Situated on the North-East coast, the capital of Catalonia is Spain’s second largest city with a population of 1.6 million.
The metropolitan area of Barcelona spans over nearly 1,800 square kilometres with nearly 5 million inhabitants, making it the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Madrid, the Ruhr Area in Germany, and Milan.
WORLD ROUTES 2017 will take place in Barcelona, Catalonia, hosted by Aeroports de Catalunya. It will be held in the hugely impressive International convention centre, Fira De Barcelona between September 23-26, 2017. Read the official release.
Barcelona El Prat Airport is located 15km from the centre of Barcelona and 3km from the port, making it an important transport hub, and crucial in the cruise market.
The increase in passenger traffic over the past twenty years highlights its importance for the city. The numbers have increased from just over 11 million in 1995, to 35,210,735 in 2013, a growth rate among the highest of Europe’s leading airports.
Barcelona is a major cultural and economic centre in South-Western Europe, ranking 24th in the world for business, politics and culture in a Global Cities Index study.
In 2008, it was the fourth most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union, and 35th in the World.
In terms of sightseeing, the Sagrada Familia is one of the most spectacular sights in the centre of Barcelona. The Basilica, which is still under construction after over 100 years was designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, whose work is visible across the entire city. His distinct style is evident throughout the interior and exterior of the building, which is still only a third of the way to completion.
Barcelona is famous for its architecture, and Gaudi holds the top spot for many attractions, from Park Guell located in the north close to the Sierra de Collserola mountain range, to the Casa Batllo – the infamous colourful apartment blocks in the centre.
The Catalonian city offers a huge variety of shopping outlets, from a modern retail centre situated by the port, to ‘Las Ramblas’ - the 1.2km stretch through the centre of Barcelona littered with market stalls, shops, Spanish food stands and street performers.
Fine restaurants and bars are never hard to come by in Barcelona, with many traditional Spanish tapas and seafood restaurants. The nightlife is equally as famous, with a huge stretch of bars and clubs across the seafront, and little traditional bars and pubs hidden away in the Gothic Quarter and all across the city.
The bus tours are often the best way to see everything the city has to offer, with many of them offering the option to ‘hop on and hop off’ using the same ticket throughout the day.
The city boasts eight universities and is home to Spain’s two most prestigious universities, the University of Barcelona and Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, which both rank among the global top 200 in the QS World University Rankings.
Despite being a popular tourist destination, Barcelona is full of traditional charm and its historical charisma remains unscathed.
The impressive Camp Nou stadium, home of the world famous FC Barcelona is the fourth biggest football stadium in the world, with a capacity of just under 100,000. Self-guided tours are offered, though aren’t available on match days.
Barcelona isn’t short of beaches either, and surprisingly for a city destination, the beaches still stretch some 4.2 kilometres across the east side of the city.
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