This category contains all our blog posts about the region of Catalonia (that is, the area around Barcelona). From the best sites to visit in our land, to lists of local beaches, from architecture to natural wonders… We also discuss topics that reflect the personality of Catalan people: our history, our relationship with Spain and the rest of the world, historical facts that have shaped our identity… Make sure to read them if you want to understand at a deeper level the land you’ll be visiting in your next trip of Barcelona, or if you have some extra days in Barcelona and would love to go out of town.
The Catalonia castles you need to see Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalonia. Our history dates back from the Roman times 2000 year ago and older. But it started defining its identity specially during the middle ages. In those times, Christians fought to push back the attacks of the moors, of Muslim …
Do you know how many Salvador Dali Museums are there? Salvador Dali was born in 1904 in Figueres, just about 2 hours drive from Barcelona, Spain. He had a fearful and obsessive spirit that was also extremely curious and creative. And would turn him into one of the most intriguing artists in Art History. Inspired …
Medieval Towns in Catalonia worth visiting In the early 1000”s, the unification of several Franc counties gave place to Catalonia. And before that, the early Medieval times had already been a period of splendor for our land. A good prove are the many Catalonia medieval villages that you can visit in a short drive from …
ANTONI GAUDI WORKS BEYOND BARCELONA Everyone comes to Barcelona to see the architecture of Antoni Gaudi. But what many ignore is that he also worked outside of the city, leaving some unique projects around Barcelona that remain hidden gems for most travelers. From unfinished churches, to mountain gardens, from industrial facilities to private homes for the …
WHERE DOES A PRIVATE TOUR GUIDE WANT TO GO VISITING? HAPPY NEW YEAR! The new year is starting and we all have our new year’s resolution lists. And as a private tour guide one of my passions is getting to know my territory deeper and more intimately. Sometimes to broaden our tour offer, but most of the …
WHAT DOES THE NATIONAL DAY OF CATALONIA CELEBRATE? Today is September 11, a day that for Catalans means something very different from what it mean for the rest of the world. Today we celebrate La Diada, the National Day of Catalonia. And while most nations have picked a victory day for their own National Day, we …
here is WHAT TO SEE IN CADAQUES Cadaqués is one of the most iconic seaside villages of the Catalan coast, the end of the Costa Brava. Artists such as Salvador Dali fell in love with its charm, a combination of Greek-like whitewashed streets and moon-like rocky landscapes. But Cadaqués is located almost 3 hours away from …
THESE ARE THE BEST HIKES IN CATALONIA Hiking is very popular in Catalonia: our first hiking club, the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya, was created in 1876 with the goal of organizing scientific and archaeological mountain hikes. And our land offers so many opportunities to hike and explore the countryside and its landscapes, for all levels of …
RUTA DE L’ATZAR, GREAT VIDEO WITH HAPPY SONG My baby steals my phone to keep watching this Catalonia video over and over again. And we don’t encourage her to have much “screen time” at all: we prefer her to play. But in this case, I can’t blame her: this video is the cutest thing ever. I …
MY 2YO STEALS MY PHONE TO SEE THIS VIDEO ABOUT CATALONIA OVER AND OVER AGAIN Read More »
THE DALI WORKS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS WHEN VISITING THE THEATER MUSEUM The other day I read an article about the Dali Museum in a magazine aimed at Russian tourists coming to Barcelona. To my surprise, they said there weren’t any Salvador Dali famous paintings there, and it wasn’t too worth it. Whaaaat? After doing some research …
NO FEAR I had a post ready to go with a refreshing Gazpacho recipe for today, but in the light of the recent tragic events in Barcelona, I felt I had to do something else. This is in memory of the people who perished in La Rambla and the fishing town of Cambrils after the attacks …
NEED IDEAS FOR WHAT TO DO IN SITGES? Sitges is a cool little seaside town just 30 minutes South of Barcelona. It’s a quick ride on the motorway, supereasy if you take the Garraf tunnels, and a bit trickier if you decide to go for the winding roads along the coast (also slowlier, as you are …
A POST FOR OLD STONES LOVERS: TOP ANCIENT RUINS NEAR BARCELONA Catalonia has a long history that starts many centuries ago even before the Romans, with the Iberian tribes. If you love archaeology, you’ll be excited to hear that there are lots of great ruins near Barcelona that you can visit in your next trip. Prehistorian, …
BOOKS ON THE HISTORY OF SPAIN: read BEFORE YOUR TRIP TO TAKE THE MOST OUT OF IT! Next Sunday is April 23rd, Saint George’s Day and International Day of Books. If you are planning a trip to Spain, what a better way to prepare than reading a few Spanish history books? You’ll be able to understand …
TOP CATALAN AND SPANISH HISTORY BOOKS FOR TRAVELERS Read More »
BEST SKI RESORTS IN CATALONIA When you think about a Barcelona vacation, you are likely to imagine architecture, good food and maybe the beach. But did you know the Pyrenees mountains are close enough to allow you to go skiing for the day? Yes! The season depends a lot on the weather, and it can start …
WHAT ARE THE BEST MONASTERIES NEAR BARCELONA? Monasteries and abbeys are an important part of Catalonia history. During Middle Ages, communities of monks were used to repopulate areas that had been taken over from the moors, and new agriculture techniques were developed there. Many of them are great examples of medieval architecture: Romanesque and Gothic …
EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT CATALAN HUMAN TOWERS The tradition of building human towers in Catalonia has existed for over 200 years: we call it Castellers. Castellers are people who build towers with their bodies and make different constructions called castells (castles). It’s such a deeply rooted tradition that there are even competitions between teams of Castellers to see who …
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT TO DO IN COSTA BRAVA La Costa Brava is one of the most beautiful sea regions in our country and it’s so worth visiting. Little seaside villages from Blanes to Portbou, 3 Natural Parks, lots of beaches and creeks, medieval villages and hundreds of activities and sites to visit. Sounds awesome, right? But …
VISIT TARRAGONA AND DON’T MISS ANYTHING IMPORTANT South of Catalonia we find one of the most historical cities in our country: When you visit Tarragona you travel back to Roman times. The city was founded in the III bc century by the Romans, and there are still lots of evidences of their legacy. The city …
BEST THINGS TO DO IN MONTSERRAT Visiting Montserrat is everyone’s first choice for a day trip out of Barcelona. So if you have several days in town, make sure you don’t miss it. The name of the place means “the sawed mountain”, because the shape of its rocks and peaks look like the dents of a saw. …
