Each barri (district) in Barcelona and every town and village in Catalonia has a saint’s day to be
celebrated in an annual festa major.For your Barcelona Holidays, The sardana is danced and, on the Costa Brava, havaneres (habaneras) are sung.

Food is central to any event, and open-air feasts and special pastries and cakes feature
strongly. Many towns,including Barcelona, have parades of giants (gegants), bigheads (capgrosses) and dwarfs
(nans) – papier-mâché caricatures of people once linked with local trade guilds. Demons and dragons provide drama. Catalans
love pyrotechnics, and the fires at the midsummer Revetlla de Sant Joan are a lavish incendiary event. Many celebrations
often start on the eve of the feast day proper.

ALMOND BLOSSOM gives way to cherry and apple as the earth warms and the melting snows swell the rivers. The
fishing season for trout and other freshwater fish starts in late March. At Easter, families
get together, often going out of town to visit relatives, or to picnic and search for wild
asparagus. May is the best month in which to see wild flowers, which are particularly spectacular in the Pyrenees.

Sant Medir (3 Mar). In Barcelona Holidays processions distribute sweets in the district of Gràcia,and in Sants a week later.
Sant Josep (19 Mar). Many Catalans are called Josep (often shortened to Pep). This
is a holiday in Spain, although not in Catalonia. People celebrate their “name day” – the day of the saint they are
named after – more than they Diumenge de Rams (Palm Sunday). Palm leaves are blessed in church, notably at the
Sagrada Família in Barcelona.

Processions of Roman soldiers turn out in Girona, and via crucis (passion plays) are put on in several places, notably
the spa town of Sant Hilari Sacalm, Girona province.Dijous Sant (Maundy Thursday),Verges, Girona province.
Men dressed as skeletons perform a death dance (dansa de la mort) thought to date back to times of plague in the 1300s.
Pasqua (Easter). On Good Friday (Divendres Sant) crucifixes are carried through the streets following the Stations of
the Cross. On Easter Monday (Dilluns de Pasqua) godparents buy their godchildren mona (egg cake), and bakers
compete to make the most elaborate confections.

Fira de Sant Ponç (11 May).Ancient celebration around the Carrer de l’Hospital in Barcelona,once the site of the city
hospital. Aromatic and medicinal herbs and honey are sold.Corpus Christi (May/Jun).Flowers are laid in the streets
of Sitges, and in Berga, Barcelona province, a monster dragon (la Patum) dances through the town’s streets.

Barcelona is a sunny city, enjoying clear blue skies for a large part of the year and often up
to ten hours’ sunshine a day in summer. In winter, even though it can be cold in the shade, the sun is high
enough to give it warming power and it can be pleasant to sit outdoors on a sheltered, sunny terrace or patio

Barcelona holidays , are the best option for you.

Barcelona nightlife , is one of the attractions that this city has to offer for those who visit and travel to Barcelona.

El Cangrejo drag cabaret

One of Barcelona’s most emblematic night spots, El
Cangrejo was the city’s original drag cabaret, attracting
a mixed bag of characters from the streets of the
Barrio Chino in the lower Raval. This area earned itself
a reputation as the city’s most depraved neighbourhood
in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and El
Cangrejo fits right in with that atmosphere of libertine
bohemia – a place of “cheap love and rough brandy”,
as Spanish writer Camilo José Cela described it.
Housed in a dungeon-like bar in the dark recesses
of the barrio, El Cangrejo’s flavour is part Jean Genet,
part Pedro Almodóvar. Barcelona’s celebrity drag
queen Carmen de Mairena performs most nights,
along with an entourage of glamorous lady-boys.
Expect outrageous costumes, empassioned boleros
(Spanish love songs), Gloria Gaynor mime-alongs and
plenty of cheeky repartee with the crowd.

Palau Sant Jordi rock on a grand scale

Designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, the
futuristic Palau Sant Jordi looks like a cool white
flying saucer. With a capacity for 17,000 within, it is
the venue of choice for big-name acts such as Bruce
Springsteen, U2 and Phil Collins, with the occasional
heavy metal band thrown in to test the sound system.

