Barcelona is one of the most popular short stay destinations in Europe and depending on the figures you see, perhaps the most popular ahead of Rome, Paris and Amsterdam.
One of the reasons for the city’s popularity is obvious – the historic city centre and its maze of narrow streets, mediaeval buildings including the gothic cathedral as well as the modernist architecture of Lluis Domenech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and, above all, Antoni Gaudi whose still unfinished Sagrada Familia is one of the most popular icons of Barcelona.
Another reason is perhaps simply that Barcelona is much cheaper than many other European cities and the price of hotels, restaurants and bars means you don’t have to break the bank to spend a weekend there.
But Barcelona is much more than pretty buildings and cheap food. It is the principle city in Catalonia, the autonomous regions of Spain that runs from the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava in the north, down past Tarragona and Costa Daurada in the south, and has a language and cultural identity completely distinct from what many people consider to be typically Spanish.
And it is also a sport lovers paradise with some of the biggest sporting events in Spain taking place in or around Barcelona.
Football
Barcelona’s first team, often known simply as Barccedila, is world-renowned and after a few years of lacklustre results a change of club management saw an end to their problems. FC Barcelona has won the Spanish La Liga for the last two years and a strong contender for the 2006-2007 season too. In addition they won the Champions League title in May 2006 against Arsenal.
No sport lover should consider a trip to Barcelona without a trip to Camp Nou, FC Barcelona stadium. Even if no match is on when you are there the stadium museum and tour is open daily. However the stadium only truly comes alive when packed with supporters and so your best option is to ensure you stay when Barcelona play at home. Matches are usually scheduled for Sundays, but can move to Saturday at short notice to be televised, so ensure that you stay on both nights to be sure.
Don’t forget that Barcelona has a second team, RCD Espanyol, which is also in the first division and the clashes between FC Barcelona and Espanyol are some of the most eagerly awaited in the footballing calendar.
Motor Sport
The race track at Montmelo is used throughout the year by teams testing their cars and once a year is home to the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. Thousands of visitors flock to Barcelona for the event, ensuring there is not a room available in the city and so it is always advisable to book a hotel well in advance. Also, the performance of Fernando Alonso in the last couple of years has ensured that the number of Spaniards attending the event has increased to make it a sell out event. Montmelo is a little way of Barcelona, but can be reached easily by train or car.
The other motor racing event to be held in Catalonia is Rally Catalunya, one of the events in the World Rally Championship which this year takes place 4-7 October 2007.
And local boy Dani Pedrosa is the firm favourite with locals at the Moto Grand Prix of Catalonia. Like the F1 Grand Prix, the event takes place at Montmelo near Barcelona and bikers from all over Europe descend on Barcelona for the event.
Golf
Catalonia also has a number of championship gold courses and many people who visit Barcelona combine it with a round or two of golf. In the Costa Brava in particular you can tee off with dramatic views of the Mediterranean, although you should be aware that green fees in Spain are expensive.
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