Barcelona Province Guide
| fast facts |
Population:
5,183,516 (2005)
Provincial Capital:
Barcelona
Airports:
Barcelona
Area:
7728km²
Official languages:
Catalan & Spanish (Castellano)
Government:
Generalitat de Catalunya - an autonomous community within Spain
Comarcas (Regions):
l’Alt Penedès, l’Anoia, el Bages, el Baix Llobregat, el Barcelonès, el Berguedà, el Garraf, el Maresme, Osona, el Vallès Occidental, el Vallès Oriental
Orientation:
coastal province lying south of Girona, east of Lleida and north of Tarragona
Hotels in Barcelona province
General Overview
Whilst being by far the most populous province within Catalunya there’s still a huge variety of wide open spaces on offer for a visitor to this area. It almost goes without saying that the city of Barcelona is worth a visit for anyone whether it’s for the first time or a repeat visit, but most of the tourists that walk the well trodden ‘rambla’ never experience what else the province has to offer.
With four spectacular natural parks, some superb beaches and its most northerly comarca in the foothills of the Pyrenees, if you have the time, hiring a car for at least a few days is a must. For wine aficionados the l’Alt Penedès comarca is the vineyard of Barcelona province and is especially famous for the production of cava. Whilst this sparkling wine is produced in other areas of Catalunya this is it’s principal area with famous names such as Freixenet having their biggest vineyards here.
Barcelona province highlights
Barcelona
The capital of Catalunya is vibrant, cosmopolitan city that is worthy of a far longer description than is available in this section so go to our city guides for more information.
Sitges
Being just 40km south of Barcelona, Sitges is a favourite weekend escape for the city dwellers. It’s an attractive seaside town with numerous beaches and excellent nightlife. It’s also famous for its gay scene and this not only contributes to the relaxed, open atmosphere but the annual Carnival in late February or early March which sees the whole town partying from Thursday right through to the following Tuesday.
Montserrat Mountain & Abbey
This incredible jagged mountain dominates the skyline for miles around and has the stunning 11th century Benedictine Abbey and Monastery (where 80 monks live, study and worship) built into its side. There are also daily performances by the escolans boys’ choir and the excellent Museu de Montserrat with over 1300 exhibits.
Sant Marti Sarroca castle
The oldest part of this castle dates from the 12th and 13th centuries and The Church of Santa Maria was fully restored in 1906. It’s also has a magnificent setting at the top of a rocky outcrop.
Val de Sau Collsacabra
This stunning area in the Osona comarca with its rivers, lakes, waterfalls, gorges and canyons is a wonderful place for anything from walking to mountain biking, horse riding to kayaking. There’s plenty of places to stay from camping to hotels or Turisme Rural (Rural accommodation).
Cadí Moixeró natural park
Covering a mountainous area of over 41,000 hectares ranging in altitude from 800m to 2648m, this is the biggest natural park in Catalunya. There’s a large population of Chamois and Red and Roe deer that have been recently successfully reintroduced. For more information on this and other natural park in Catalunya check our great outdoors section.
Cities and Towns of interest
Barcelona , Sitges
Natural Parks
Delta del Llobregat, Parc Natural de Montserrat, Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt I l’Obac, Parc Naturel del Monseny
Climate
A Mediterranean climate but with extremes depending on where you are but generally hot summers and cool, sometimes cold winters. Coastal and inland temperatures can vary greatly, in both summer and winter, (Berguedà province in the foothills of the Pyrenees can get to -10 in the winter) with rainfall being most prevalent in autumn and spring. For a more detailed look at the weather province by province go to our weather pages.