Teatre Lliure radical drama, modern dance

Barcelona’s Teatre Lliure is fast gaining a reputation
as the best in town thanks to the vision of director
Àlex Rigola. The programming includes some Englishlanguage
productions and contemporary dance, alongside
Catalan and Spanish theatre. Performances on
Wednesday nights are presented with English subtitles.

Teatre Grec starlit open-air theatre

Barcelona’s only open-air theatre springs to life each
summer, between June and August. This is when the
annual Festival del Grec takes place, presenting
classical and world music, as well as drama and
dance. The festival’s venues are scattered right
across the city, but nowhere beats this theatre when
it comes to moonlit magic – if you have the chance to
see anything here, take it. Built in the late 19th
century in imitation of a Greek amphitheatre, Teatre
Grec is set amid a verdant wood on the slopes of
Montjuïc. It is an absolutely enchanting spot to see a
ballet or listen to a classical concert.
The festival is currently one of the most important
summertime events on the Barcelona calendar,
attracting a host of theatre productions, international
musicians and dance companies.

Tinta Roja true tango

Tickets available 1 hr before each performance
There is but one proper tango bar in the city and this
is it: a former textile factory that has been converted
into a venue that smoulders with sexiness. It is run
by two dancers who used to perform in Argentina,
and they give the place its authenticity, as do the
faded posters and collected artifacts of their days in
the South American limelight.
Beyond a small, intimate bar, a corridor opens onto
a Moulin-Rouge-style theatre, complete with swinging
trapeze, red velvet curtains, gilded picture frames and
the kind of deep, comfy sofas you could disappear in.
There are performances of some sort – tango usually,
though not exclusively – most Thursday, Friday and
Saturday nights. The theatre also plays host to fringe
companies staging wacky productions, as well as a
varied array of dance and musical spectacles.

Razzmatazz live music and DJ sets

Tickets available from agencies or
on door, depending on event; check website
With five distinct spaces – each more groovy than the
last – “Razz” has become as much a destination for
travelling music fans as the Sagrada Familia is for
culture junkies. The musical spectrum for live acts
ranges from the edgy sophistication of Elvis Costello
to the unabashed drum-thumping of Megadeth.
If a jam-packed repertoire of live music doesn’t
take your fancy, the club rooms probably will. Razz
Club attracts a who’s who of DJs, including The
Chemical Brothers, The Glimmer Twins and Howie B.
The techno and electronica in the Loft Club thuds and
whirs for hard core aficionados, while the vibe in
Lolita is more chilled and intimate. The Pop Bar is a
sugar-coated playroom for the fashion set, while the
Temple Beat Room adds yet more variety to what
most agree is an unstoppable party machine. Enjoy.

Barcelona nightlife has plenty of bars to everyone that enjoy to go out at night.

Get cheap flights to Barcelona and the best cheap hotels in Barcelona.

Barcelona crams an amazingly diverse range of shops into its compact centre. You can shop in Barcelona from the souvenir stalls of the Ramblas to the quaint antiques shops of the Barri Gòtic,from funky streetwear outlets in the Raval to the cutting-edge design showrooms of the Born,from chi-chi designer labels on the Passeig de Gràcia to old-school
grocery stores of the Eixample,every option offers a unique and
atmospheric experience.

