Barcelona - What Makes It So Special And A Popular Tourist Hotspot

Barcelona faces the Mediterranean Sea on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula

and is built on a plateau around 3 miles wide with a backdrop of the Collserola Mountains and between two rivers, the Llobregrat to the south-west and the Besos to the north, it is obvious why people settles there and it has been used as a tactical stronghold throughout history even by the Romans.

There are two stories about the founding of Barcelona, one is that is was founded by Hercules 400 years before Rome was founded but the second attributes the foundation of the city to Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, the father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino which is the family name in the 3rd Century BC, founding there because of the strategic importance in the region. The mountain range surrounding Barcelona at the highest point is 512m or 1680ft high called Tibidabo, it has a telecommunication tower that can be seen throughout the city but if you take a trip to the peak it is a great place to see the whole of Barcelona.

The city of Barcelona enjoys an amazing Mediterranean climate with sunshine and warmth throughout the year but is especially in the summer months where the average highest temperature ranges from 24 to 28 degrees Celsius and the lowest is from 16 to 17 degrees Celsius so you can almost guarantee a sunny spell on your holiday. There is more of a humid stormy period from August to November but the driest is from February to July. This is not necessarily typical of the Spanish Mainland as other areas can vary much more dramatically. Barcelona does have the same annual rainfall as London but Barcelona tends to be more irregular and torrential outbursts rather than the more stable rainfall of London.

The city of Barcelona itself has an amazing variety in its landscape ranging from the beaches to the mountains and rivers and every kind of park in between. There are historical parks like the Ciutadella Park with the houses of parliament, a zoo and several museums to see you will soak up all the culture and history of Barcelona. Montijuic Park has a mountain and 203 hectares of natural beauty and wildlife if you need to escape the crowds.

Barcelona also boasts seven beaches which total nearly 3 miles of beach but there are some distinctions between them, Sant Sebastia and Barceloneta are the largest and more tourist oriented beaches but the five other beaches have been separated by the Olympic port built for the 1992 Olympic Games. The other smaller five beaches were opened for the games after some major reconstructions took place demolishing lots of old industrial buildings.

The Placa Catalunya is the cities historical centre and to understand the city of Barcelona you must visit the Barri Gotic which homes some of the most spectacular gothic building ever built. The other major part of Barcelona is the Avinguda Diagonal which homes the modern and commercial heart of Barcelona with several skyscrapers the tallest is a Hotel Arts and its twin Torre Mapfre that are 505ft tall. The city has aspects of the modern and the traditional in terms of architecture and marries the two through its series of themed parks such as the Oreneta Castle Park, Diagonal Mar Park and the Labyrinth Park.

Barcelona can really offer travellers and tourists a little piece of everything including easy access to the Pyrenees as this great ski resort is only 125 km from the city it is lively and busy throughout the year and has endless sites to see as well as beaches to rest and relaxation.

by: Sophie Norris

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