Barcelona (/bɑrsəˈloʊnə/, Catalan: [bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish: [barθeˈlona]) is the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain and Spain’s second most populated city with more than 1.6 million inhabitants (4.7 million when including the urban area). Located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, the metropolis is bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range. Official languages include Spanish and Catalan, patron of the city with Roman roots is the Eulalia of Barcelona.

Travel

Barcelona-El Prat Airport is situated about 17 km (11 miles) from the center of Barcelona. It is the second-largest airport in Spain, and main hub for Vueling Airlines and Ryanair as well as a focus for Iberia and Air Europa. The airport mainly serves domestic and European destinations, although some airlines offer destinations in Latin America, Asia and the United States. The airport is connected to the city by highway, a commuter train (Barcelona Airport railway station) that departs approximately every half hour and scheduled bus services.

The Port of Barcelona is one of Europe’s largest container port and one of the leading ports for cruise ships. The Spanish state railway network RENFE has a major hub here and the main train station is Barcelona Sants with direct access to the city-wide metro and tram network with affordable ticket prices.

Tourism

Rich with historical buildings and arts, Barcelona is a very popular destination for tourists and has plenty of parks and museums, including many points of interest declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The most well known church and basilica is the Sagrada Família, while other works by Antoni Gaudí include Park Güell, Palau Güell, Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and Casa Vicens. Other popular sightseeing attractions are the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the La Boqueria Market and the Aquarium Barcelona in Port Vell.

In a city that barely ever sleeps, Las Ramblas is a must-visit with many bars and restaurants as well as street artists. Barcelona also contains seven beaches, totalling 4.5 kilometers of coastline of which Sant Sebastià, Barceloneta and Somorrostro are the largest.

Sports

Various international sports events have taken place in Barcelona such as the 1992 Summer Olympics and most recently the 2013 World Aquatics Championships. Many sports facilities are accessible for everybody to use and the city has a widespread bike service. Another trademark is the sports club FC Barcelona with its impressive Camp Nou football stadium and a capacity of 100,000.