Carrer d’Avinyó :cool clothes & homewares

This winding street, off C/Ferran, has an artistic,
bohemian history that is reflected in its shops and
ambience. As a young man, Picasso studied at the art
school that still stands here, and today’s arty types
come to find decorative touches for their homes and
themselves. Students love Produit National Brut
for its sweat tops emblazoned with the
names of Barcelona’s cool neighbourhoods, such as
Barrio Chino. The shop also stocks second-hand
fashions and kitsch retro knick-knacks.
Style aficionados love the range of art and design
books and magazines at Dom. This funky
homewares store stocks conversation-starting pieces,
such as battery-operated portable turntables and
Austin-Powers-style bubble chairs. Top designer
labels (Vivienne Westwood, Gaultier, et al) can be
found at Loft Avignon, while even more
exclusive labels, such as Yamamoto and Sessun,
hang in So_da , an achingly hip shop that
turns into a bar at night. Angel Gimeno at No. 25 is
just for guys, with clothes for the street or the club
by Energie, D&G and Calvin Klein.
It’s not all cutting-edge modernity round here,
though. A sense of history lingers in the traditional
wares sold at Manual Alpargatera (No. 7), a vendor of
handmade traditional espadrilles since 1910. Designs
range from the wedge-heeled, ankle-tied style (a surprise
hit of recent years) to the traditional shoe worn
by dancers of the local folk jig, the sardana. The shop
even made a pair for Pope John Paul II. Sombreria
Obach on the corner of Avinyó with C/Call is another
great old classic. Its windows are filled with hats of
all kinds – from mohair berets to traditional Catalan
caps (which look like red pixie hats), as well as a
fine selection of trilbies, fedoras and stetsons.

Carrer Banys :Nous history for sale

Lovers of all things old and antiquated will find plenty
to tempt them on this atmospheric lane off C/Ferran.
Memorabilia collectors should direct themselves to
the antique adverts and postcards in Colleccionisme
Coixet, while L’Arca de L’Avia  and
Heritage are cluttered treasure chests of
antique silk, linens and lace. The kimonos sold in
Japanese textiles shop Nunoya may not be
antique, but the silk ceremonial versions are certainly
works of art. Toy shop Joquines Foyé updates
an old idea with a range of clockwork tin toys in the
shape of Simpsons characters. Old also meets new in
Café La Granja, a revamped historic café, with
an original Roman wall, Modernista frontage and a
funky young vibe. Weary shoppers should try the chilli
hot chocolate for a buzz. Close by, Gemma Povo
 sells elegant wroughtiron
furniture, and Germanes Garcia at No. 15 offers
wickerwork baskets, chairs, lamp shades and shelves.

El Mercadillo :club clothes & retro glamour

You’ll recognize El Mercadillo by the giant fibreglass
camel that guards the entrance to this rambling
“market” of second-hand and club-style gear on one
of Barcelona’s top shopping streets. The ground floor
caters for skate kids and podium dancers, with stalls
such as LXR providing everything for the slopes or the
half-pipe – from shades to baggy pants to boards.
Invasion sells the popular culture artefact du jour –
Mexican wrestling masks. By contrast, Eligene’s racks
are filled with Lycra-and-lace creations that are tailormade
for the heat of the dance floor.
The large stone staircase leads the way to more
street fashions and vintage/second-hand clothing.
Turn left at the top of the stairs for El Luna de Segundo
Mano (The Second Hand Moon), where you’ll find big
shades, printed headscarves and gaudy, floaty dresses
– all perfect for recreating the 1970s LA model look.

Galerias Malda: mini mall

There’s something for everyone at Barcelona’s oldest
shopping mall in the centre of the Barri Gòtic, but the
smallest members of the family are those best
catered for. Little angels can be made to look even
cuter in fluffy babygrows from Els Angels (A6). But
they could show their devilish side if you try dragging
them away from the hundreds of stuffed toys at
Birimbola. Their bigger brothers may be more
impressed by the sharp clothes at Aragaza – figure-hugging shirts fashioned
in red silk or crisp white cotton.
Platamundi  manages to make you feel angelic while spoiling yourself. When
you buy a piece from their modern jewellery collection,
1% of the money goes to development projects in Togo.
And while you’re treating yourself for being so very
good, why not indulge further, with some heavenly
bath soaps from the “shop of smells”

