Take a day trip to this fabulous city, 2 hours by car or catch the high speed train.

The best way of getting to know Barcelona well is to take a stroll along La Rambla at any time of day or even night. This boulevard, almost 2 km long and situated between the Plaça de Catalunya and the port, was once upon a time the site of a mountain stream. All kinds of people can be found walking or just relaxing beneath the oriental plane trees: the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the locals, the visitors, the revellers and those of a more contemplative nature. La Rambla is a never-ending show where everyone is both actor and audience at the same time. It is a delight to all the senses, with a character that is alluring, vivid and everchanging, and it is for this reason that it attracts all kinds of people.

Sagrada Familia The church was begun in 1298, but facade was not completed until 19th century. The cathedral is dedicated to Santa Eulalia, martyred by the Romans for daring to prefer Christianity, and her tomb rests in a crypt beneath the high altar. The cathedral’s magnificent 14th-century cloister has magnolias and palm trees growing in the middle and ...gees waddling around the periphery. If they disturb the tranquility of the scene, they do so for a purpose - the geese have been kept here for over 500 years to reflect the virginity of Santa Eulalia. At noon on Sunday you can see 'sardana', a Catalonian folk dance, performed in front of the cathedral.

Parc Güell is another Gaudi's masterpieces. It is a strange, enchanting place where Gaudi’s passion for natural forms really took flight – to the point where the artificial almost seems more natural than the natural. The steps up from the entrance, guarded by mosaic dragon, lead to the Sala Hipostila, a forest of 84 stone columns, some of them are leaning. On the top of the Sala Hipostila is a broad open space whose centerpiece is the Blank de Trenadis, a tiled bench curving round its entire perimeter. Parc Güell is also included in the World Heritage List.