Your decision to choose Catalonia as your next holiday destination is undoubtedly the best. The natural variables that make up this Spanish community are unimaginable, with coastlines that are some of the best in Spain, mountains and snow-capped peaks. No matter what season you are going on, Catalonia will always have fantastic and historical places to explore and enjoy. In this tourist map of Catalonia, we have compiled those places where you can exploit tourism in different environments around the community, to help you choose where you would like to go.
Map of Catalonia
Contents
The tourist map of Catalonia is considered a historical and artistic nationality, since it has been the cradle of famous and recognized representatives of art, who left their mark in many corners of the town. This Spanish region borders with France to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the Valencian Community to the west. This geographical space, which it occupies within the European continent, makes its topography characteristically varied, thus providing its diversity in relief and mountainous regions. Catalonia is a community with most of its industrialized and prosperous regions, but among the modern, there is a space to house the historical center of the city, which proposes a series of ancient monuments and high heritage value that make tourism and travel through its streets a kind of journey through time.
Catalonia has become the preferred option for many tourists who want to explore Spain, as its tourist attractions allow for the development of sporting, gastronomic and cultural activities, which depend on the tourist site of the city you are in at the time. The climate is also a favorable part for the different times of the year, in summer the central region is usually warmer than normal, becoming the ideal time to spend some time in one of its bays and tour the famous Costa Dorada. In winter, its temperature is mild, being a fantastic season to ski in one of its ski resorts. In short, Catalonia will always give you thousands of reasons to visit it
Tourist guide of Catalonia
Those who visit Catalonia for the first time are fascinated and want to return once again to its historic centre, beaches and natural parks. As it is a large community, like other Spanish communities, in this tourist route we propose and compile those spaces with the greatest tourist attraction around the entire Catalan region, in order to help you choose what to see in Catalonia and to guide you in the best way possible to facilitate the organization of your travel itinerary, regardless of the time of year in which you decide to visit it. We guarantee that in this Spanish region you will want to stay longer than you think and you will enjoy every moment you spend in its places.
What to visit in Catalonia
Baqueira Beret
Baqueira Beret is a ski resort located in the Catalan Pyrenees, specifically in the Aran Valley. The resort is named after the town of Baqueira and the plain of Beret, a high plateau on the way to Montgarri. This ski resort is the most important in Spain and Europe. It can transport more than 50,000 skiers per hour, as it has a skiable area of more than 2,100 hectares, with 157 km of pistes, 1010 metres of vertical drop and 7 km of cross-country skiing and itineraries. From the resort you can enjoy spectacular views of mountains over 3000 m high, with their snow-capped peaks. Skiing is one of the most entertaining activities we can do, and in Catalonia, it is the best place to do it. You can reach the town of Baqueira by car thanks to a road that connects the resort to the outside. On the way, you can pass through wonderful villages where you can rest, buy handicrafts and so on.
Girona Cathedral
Catalonia is known for having beautiful cathedrals, one of them is the Cathedral of Girona. This Gothic style sanctuary is surrounded by different museums, such as the Girona History Museum and the Girona Art Museum. Inside you can enjoy a unique nave, which is the widest Gothic nave in the world. In addition to this, you can see the beautiful stained glass windows, the baldachin, the silver altarpiece and the Romanesque ara. All the spaces in the cathedral have a unique and surprising style. To visit this cathedral is to walk through hundreds of years of history of the most important religion in the world. In the museums you can soak up the history of Girona and of course, the cathedral. On your visit to Catalonia, if you want to do religious tourism, the Cathedral of Girona must be in your itinerary.
Salvador Dalí House Museum
Like not setting foot in the home of one of the most famous artists of all time. The House Museum of the painter Salvador Dalí contains in its interior the wonderful history of this genius of painting. Located in the small town of Portlligat, Girona, this museum houses hundreds of objects, some photos and paintings by the Catalan artist. Dalí lived for over 40 years in this house, where he left his mark, building an eccentric and unconventional, labyrinthine home with really cozy spaces where he could develop all his art. Today the house is visited by thousands of people. In 1997 it was designated as an Asset of Cultural Interest. For art lovers, visiting Salvador Dalí’s house is a must and even more so if you are visiting Catalonia. To enter the house you can contact the foundation that is in charge of the museum’s administration to coordinate everything about visits, opening hours, prices and so on.
Cape Creus Natural Park
This cape represents the easternmost part of Spain and of the whole Iberian Peninsula. It is located at an altitude of 672 m. It is a rocky promontory that rises above the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the province of Gerona. This cape has been a source of inspiration for many artists, including painters and poets who have found reasons to create spectacular works. In 1998 it was declared a Natural Park. You can reach it by a winding road, which goes up the promontory and will take you to the viewpoint where you can have a spectacular view of the Mediterranean. There is a lighthouse on the cape, which serves as a guide for the boats.
