Barcelona, Spain Travel Tips

October 3, 2009 · Filed Under International Travel, SPAIN, TRAVELING TO · Comment 

Interesting Tid Bits About Barcelona Spain

Planning a trip to Spain, but having a little difficulty choosing between visiting the provincial capital of Catalonia and the capital city of Madrid? You may want to mull over Barcelona. Barcelona Spain is second to Madrid in size, but its Mediterranean Coast location makes it a very attractive destination as well. Barcelona is located to the west of the city of Serra de Collserola and between the mouth of the river Llobregat and the river Besos.

Key Commercial Center

Barcelona can justifiably brag of being a main center of commerce and it is also a major European and Mediterranean port that is easily reached by air as well as by sea. Barcelona was first founded by the Romans and it then quickly became the capital of Counts of Barcelona though after merging with the Aragon Kingdom it became one of the most important cities of the country.

Barcelona, Spain has a rich history and it has seen in its long history numerous sieges which it survived and today it is considered a center of culture as well as tourist hotspot and a city with cultural heritage second to none. The architectural delights of the works of Lluis Domenech I Monaner and Antoni Gaudi which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be found in Barcelona.

Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics as recently as 1992 and the Union for the Mediterranean headquarters is also located in this city. Barcelona is the capital of the province of Catalonia and so houses the seat of the provincial government as well as being home to the province’s Supreme Court.

There is a little amount of discussion regarding the exact foundation of Barcelona with there being two distinct legends dealing with the origins of the city. One legend has it that the founding of Barcelona is traced to Hercules who built it well before the Romans came to this part of the country; the other legend traces the foundation of this city to Hamilcar Barca.

Barcelona Spain has an abundance of magnificent hotels which can make your visit even more thrilling. Guests of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts Barcelona are provided with dazzling views of the superb Port Olimpic. The views alone make a stay here something to treasure.