Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and the second biggest city in Spain. Settled more than two thousand years ago, it has always been destined to be a great metropolis. And it has achieved its goal thanks, in good part, to its strategic geographical location on the Mediterranean and in south-western Europe - a location that in ancient times made the city the gateway to the Iberian Peninsula and the European continent, both by land and by sea.

This exclusive location has shaped the history of the city with the passage of different cultures and civilisations and has rewarded its inhabitants with a cosmopolitan character, accustomed to diversity, which lives in harmony with tradition and the Mediterranean spirit. So, Barcelonans are enterprising, dynamic, hard-working, competitive...but, most of all, civic-minded.
Barcelona's long heritage of cultural and artistic diversity has left the city with a rich architectural and monumental legacy, encompassing everything from Roman ruins to the most daring trends in modern art. But, above all, Barcelona is the city of Gaudí and modernism.

Barcelona has art museums and exhibitions for any taste. The largest collection of Romanesque art in the world can be found at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). A very different style can be found at the Museu d'Art Contemporani (MACBA), and who can forget the monographic collections of the Picasso Museum, the Fundació Miró and the Fundació Antoni Tàpies.

In its commitment to culture, Barcelona also stands out for its huge variety of musical offerings, which cover the whole spectrum of genres. The Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música Catalana and l'Auditori are some of the city's more outstanding venues.

Another of the city's key elements is its dining, one of the main courses of Catalan culture. Balanced, healthy and varied, Catalan cuisine is one of the best examples of the Mediterranean diet, based on natural products and olive oil.
Barcelona is also a great place to shop. The city features shops that combine tradition and modernity, along with big international brands.

Barcelona has a lot to offer, and we'll hope you'll have a chance to get to know it all.

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