonia is an autonomous community in north-east Spain, bounded by the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, known for Barcelona, Gaudí's architecture, the Costa Brava, a distinct language and a celebrated food culture. Its capital, Barcelona, holds several of Antoni Gaudí's works, including La Sagrada Família, Park Güell and Casa Milà, which are inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage list, while the region adds Roman Tarraco, Poblet Monastery and the Vall de Boí Romanesque churches to the roll of heritage sites. Catalan is spoken alongside Spanish and defines the culture.
The landscape spans a great range within a few hours' drive. The Costa Brava, north of Barcelona, is a run of pine-backed coves and old fishing villages such as Cadaqués, Calella de Palafrugell and Tossa de Mar, while the Pyrenees offer high valleys, ski areas and walking trails. Inland, Girona's medieval quarter and colourful riverside houses make a favourite day trip, and Montserrat's serrated mountain, with its Benedictine monastery, rises above the plain. Such variety is why Spain has so many repeat visitors, and why Catalonia stands out within it.
Dalí, Cava and a Table Worth the Journey
Culture here is bold and participatory. The Dalí Triangle links the theatre-museum in Figueres, the house in Portlligat near Cadaqués and the castle at Púbol. Castells, the human towers built at village festivals, are on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, and Barcelona's La Mercè in September fills the streets with giants, fire runs and music. On 23 April, Sant Jordi turns the city into a market of books and roses, an annual celebration that visitors can easily join and a lovely story for a tourist board to tell.
Food and wine are equally compelling. Penedès is the home of cava, Priorat produces powerful red wines from steep slate slopes, and the cuisine includes pa amb tomàquet, crema catalana, calçots in late winter, seafood rice dishes and a modern kitchen scene that made the region a global name. The Ebro Delta adds rice fields and birdlife in the south. The region links naturally to the Balearic Islands by ferry and air, and to the French Riviera along the Mediterranean arc.
Read the full Catalonia guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitCatalonia.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.