Catalonia

Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya) is an autonomous region in the northeast of Spain.

It borders France and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the Valencian region to the south and the Aragon region to the west.

Regions

• The Costa Brava (Rough/Tough Coast), in the northeast of the country, has rocky cliffs and a mix of pebble beaches and sandy beaches.
• The Costa Daurada (Golden Coast), in the southeast of the country, has sandy beaches.
• The Pyrenees, in the north of the country, on the border with France. It's a quiet place, ideal for nature walks, and adventure sports. A lot of national parks.

Cities

• Barcelona -- It's worth the whole trip
• Girona -- Nice old town with an impressive Jewish quarter. Close to Costa Brava.
• Tarragona -- Roman age capital, has beaches, close to Costa Dorada.
• Lleida -- Door to the west Pyrenees mountains, has a Cathedral
• Figueres -- Home to the Dalí museum
• Mataró

Other destinations

Catalonia has a great variety of different landscapes very close to each other, mountains on the Pyrenees (at the border with France), green hills on north of the country, agricultural planes on the west and beaches on the east.

What to visit;

• Reus
• Montserrat - A unusual rock mountain, with a Sanctuary on top. It is very popular among Catalans. You can travel there by train (take Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat from Plaça d'Espanya to Montserrat-Aeri) or by bus (they leave from the Plaça de la Universitat in the morning).
• Volcanoes near the city of Olot, and La Fageda d'en Jordà, a very nice forest and extinct volcanoes.
• Adventure sports (in a lot of places in Catalonia like Llavorsí in the Pirineus)
• Barcelona
• Figueres - The Dalí Museum
• La Llacuna- Beautiful Mediterranean outback village, with typical gastronomy and landscapes.

Understand

Catalonia is an autonomous region within Spain, and in fact has an older history as the independent kingdom of Aragon which in some ways historically predates Spain itself. The region gained its current autonomous status after Franco's death in 1975 and continues to press for more political and economic autonomy, mainly in the form of the right to collect and spend larger and larger portions of tax money locally. This has been the source of some conflict with other regions of Spain that don't have these expectations.

• Catalunya Turisme - Official tourist board

Talk

The main languages of Catalonia are Catalan and Spanish.

Catalan (Català), spoken in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, most of Valencia region, a strip in Aragon, Andorra, Alguer-Alghero (little city of Sardinian - Italy) and, Roussillon (an area in the south of France sometimes called Catalunya Nord that corresponds roughly with the department of Pyrénées-Orientales), is spoken by about 7 million people. It is a Romance language which sounds similar to Spanish and French. You will be very welcome if you try to say some words in Catalan while you are in Catalonia, and phrases such as "Bon Dia" and "Adéu" are heard even when people then go on to speak Castillian.

Visitors who speak Spanish should note that in Catalonia that language is referred to as "Castellano" (Catalan Castellà), and that while it is widely understood, some people may be reluctant to answer in that language, especially away from Barcelona and areas frequented by many tourists. This is due the historic fact that during the Francisco Franco dictatorship the Spanish language was for a time imposed on Catalonia by law and the native Catalan language prohibited. In normal usage, answering in catalan to a question posed in Spanish is the polite way to inform the asker that conversation can continue in Catalan, if desired. If you got an answer in Catalan, just say politely that you do not understand, and you'll be out of problems.

Get in

By plane

Barcelona's airport, called el Prat, is about 10 km to the city centre. Once there, you can go to the centre by train (every 30 minutes, stopping at Sants and Plaça de Catalunya), by bus (Aerobus), that stops in the same places and with the same frequencies. The bus is the more expensive option, with the added possibility of traffic jams. Both services finish at 23:00.

Two local buses, EA (during the day) and EN (at night) also serve the airport, however these are not particularly frequent and only run as far as the Plaça d'Espanya, which is not particularly central. However, for those on a shoestring budget they may be a good option as they are fairly cheap.

There is quite a good taxi service, the only way to reach the centre if you arrive by night. The fares are about 12 euros if you go to the centre, but this can change depending of the time of the day and, of course, the part of the city you want to reach. All Barcelona taxis are painted black and yellow and are easily recognisable.

Of course, you can rent cars and there is a big car park, though it is quite expensive if you leave your car there for more than a couple of hours.

el Prat airport is served by a number of airlines, including EasyJet, BMI, Virgin Air, Volare, MyTraveLite...

Another airports in Catalonia are;

• Girona, north of Barcelona, near to the Costa Brava. There are now flights to this newly upgraded airport by Ryanair and British Airways. Travel by bus to Barcelona takes about 90 minutes and there is a bus service into Girona which costs about 15 Euros return fare. The buses in Barcelona leave from Estacio del Nord bus station (metro stop Arc de Triomf, line 1).

• Reus, south of Barcelona, near to Tarragona and the Costa Daurada capital of Baix Camp.

By train

The main train station in Barcelona is called Estació de Sants, but the most central ones are Plaça de Catalunya (most local and regional trains) and Passeig de Gràcia (serving some local and most long-distance lines).

The Spanish train company is called RENFE. Barcelona is very well connected by train with Madrid, Valencia (City), Zaragoza and the Basque Country in particular and with the whole country in general.

Inside Catalonia, there are frequent trains from the other three provincial capitals (Lleida, Tarragona and Girona).

A few trains travel across the Pyrenees, but it's possible to reach the eastern part using the train to Tour de Carol (France).

Going by train to the Costa Daurada beaches is the best choice, using the line to Tarragona. The Costa Brava isn't well connected by train.

There's also a Catalan train company Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), which serves destinations near Barcelona, and some tourist routes. It also operates a funicular service in the Pyrenees.

By bus/coach

Buses and coaches connect the principal cities to many national and international locations, and it's the only public transport to get to many local places in Catalonia.

The most important bus stations are: Estació de Sants (Barcelona), mainly for international routes, is next to the train station and very well connected. 'The Estació del Nord (also in Barcelona), close to Passeig de Sant Joan, is the main bus station for medium and long routes - the nearest metro (Line 1) and RENFE station is Arc de Triomf.

The routes inside Catalonia are held by different companies, which leave from different places. Every town has normally only one company, so you should ask at some information point, or even use this page which, although in Catalan, is quite easy to use (put the origin at the left, the destination at the right, and gives the name of the company and it's telephone number).

Do

Bird Watching

Eat

There are lots of good places to eat. At lunch time (13-15:00 approx.), a lot of Restaurants and Bars offer Menú del dia (Menu of the day - Prix Fixe), usually consisting of a choice of four starters, four main courses, wine and bread for at a reasonable price. Some bars also offer "Plats Combinats" which are a few items served together at reasonable prices - eg Hamburger, egg and chips. At dinner time (20-23:00 approx), a Menú is not so frequent.

In all the medium sized cities, you can expect to found a large range of possibilities;

• Catalan Food - Usually announced as Cuina Casolana
• Tapas - Typical Spanish
• Paella - Typical valencian
• Basque food
• Italian food - Pasta, pizzas, ...
• Chinese food
• Japanese food
• Fast food

Drink

Don't miss the good Catalan wines Penedès, Alella, Pla de Bages, ...

Sangría is also served in most restaurants, with large variations in quality.

Stay safe

Catalonia is usually a safe place. Be aware of pickpockets in crowds, and don't leave your car in the rest areas in motorways. Tourist areas such as Les Rambles in Barcelona city attract many petty thieves, and you should be vigilant around these areas. As a tourist, you are a target for thieves. They can spot you and you cannot spot them. Do not carry all your money and documentation in the same bag or pocket. In you have been robbed, always go to the police.

Get out

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