Food, fiesta, fashion and fun.

Barcelona has transformed itself from smug backwater into one of the most dynamic and stylish cities in the world. Summer is serious party time, with week-long fiesta fun. But year-round the city sizzles – it's always on the biting edge of architecture, food, fashion, style, music and good times.

The buildings, many the work of the eccentric genius Gaudí, will blow you away. The art, with significant collections by Picasso and Miró, will make you clammy all over. The people, with their exuberance, their duende, their persistent egalitarianism, will fascinate you.

Orientation

Barcelona's coastline runs roughly northeast to southwest and many streets are parallel or perpendicular to this. Two major hills - Montjuïc and Tibidabo - provide good landmarks for orientation. The focal point of town is La Rambla, a 1.25km (0.75mi) boulevard running northwest and slightly uphill from Port Vell (Old Harbour) to Plaça de Catalunya. The Plaça is the boundary between Ciutat Vella (Old Town) and the more recent additions further inland. L'Eixample, the city's 19th-century answer to overcrowding, stretches 1.5km (1mi) north, east and west of Plaça de Catalunya. Montjuïc begins about 700m (763yd) southwest of the southeastern end of La Rambla, and Tibidabo, with a landmark television tower and golden Christ statue, is 6km (4mi) northwest of the city. The Ciutat Vella, a warren of narrow streets, centuries-old buildings and budget accommodation, spreads on both sides of La Rambla. Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) is at its heart, on the lower half of the eastern section of the boulevard. West is El Raval, where travellers need to be alert; its southern part forms a seedy red-light district called Barri Xinès (Chinese Quarter). Port Vell has an excellent modern aquarium and two marinas, and at its northeastern end is La Barceloneta, the old sailors' quarter. Beaches and a pedestrian promenade stretch northeast from there to Port Olímpic, a harbour built for the 1992 Olympics and now home to lively bars and restaurants.

Timezone

• Central European Time: GMT +1 hours

Money

• good mid-range meal: £30.00-40.00
• litre of mineral water from supermarket: £0.35
• letter within Europe: £0.52
• souvenir t-shirt: £10.00-24.00
• 330ml bottle of Estrella Voll Damm beer: £2.00
• entrance to La Sagrada Família: £8.00
• movie ticket: £6.00
• cocktail: £7.00
• litre of petrol: £0.82
• national newspaper: £1.00

Environment

• Latitude: 41.358001709
• Longditude: 2.15899991989
• Area (sq km) : 487
• Population: 1600000