Aquarium of Barcelona
Located in Puerto Viejo, Barcelona, it is the only aquarium that Catalonia has and the most important in terms of Mediterranean theme that exists. The complex was inaugurated in 1995 and is made up of 35 aquariums among which are distributed the more than 11,000 animals that lie inside. To enter this park is to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of the ocean. You can learn a lot of things about the different marine species and you will be fascinated by the beauty of the fish and the forms that exist in the marine habitat that is recreated in the aquarium. This is one of the most important tourist attractions you will find in Catalonia.
Aigüestortes National Park and Lake Sant Maurici
Located in the central area of the Pyrenees, this park is one of the most important natural parks in Spain and the most important in Catalonia. With an extension of more than 14,000 hectares, the territory of the park is located mostly above 1000 meters above sea level, reaching heights that exceed 3000 meters. In the park there are several lakes, like the Rius and of course, the San Mauricio, enlarged with the construction of a dam located in the municipality Espot. There are also several peaks of considerable height, with peaks that dazzle with their beauty. The park has a diverse flora and fauna that make up the wonderful landscape of an ecosystem worth admiring and visiting. You can enter the park through two of the regions it covers, Espot and Boi, where you will find several information points where everything related to the tour is planned.
Montserrat Massif
The most famous mountain in Catalonia. The Montserrat Massif is a rocky formation that has an area of 50 square km. It is located 30 km from the centre of the city of Barcelona. Nearby is the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat and its sanctuary, dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat. The different shapes of the massif give it a unique and very attractive aspect to the landscape. In addition to the sanctuary, in the massif we can enjoy the Holy Cave of Montserrat, the Sant Joan Funicular and the Basilica. To reach Montserrat, you have two options: the rack train or the cable car. Either option is valid. It all depends on your preferences. If you are planning to visit Catalonia, the Massif of Montserrat is a must.
Golden Coast
This spectacular coastal strip is located southwest of Barcelona, Catalonia. It is full of resorts, hotels and restaurants of high standard. Located in the province of Tarragona, this coast is bathed by the waters of the Balearic Sea. Its beaches are some of the best in Spain. Most of them have the famous blue flag, a label that denotes the cleanliness of the waters. The towns along the coast are a must when you visit Catalonia. You can stay in their innumerable hotels, visit the streets of the cities, buy handicrafts, visit night clubs and so on. The waters that bathe the coast are shallow and warm, so you can enjoy them peacefully with your family. To visit Catalonia is to fall in love with its wonderful Mediterranean bays, so don’t miss the opportunity to take a walk along the wonderful Costa Dorada.
Vicens Gaudí House
Built by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, this house has all the style of Catalan modernism, an architectural trend whose greatest representative was Gaudí. Located in the Carrer de les Carolines, this house is one of the most visited places in Catalonia. It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1969 and a World Heritage Site in 2005. The house’s facade dazzles with its beauty and originality, full of tiles and with a style that reminds a bit of the Middle East style. Each of the 4 floors of the house has a spectacular decoration, where we can see closely all the creativity and genius of a character that more than an architect, was an artist. Today, the house has become a kind of museum where we can see part of the evolution of a city as wonderful as Barcelona. The visit to this wonderful monument can be done being guided by experts who will tell you everything you need to know about the house and the work of Gaudí.
Pablo Picasso Museum
Who hasn’t heard of Pablo Picasso? You don’t have to be an art expert to immediately recognize this name. Picasso is perhaps the most popular painter who ever lived. An iconic character who is indissolubly linked to the history of Catalonia. That’s why if you go to visit this autonomous community, you must pass by the Pablo Picasso Museum. Inside you will find more than 4,249 works, distributed over 13,000 square meters. In each room of the museum you can walk through the various stages of the master of Cubism who left behind wonderful works. If you are an art lover, visiting this gallery is almost a must. The address of the museum is 15-23 Montcada Street.
Map of hotels in Catalonia
The best way to complete this tourist guide to the Catalan region is by adding a map of hotels in Catalonia, considering that, this community, due to its great industrialization and tourist movement, offers a wide variety of options in terms of accommodation, bringing for you from luxury hotels to cabins in areas with less noise. Based on this, we want to help you to make the moment of choosing where to spend your days less difficult, recommending you, among thousands of hotels that are also of excellent reputation and good services, the Hotel Carlemany Girona, located a few kilometers from the center of the province of Girona, this 4 star complex, offers cozy rooms and a warm atmosphere.