Barcelona located on the Iberian Peninsula's northeast coast is renowned for its contemporary museums and eccentric gothic architectural buildings past and present. This Catalan city oozes charm and sophistication making it one of the most visited cities in the world. Life in Barcelona is fast paced, cultural and expressive with its many historical monuments, art galleries and art museums? including Musea Picasso that exhibit's a selection of Picasso's finest art and the works of Antoni Gaudi who has contributed to much of how Barcelona looks today. Cafes, restaurants and cosmopolitan bars litter the streets and designer clothes and shoe shops are plentiful.

With Barcelona being on the Mediterranean coastline it also has 4.5km of clean beaches to sun bathe on. The surrounding scenery is beautiful - you have the Tibidabo and Collserola mountains to drive up or hike if you want some great views of the city, and if you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the ground Barcelona has many public parks to wander round - the most popular ones being Montjuic and Park Guell make a welcome retreat from the hot summer months of June and July where average temperatures in Barcelona can reach 80F.

Barcelona's history dates back to around 15 BC and with it developed two official languages - Spanish and Catalan which was the original language spoken until the early 1700's - today Catalan is a recognised official language and you find that if you tread outside the city centre into some of the older surrounding towns and village's Catalan traditional life is still apparent.

Travelling to Barcelona is quickest by plane as it's a short three hour journey from the United Kingdom to Barcelona International Airport in Spain which is located around 9km from the city centre. Barcelona's extensive rail and metro system mean that it is possible to get to the city centre from the airport.

Sightseeing

For those who are architecture novices Barcelona can be a real eye opener. The city displays itself beautifully with Art Nouveau and Gothic style buildings such as the Barri Gothic and Place de Sant Jaume which was once a town hall. The originality of the buildings in the old town dates back to early 16th century with many being restored today - and in amongst these stunning buildings are art galleries and world class museums including Museu Picasso which houses some of Picasso's finest works. Another impressive museum to view is Gaudi Museum. Much of Antoni Gaudi inspiration in creating Barcelona can be seen in his art work here.

Should the family be going with you to Barcelona a trip to The Montjuic Park and Hill will keep the little ones entertained. Within this large park are several smaller parks all with a variety of different attractions such as large garden maze, play areas and museums and the Castell de Montjuic built in the 18th century offers some nice views of Barcelona.