Portal de l’Angel :high-street shopping

Leading away from Plaça de Catalunya and running
parallel with Las Ramblas, this pedestrianized avenue
is Barcelona’s “high street”. Most shoppers home in
on clothing giants Zara and Mango for
excellent ranges of street-smart fashion at bargain
prices. However, there are many independent stores
still holding their own against the encroaching giants.
Rafa  has the best in bags, stocking prized
labels such as Mandarina Duck and Lamarthe. If you
haven’t yet tried turrón (a marzipan-like sweet from
Valencia), Planelles Donat is the place to do so.
As well as great turrón, the shop also sells fine ice
cream, and its parlour at No. 25 is the locals’ favourite.
Ciutad has been here since 1882, and its
wares are like relics from a more elegant age.
Translucent, amber-coloured tortoiseshell combs,
glistening vanity sets and natural bristle brushes are
arranged with reverence, as if they were important
medical instruments. Another blast from the past,
haberdashery Merceria Santa Ana is an always-bustling
mini-mart for everything you can make and wear,
from brides’ garters to babies’ booties. The
purchasing system is as antiquated as the store – you
go to one desk to place your order, another to pay,
then back again to pick up your goods. But relax, and
see it as a chance to chat and mingle with the locals.

Carrer de l’Argenteria: sharp style

This pedestrianized thoroughfare is the gateway to
the trendy Born area, and its mix of quality shops is a
microcosm of what’s on offer elsewhere in Barcelona’s
hippest neighbourhood. The road is particularly good
for modern jewellery. Ona Joia has an extensive collection, and includes Andrea Blú’s dogtag-style chains for men. Alea is a
jewellery gallery – the long glass cases at the front are
dedicated solely to Enric Majoral’s structural pieces
of interwoven silver and gold. The small space at the
rear of the shop showcases the work of various young
designers, their pieces as much art as accessories.
For more affordable baubles, Bijou Brigitte
has everything from chunky diamanté rings to trendy
plastic bangles. The stock at Opera Prima has
more of a retro feel, with Les Néréides’ Art Deco-like
diamanté necklaces, and hats and bags in velvet, lace
and sequins. Next door, Como Agua de Mayo.
stocks inventive clothes by young Spanish designers
– check out Mariona Gen’s quirky jumpers, which
have prints of faces peering through woollen frames.
La Sabateria del Born’s (No. 41) funky range of shoes
shows clear gender distinction: Lollipop’s girly slipons
with dolly decorations for women; Rankin’s
butch, square-toed and studded lace-ups for men.
Even the non-fashion stores here are stylish. Specialist
coffee roaster Cafes El Magnifico blends Modernista and modern
architecture in its fragrant store, where each cru of
coffee is treated with due respect. Its sister shop,
Sans & Sans , has an elegant, Zen-like interior
– a fitting setting for the stock of over 300 blends of
tea as well as exquisite Chinese and Japanese tea sets.

Carrer dels Flassaders :boutique chic

This atmospheric cobbled alleyway between
C/Princesa and Passeig del Born is lined with
medieval vaulted warehouses that have been
converted into curious craft shops, cutting-edge
design showrooms and food shops.
Delectable aromas waft from the Italian deli; buy
one of its vegetable tarts, redolent with Mediterranean
herbs, and a slice of rich, velvety tiramisu for an instant
picnic. The Italian invasion continues a few doors
down, where Fior di Loto stocks elegant,
Italian-made footwear. The high heels and pointed
toes in glamorous animal prints and glitter are mainly
from the shop’s own label, though it does also stock
other brands, including Nina’s fun, colourful wellies.
Rouge Poison ironically calls itself “another
shoe store”, but it certainly isn’t. Its high-end designs
from across Europe are hand picked for originality,
beauty and comfort, and displayed lovingly in
individual Barbarella-esque cases. They cater to men
and women. Yet more carefully selected designs can
be found at Cardinal, this time with
inspiration coming from Argentina. The womenswear
collection (on the first floor) is characterized by
elegant flowing lines and tactile fabrics. This aesthetic
sense is equally evident in the delicate glass
and ceramic ware displayed on the ground floor.
Adults don’t have the monopoly on good design in
this street. Almacen Marabi is a felt funland
of stuffed animal toys, dolls, finger puppets and giant
felt kangaroos, all handmade on the premises.

