Advantages: Multicultural, pleasant and warm
Disadvantages: None

...Barcelona is Spain's 2nd city, after the capital MADRID, but is one of the most popular of all European cities, experiencing a mushroom of interest following the Olympic games that were hosted in the city in 1992. The city is however the CAPITAL of the Catalonia region of Spain, which is one of 17 autonomous communities in Spain. It has the 2nd largest inhabitant rate in Spain with almost 7 million residents. Barcelona is located on the North East coast of Spain and is approximately 2 hours from London and Luton by plane. It is a little over 1 hour from Paris, Geneva and Lisbon, 45 minutes from Nice, 2 hours from Rome, Amsterdam, and Brussels, and between 2-3 hours from Berlin, Munich and Prague. As a European destination, it's very easily accessible for all with a major hub airport. In fact, it is so easily accessible from... Read review

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Advantages: A good transport system.
Disadvantages: none

...What I really wanted to write about was the 'Barcelona Card' (see below), and I proposed this product months ago, but it wasn't added by Ciao, so I will try to widen the scope of this review to include all transports (well, all the ones I can think of…). This review will not include information on driving in Barcelona, as we had no first-hand experience of it. First, let me give you some general information about Barcelona by way of an introduction. Situated in the northeast of Spain on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is the second city in Spain, but this fact matters little to the Catalans for whom it is the capital of Catalonia (Catalunya in Catalan). One and a half million people live there. The city's development is arrested on two sides by the hills of Collserola and by Montjuïc Mountain, and it has had to expand... Read review

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Advantages: Everything you want on a city break
Disadvantages: Too many things to do

...Barcelona ^^^^^^^^^ Barcelona is one of the most popular city break destinations in Europe, and for several very good reasons. It is only a short flight from the UK and with budget airlines can be very cheap to reach. Being a coastal city the climate is not too oppressive for our sensitive natures and there is a little bit of everything available to keep just about any kind of visitor entertained. There are bars, restaurants and night life if that’s what you’re after. There are museums, galleries and spectacular architecture if that’s your bent and there are beaches, parks and shopping to fill in the gaps. Whatever type of break you’re after; chances are you’ll find it in Barcelona. Having recently spent four days in the city what struck me most was just how much there was to do and how much I’d left undone. I’ve been on several... Read review

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Advantages: great cultural diversity and cosmopolitan
Disadvantages: none

...The first thing that a visitor should do when visiting this marvelous city is forget all the preconceptions that they have about Spain - Barcelona is another world! As you might know Barcelona is situated in Catalunya (Spain is divided in many regions and Catalunya is one of them). Each region has their own cultural background, customs, traditions and some speak other languages. Catalunya is very different from the rest of the regions in Spain and Barcelona is its capital. If you went to Barcelona and were expecting to see some bullfighting or flamenco dancing, you are in the wrong place!! Barcelona is a city well known for its cultural diversity and for being very cosmopolitan. I am not going to give you an extensive description of areas to visit, just some guidelines, I believe the best way of discovering a city is by getting... Read review

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Advantages: Too may to name! Great nighlife, food, people, architecture, the list goes on!
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

...Barcelona has everything you could possibly want. Sun, beaches, mountains, shops, clubs, bars, architecture, history, sport you name it, you’ll find it here. The obvious place to start is Las Ramblas, one of Barcelona’s main streets, which runs down from the Plaça de Catalunya to the new port, which has recently been redeveloped and is home to shops, restaurants bars and a cinema. To the left of Las Ramblas is the Barrí Gòtic (Gothic District), where you’ll find Barcelona’s impressive cathedral. On the right hand side of the street closest to the port is the Red Light District, a lot intimidating then it used to be, it’s worth looking around her in the daytime, since it has much interesting architecture, but it’s worth avoiding a night. A good tip for anyone travelling to Barcelona (and anywhere else for that matter) is to look... Read review

