There are lots of beautiful cities in Europe that offer the perfect destination for a short break or weekend away. In Spain alone you have the options of Seville and Madrid, Malaga and Palma, whilst the Catalan capital of Barcelona has an intriguingly diverse view unlike any other Spanish city. Often featuring amongst the top ten favourite places to visit, it's a fashionable location for visitor's who have the chance to experience the modern and the ancient alongside each other.

The 2nd biggest city in Spain, Barcelona is recommended for a trip due to the exciting ambience to be experienced and the ability to please every kind of visitor. Amble around the Roman remains before stopping off for a hot chocolate in one of the trendy cafes in the medieval city and then venture further into the more modern part of the city with its wide streets and open squares.

This Catalan capital is ideal at any time of year, in winter you can enjoy the shops and boutiques and see the sights, then when the weather turns warmer do a spot of sunbathing and meander through the streets sightseeing and people watching before heading down to the waterfront. The city area is fairly flat so it's not tiring to walk around the centre, it's only when you get further out to the neighboring hills that the roads start to incline at steeper angles.

Signs of the architect Antoni Gaudí are everywhere from the amazing Parc Güell with its exquisite sculptures, fascinating buildings and mosaic patterns, the massive but as yet still incomplete church of the Sagrada Família, and the Casa Batlló on Passeig de Gracia with a façade of skulls that are in fact balconies, and bones that make up the supporting pillars.

There are lots of open spaces to enjoy in the city including the beaches, gardens and parks. Two of the best are, of course, Güell Park as mentioned above, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and the Barri Gotic in the Park de la Ciudadella with its museums and galleries and boating lake. Around the city itself are several places that you can take a walk and admire the views, Montserrat is prominent for its distinctive rocky shape and natural beauty whilst the Montjuic hill hosted the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Travel on the Tramvia Blau up Tibidabo mountain for the stunning views and interesting cycling tours where you can discover the natural surroundings. Afterwards the Funicular de Tibidabo will take you all the way to the amusement park at the top, built in 1889 many of the rides date back to this time, giving the park a vintage feel.

The beaches also have plenty of space to hang out for a while, with their rough golden sands and raised promenades you can choose to walk or cycle, swim in the cool waters or join in any number of sporting activities going on every day. Barcelona has made a big effort to clean up its beaches in the past few years and now its 5 km stretch of 7 beaches are clean, safe to swim and have the facilities and services you can expect from a Mediterranean beach.

The holiday summer beach season is usually from mid April until mid September. Each has a choice of bars on the sand, known as chiringuitos, that are very popular, some even arrange DJ's to play chillout music and have beach parties.

A saunter along the harbourside is the best way to experience the results of Barcelona's regeneration programme. Port Vell, previously a neglected district with dilapidated warehouses, industrial buildings, rubbish tips and railroad yards is now a delightful place where you can dine on all kinds of cuisine, sip cocktails in chic bars, go shopping in a modern mall and visit one of the best aquariums to be found in Europe. You'll see the many sailboats moored here whilst further up is the Olympic Port where the Games were set. There's a real mix of people who frequent this area, it's popular with the tourists and party-goers but also the locals who'll you see coming down for a drink in the evenings or strolling along the promenade on a Sunday.