Barcelona is the best city in Europe to party. There are many festivals and concerts in Barcelona:

Festes de la Mercè

The best festival in the city, this is held over a fun-packed
week at the end of September. Gegants and capgrossos
(giants and fatheads) lumber through the streets, firebreathing
dragons charge through packed crowds for
the city’s biggest correfoc (fire-run) and, down on the
beach, there are dazzling nightly firework spectacles. At
the Maremagnum complex overlooking the port, Catalan
wine- and cava-producers set out their stalls – for a
small admission fee, you can try and buy a spectacular
array of local wine and food. As part of the Festes de la
Mercè, the Festa de les Arts a Carrer (Festival of Street
Theatre) keeps the streets humming with activity, and
the BAM (Barcelona Acció Musical) festival puts on
(usually) free outdoor concerts of alternative music.

Festa Major de la Barceloneta:

The delightfully old-fashioned barri of Barceloneta
celebrates its own neighbourhood festival around the
end of September (dates vary) by transforming its
narrow streets into magical stages, hung with bizarre
canopies made of all kinds of unusual junk. The festa is
kicked off with a bang by the lumbering figure of Bum
Bum, who takes to the streets firing a miniature cannon
and scattering sweets. There are live bands and dancing,
a huge paella competition and parades of Catalan
folkloric figures (giants, dragons and fatheads).

International Jazz Festival

Big names from the jazz world converge in Barcelona
for this festival, held throughout November. The city’s
finest venues – including L’Auditori (p97) and the Palau
de la Música Catalana (p92) – host the main events, but
there are scores of concerts across the city and free
performances in the Parc de la Ciutadell.

Fira de Santa Llúcia

The feast day of Santa Llúcia on the 1st of December
marks the official beginning of the Christmas season,
and the start of the Christmas market. The expansive Plaça Nova in front of the Cathedral is crammed with
stalls selling handmade gifts and decorations. Most are
filled with typical figures made for nativity scenes,
including the curious Catalan figure of the cagoner,
who wears a scarlet beret and squats, bottom bared,
with a blissful expression.

Cavalcada de Reis

This is one for the kids: traditionally, the Three Kings
bring gifts for good children on 6 January. Every year on
the evening of 5 January, the Three Kings arrive by boat
in the Port Vell and set off on a parade up Las Ramblas
and around the city, scattering sweets as they go. It’s a
theatrical affair, with live camels and elaborate floats.

Calçotada

Train to Valls (75 mins) from Barcelona Sants
Barcelonins are enthusiastic foodies: bolets (wild
mushrooms) throw them into ecstasies, but the humble
calçot (a cross between a leek and an onion) generates
quasi-religious fervour. Between January and March, city
folk descend on the rural market town of Valls, home of
the calçot, to enjoy the Calçotada. This traditional feast
honours the tasty vegetable, which is roasted until black
(peel off the outer leaves before eating), and served up
in newspaper with a romesco (tomato and garlic) sauce.
The Calçotada has become a fixture at restaurants in
Valls, and the town’s festivities are at their height on the
last Sunday of January.

Carnaval

Carnaval (usually February, but dates vary) is opened by
Sa Magestat Carnestoltes (the Carnival King), followed
by the exuberant Gran Rúa (Grand Parade) with prizes
for the winning float. Typical Catalan sausage butifarra is
handed out, and markets host larderos (“feasts of fatty
foods”). The fun ends on Ash Wednesday, the first day
of Lent, when the effigy of the Carnival King is
ceremonially burnt, and the curious and ancient
ceremony of the Enterrament de la Sardina (Burial of
the Sardine) takes place on the beach. Feb/Mar

In conclusion , there are plenty of festivals and concerts in Barcelona all year.

If you want to visit the most beautifull city in Europe, you should get Barcelona cheap flights and go to Spain.
Barcelona is a meeting point of young people,artists, movies star. This city has so much life and happiness that totally contagious the tourists all over the world.

