Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya, 1 of the richest and largely intensely independent regions in Spain. Catalan inhabitants speak their personal language and several do not think themselves to be Spanish. The golden era of Catalunya was in the region of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, when Barcelona was the hub of the great seafaring empire of Aragon. Besides to Barcelona, Catalunya is made up of the cities of Lleida, Girona and Tarragona, and the lengthy Costa Brava, stretching from the French border to Valencia.

Barcelona has developed into a real tourist trap for the brilliant combination of activities on offer there. Its coastal position attracts sun worshipers who like the beach front resorts by the side of the coast, as well as the dazzling nightlife of the city centre. The cultural and historical delights of the town attract the holidaymaker, visiting for a long weekend, and the more active will like hiking in the close by mountains, where skiing can be found in winter.

As far as European cities go, Barcelona is a moderately effortless city to pass through. Its natural mountains and seafront means that it has a gradual incline, and also is very compact. This does however mean that some of the city's sights are missed, as it's sometimes tiring walking uphill for half of the day, and downhill for the other half. The city's metro system is a good way to get around quickly, although you miss out on really seeing the city, and regularly are confused when you get back up to street level (everyone does the same in rotating the map about a few times to double-check wherever you are!).

The Barcelona Tourist Bus has 3 routes, but I would express only 2 are worthwhile - the red and the blue course (North and South routes). The third green route only takes you to the forum building. So if you concentrate on the red and blue routes, you can call on all of the city's sights, and have the added bonus of being above-ground as you do it, so you actually go to see the whole of Barcelona, too. Clearly for the duration of the spring and summer months it's good to be on the top with no roof and a nice breeze running through your hair while you take in the stunning architecture of Gaudi, the magnificent Camp Nou football stadium, the magic dancing fountains at Placa España, and many, many more attractions.

The most infamous icon of Barcelona and one sight that all holidaymakers want to visit is Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. Even those that have not visited the city will be familiar with the dripping wax impression of the main façade. The renowned architect begun work on this church in 1882, however the task took a long time as the building work relied on donations, and it had not been completed in 1926 when Gaudi was knock by a train and died. Work has since recommenced on the church and much has been added since Gaudi's death, but there is speculation as to whether or not the building will ever be completely finished, or in fact whether or not it really should be.

You may pay to go up within one of the towers, of which there are now eight, each one over one hundred meters high. The original proposal was intended to incorporate eighteen towers, one for each of the twelve apostles, four for the Evangelists, and one each for Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Additional example of Gaudi's masterpiece can be experienced throughout the city. You will want to draw the Park Guell, La Pedrera and the Mila house into your itinerary if you probably can.

If you´re still stuck for idea the Poble Espanyol has become the 4th most widespread tourist destination in the city. The design was copied from Modernist architect Puig i Cadafalch, and the creators visited 1600 villages in and around Spain and its islands to re-create 117 scale models of buildings and traditional sites from all all over Spain.

Culture lovers will be entranced by the Fran Daurel foundation, boasting artwork from Picasso, Dali, Miró, Tapies and many others, plus there is a brilliant Sculpture Garden offering photo possibilities galore of expansive Barcelona below. The village also has some great bars and restaurants, as well as some great nightclubs in Barcelona on an evening.

Heres 5 inexpensive things to do in Barcelona

1. Walking in Barcelona - is free, unproblematic and pleasurable and what easier means to really get to see a city. I utterly like walking about side streets and alleyways in places such as Barri Gotic in Barcelona. You stumble upon a number of cafes, antique and curious shops.

2. Relaxing on the beach in Barcelona is needless to say incredibly cheap and on a pleasant sunny day where else would you choose to be. If you do not mind spending a tiny bit of money then there are oodles of restaurants and eateries down the boardwalk and if you like sea-food, you can devour anything from mussels to cod.

3. Museums in Barcelona has a considerable number of museums and many of these are very worth checking out in Barcelona. Though several of them often charge for entrance, they are moderately priced and you can effortlessly waste away a few days of your holiday or break by checking out a a small number of of the countless Barcelona museums.

4.Spending time here and there in Las Ramblas and enjoying the street entertainers, shops, general ambiance and the inviting weather is a magnificent means to unwind. Grab yourself a chair and a thirst-quencher just off of Las Ramblas (to avoid tourist charges on the key street) and enjoy all that Barcelona has to offer.

5.Remain in your hotel room. If you are paying enough already for your hotel room or vacation apartment in that case you may want to get your money's worth so why not spend a lot of time in the hotel room. If you have a balcony which comes with the room then lounging out on the balcony with a bottle of Spanish wine from the supermarket and people watching can be a wonderful way to really experience a part of Barcelona living.

You can get detailed information about the sights of Barcelona before you go from your travel agent, the net, or the tourist information office in Barcelona's main square after you get there. Make sure you pick up a map showing all the key sights as well as the key stores, restaurants and hotels. Also deliberate going on a bus trip of the city. It is a excellent way to get your bearings in a incredibly occupied and crowded city, and give you an impression of the distance between places of interest. Talk to your guide, they may well be able to give you local information about excellent eating places and provisional exhibitions that will not be apparent on your map. You will never get bored in Barcelona; your only fear will be how to fit in everything you want to visit.