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Advantages: Informative, accurate (at time of press at least), lightweight for carrying around
Disadvantages: updated very 2 years so if you just miss the new edition it may be slightly dated

...Earlier this year I went on a week long holiday to Barcelona and, working in a bookshop had a great time going through all the travel books one morning trying to decide which one to take (for those of you that think I was slacking off work, this is what we in the trade like to term research - clearly I was doing it to better recommend products to future customers! ;) ). My final choice came down to Time Out and Lonely Planet City Guide, and this one won out. Last published in October 2004 (4th edition) it was, at the time at least, very up to date and on first glance seemed to contain everything I wanted to know. It proved to be extremely useful during my trip, so here are the facts. PUBLISING INFO - October 2004 - 4th edition - Published by - Lonely Planet - Size - 19 1/2 cm, 12 1/2 cm, 1 1/2 cm deep - Weight (very... Read review

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Advantages: Wonderous building fascinating history
Disadvantages: itas unfinished

...We had a camping holiday in Ribes de Freser in Catalonia at the base of the Spanish Pyrenees. I have wanted to visit Barcelona for several years and since the town we were in was on a direct rail route to Barcelona we decided to take a day of from walking the mountains and visit. The Train took us about 2 hours to get to Barcelona where we decided to visit the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic temple dedicated to the holy family, not a cathedral but it is very cathedral like. The Associació Espiritual de Devots de Sant Josep promoted the building of this temple followers bought a large piece of land and on St Joseph's day in 1882 the first stone was laid. There were disagreements with the first architect who then gave his notice and Gaudi his assistant became the architect. Antoni Gaudi was born in June... Read review

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Advantages: Great city, Very good if inconsistent football team
Disadvantages: Disorganised airport, confusing ring road

...Barcelona is a fantastic place - I went there last year with Chelsea's football team, and OK, we got wasted 5-1, but I still loved the place. Even then, last year, the weather was sunny and warm, and the people were very friendly. There are a number of sights in Barcelona, such as the massive Gothic cathedral, the Place de Catalunya in the centre, and the harbour. The number 1 tourist attraction however, is amazingly enough the Nou Camp and its museum, home of F.C Barcelona. Also it is the second biggest tourist attraction in Spain. It holds about 100'000 people, making it one of the biggest stadiums in Europe. F.C Barcelona is not just a football team, it is a sports team, with basketball, hockey and many other sports, as well as arguably the most famous football team in the world. It is also a huge business, with F.C Barcelona... Read review

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Advantages: The luxury
Disadvantages: None that I could see

...Hi, I hope this review is of help to you in your choice of hotel. I have worked in the travel Industry for over 20 years now, so would say I can be quite critical. Ok, well I guess the best place to start is the location ........... ************LOCATION*********** This hotel is based in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona. This area marks the city's southern boundary and has excellent public transport to the centre. Centuries ago this quarter was a village separate from Barcelona. What I really noticed was the narrow streets and the small houses. In this area is the Sants Station, which is in front of the Plaça dels Països Catalans. Also close to the Plaça de Sants is the Les Cotxeres, which is an old tramway deposit that has been converted into an exhibition centre or dance hall, depending on the occasion. The nearest Train... Read review

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Advantages: Really pretty, nice place to spend an hour
Disadvantages: Expensive, excludes locals

...At first I couldn’t find the category for this, but I just wasn’t looking properly – I was looking for “Olympic Village”, when really I should have searched for Vila Olimpica – it sounds so much prettier that way don’t you think? Anyway, I feel so daft now for not looking for it under its proper name. I’ll also stop rambling now :) During my trip to Barcelona, I visited the Olympic village twice – once on a quick coach tour of the city, and then a second time on the last (full) day where we had to sit and “soak up” the sights and sounds of the area, so hopefully I have gained a good insight to what the place is like, and I hope you gain a good idea from what I tell you. Vila Olimpica makes up a fairly small area of Barcelona (but then the term “village” probably gives that away), it has relatively few streets, and you know... Read review

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