Barcelona is the most stylish cities in Europe,It is also home to some of the most exciting restaurants, thanks to a strong culinary tradition and the inventive Catalan spirit.

If you get a barcelona cheap flights, you will find an atmospheric markets are at their best in the early morning, when you can pull up a stool at a countertop
café for breakfast. While the streets are still cool and uncrowded, amble around the shadowy Ciutat Vella (Old
City), or visit the fanciful Modernista mansions in the Eixample. After a long lunch at a terrace café, hit the shops,
relax on the beach, or stroll through the leafy parks.

The nightlife gets going late in Barcelona: ease into the evening with a cocktail, or join the workers at the tapas
bars before dinner. The city has a vibrant performing arts scene, in theatres such as the lavish Gran Teatre del Liceu
and the Palau de la Música Catalana, as well as in countless cutting-edge dance and music venues. Alternatively, warm
up for the long night ahead in a hip DJ bar, before hitting Barcelona’s excellent dance clubs from midnight.

Some of Barcelona’s best-known festivals take place in spring and summer. You can enjoy outdoor drama, music
and dance in a Greek-style open-air theatre during the prestigious Grec performing arts festival; leap over bonfires
on the beach on Midsummer’s Night; party hard with tens of thousands of music fans at the Sónar; join in the fun at
old-fashioned neighbourhood festivals; or simply soak up the romance of Lover’s Day in April.

Barcelona kicks off autumn with its best traditional festival, the fabulous, week-long Festa de la Mercè. The seaside
barri of Barceloneta puts on a fantastic show for its neighbourhood festival, and jazz-lovers are well catered for at
the International Jazz Festival in November. In the run-up to Christmas, the whole city glitters with lights, and outdoor
markets spring up selling all kinds of quirky gifts and decorations. And then, at winter’s end, there’s Carnaval…

Get Barcelona flights, and meet the most beautifull city in Spain.

Barcelona has from luxury retreats in Modernista mansions to budget hostals on leafy squares, Barcelona Hotels and are plenty of
characterful accommodation. The chic Eixample has most of the cool,stylish hotels, while the Raval and
Barri Gòtic boast atmospheric old charmers – from 18th-century palaces to former convents.
Beach fans can soak up the view at the spectacular Hotel Arts, and shopaholics should consider hotels
in the fashionable Born.
Hotel Colón
Avinguda de la Catedral 7 • 93 301 1404

Resolutely traditional, Hotel Colón is in a fabulous
location, opposite the dramatic spires of the
Cathedral. Its bedrooms are airy and decorated with
flowery prints, and those with views over Plaça Nova
are worth the extra expense. The hotel’s plush
terrace-café also overlooks this lively square.

Hostal Fontanella
Vía Laietana 71, 2º • 93 317 5943

A Modernista lift creaks up to the lobby, which is
crammed with dried flowers and knick-knacks. This
is a family-run hostal, and the friendly owners have
made the basic rooms rather cosy, with flowery
bedspreads and warm-hued paintwork. Street noise
can be a problem, so pack your ear plugs.

Hostal Jardí
Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol 1 • 93 301 5900

You’ll need to book months in advance for a room in
Barcelona’s most popular hostal, which is set in an
elegant, sgraffito-covered mansion bordering two
pretty squares and a church. The rooms are functional,
but impeccably clean – choose one with a balcony
overlooking one of the café-lined squares

Neri H & R
C/Sant Sever 5 • 93 304 0655

Hidden down a quiet alley in the heart of the Barri
Gòtic, an 18th-century palace has been stunningly
restored to house Barcelona’s most enchanting hotel.
The original stone staircase and wooden-beamed
ceilings have been retained, but a wealth of contemporary
art and sculpture brings it firmly up to date.
There are just 22 coolly stylish rooms, decorated
with a mixture of antique and sleek contemporary
furniture, and given a sensual touch by velvety rugs
and beautiful fabrics in rich colours. All are equipped
with gadgetry such as plasma TVs, and the designer
bathrooms are supplied with scented toiletries.
Sip a cocktail on the Japanese-style roof terrace,
which offers amazing views of the Cathedral, or
browse art and design books on a velvet couch in the
tranquil library. The Neri Restaurant is one of the
most fashionable and romantic in the city.

