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City Breaks in Barcelona
Barcelona is known – and justifiably so – as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The capital of Catalonia – which, in the eyes of many of the Catalan people, is not a part of Spain at all - is nonetheless the second largest city in the geographic region internationally known as Spain. If this distinction seems a little pedantic, I mention it only to indicate that Barcelona is not always the ideal location to try using your Spanish. Fear not, a crash course in Catalan is not necessary, as English is widely spoken by many of the friendly citizens of Barcelona.
Barcelona is in many ways ideal for a city break, as it is famed for what I feel are two critical ingredients for the short urban vacation; stunning architecture and great food. Barcelona has one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean, and the city’s cafes and restaurants benefit from a generous supply of top quality seafood – make sure you sample the Catalan way of enjoying this rich bounty.
For a major city of around 1 ˝ million people, Barcelona really has it all, with a total of 7 beaches, meaning that it is possible to enjoy the more traditional seaside holiday activities should you wish to take a break from sight seeing and eating. The beaches of Barceloneta and Sant Sebasti are the largest and most popular beaches in the city.
Away from the beach, football fans will be keen to pay a visit to the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona’s impressively massive stadium. With a capacity of 98,772, it is the largest stadium in Europe, and a site to behold. If you are not able to get tickets for a match while you are in Barcelona, it is still worth taking the time for a guided tour around the stadium.
Away from the modern marvel of the Camp Nou (built in 1957), there are some older architectural marvels to behold, in the Barri Gotic (the Catalan for Gothic quarter). Probably the most famous of these is an unfinished building designed on the cusp of genius and madness; the Sagrada Fam￭lia. This cathedral was designed by Gaudi, and building work commenced in 1882. Construction continues to this day, through private funding, and some reports suggest that this crazy masterpiece may finally be finished in 2026!
I had a look at city breaks on lastminute.com, and found plenty of cheap hotels in
Barcelona.
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