There are plenty of Hotels in barcelona, if you want you can get very cheap hotels or the best hotels in the World.

One of the best things to do in Barcelona, is just walk in the streets and get involved with spanish peole, and all the
turists from all around the World.The tourists come from all over the place, Barcelona cheap flights are searched all over the World.

Once in Barcelona, you should visit Regal Plaça del Rei (King’s Square) is hemmed in by a crowd of Gothic buildings that provides a theatrical backdrop for a picnic, an outdoor concert, or the serenades of a passing street musician. Dominated by the austere Palau Reial (Royal Palace) and
adjoining chapel – where, for centuries, the rulers of Catalunya held court and prayed – the square oozes history from every stone. And, indeed, beneath the medieval stones lie the ancient ruins of Roman Barcino, which are still astonishingly intact. Peek in
the glass windows on adjoining Carrer del Veguer to glimpse them, or study them more carefully as part of
a visit to the fascinating Museu d’Història de la Ciutat . The museum now incorporates the Royal
Palace, the Royal Chapel and the Roman ruins. The Royal Chapel has a dainty bell tower, with a delicate,
wrought-iron crown; it contrasts somewhat with the grim Mirador del Rei Martí – a watchtower built to
keep an eye on the overly independent Catalans.

In the square itself, locals walk their dogs, kids career past on their way back from school, and footsore
tourists sprawl on the magnificent steps that sweep up to the Royal Palace. These steps form a dramatic natural stage for frequent outdoor summer concerts, particularly during the excellent Festival de Música Antigua.

In summer, a terrace café, L’Antiquari de la Plaça del Rei, has tables spread out across the square, while street performers regale the drinkers with everything from sentimental ballads to tango dances or fire-breathing tricks. The boxy public sculpture by
Eduardo Chillida serves as an impromptu stage for such performances. At night, the square is even more
enchanting, with starlight gleaming palely overhead,and music echoing off the ancient walls.

One of the first things to visit in Barcelona is the Girona, a city full of sublime medieval architecture,
the cathedral is the jewel in the crown. It is reached by a stairway of 90 steps, which creates a suitably
dramatic approach to the looming Baroque façade of the building. The entrance gives way to a largely
Gothic interior, which includes the widest nave of this kind in the world. The 14th-century silver altarpiece
by Bartomeu i Andreu incorporates elements from a 12th-century Romanesque altar. This priceless object
was saved during the Civil War by being shipped to Paris. Now it can be appreciated in all its glory; 10 of
the 12 statues that once presided over the Apostle’s Gate were, alas, not so fortunate.

The atmospheric cloister and most of the bell tower are all that remain of the original Romanesque church.
Reliefs that decorate the cloister’s columns portray the torments of hell in lurid detail, and were designed to
impress upon young novices the need for stricture.

The cathedral’s museum holds a fabulous Tapestry of the Creation – a unique 12th-century wall-hanging
that depicts Christ creating the world. Bizarre halffish,half-bird creatures appear, having clearly arisen
from the artist’s overly fertile imagination.

The historic centre of Girona is one of the bestpreserved medieval cities in Europe, giving visitors the
opportunity to walk through streets that have changed little in 500 years. One of the city’s earliest extant
buildings is the Banys Àrabs (Arab Baths) on C/Ferran el Catòlic. The name is a little misleading, however.
The baths were built in the late 12th century in the Mudéjar-Romanesque style (which incorporated
elements of Arab architecture), but were probably first used by the city’s Jewish population, which was considerable in the Middle Ages. Much later, in the 17th century, the baths were subsumed into a Capuchin
convent, and used as a kitchen and laundry.Built on the Onyar, Girona is also famous for the
Venetian-style houses that line the river.