Posts Tagged ‘Barcelona’

Barcelona Becomes a Hub for Superyachts

Barcelona Becomes a Hub for Superyachts
A pair of marinas equipped to handle the biggest yachts has turned the east coast of Spain into a destination.

Read more on New York Times

Vicky Cristina Barcelona — Teaser

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is an upcoming film by director Woody Allen. The film will premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, and is set to be released on September 5, 2008. The cast includes: Scarlett Johansson Rebecca Hall Penélope Cruz Javier Bardem

Best things to do in Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Venice, Messina, Barcelona, Cannes, and Florence?? :-)

My fiance and I are going on a Mediterranean cruise for our honeymoon (June 2008), and since we only get to spend a very short amount of time in each location, we want to make sure we spend out time in the best way possible! We’re both really into history, architecture, science, nature, animals, wine… We’re also both in the medical field, so anything that combines any of that stuff or you think we might find interesting, please let us know!! Even good places to eat, and I’d like to buy artwork in each place we stop to hang in our new home, so advice on that too if you have it! Also, does anyone know what the deal is with buying wine and bringing it back to the US? I mean, we will be spending a lot of time in Italy… Here’s our itinerary:

Rome, Italy (depart)
Naples, Italy (11 hours)
Dubrovnik, Croatia (12 hours)
Venice, Italy (overnight; 27hrs)
Messina, Italy (10 hrs)
Barcelona, Spain (10hrs)
Cannes, France (11hrs)
Florence, Italy (12hrs)
Rome (2 days)
Thanks!!
Wow thanks mareeclara! Pompeii is a place I’ve read a lot about and it never even occurred to me that we were going to be right there. We will definitely be visiting, I already found some sites that offer day trips from Naples. I can’t wait! All of the info you gave is fantastic, thank you so much!

I am taking a cruise next year to the Mediterranean (Barcelona, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Malta and Cannes). ?

Can anyone tell me how the weather is in this area during mid-October?

want to trave by train from cannes to barcelona .?

weather in barcelona, spain – compared to cannes, france?

Hi, I’m considering relocating in Spain or the South of France. I’d like to compare the two locations in terms of weather.

In particular, it seems the weather is not 100% tied in to the position of the city in regards to a particular longitude. Instead, some rather ‘permanent’ fixtures in the sky seem to affect the overall ‘quality’ of the weather “so called ‘microclimates”.

Where can I find information on any of this? Many thanks!!!

Hotel Infrastructure in Barcelona

Today, Barcelona is a dynamic and welcoming city which has become one of the major economic and business centers in Mediterranean Europe. Thanks to its strategic geographical location, it extends its influence over a wide area of the Mediterranean and maintains tight relations with the EC market and Latin American countries.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and is located on the coast, surrounded by the Collserola, sierra to the north, the river Besós to the east and the Llobregat to the west, and is less than 150 kilometers from the Pyrenees. Located on the Mediterranean seaboard, it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate, with pleasant temperatures all year long.

Barcelona is a city which breathes art, contrasts and coexistence of cultures which endow it with a magic difficult to find in any other city. Important architectural works surprise visitors as they stroll along the streets, streets of a bustling city in which you can also find many tranquil spots and even beautiful beaches just minutes on foot from the city centre.

Since the 1992 Olympic Games, the city has had an extensive, top-quality Barcelona hotels infrastructure which, together with tourist apartments, youth hostels, campsites on the outskirts and halls of residence, comprises Barcelonaâ??s range of accommodations. Barcelona also offers a large amount of tourist apartments. More hotels are being built every year.

The hotels have their own particular styles and offer a wide range of services and comforts so that you will feel completely at home. They all offer top-quality services and conscientious customer assistance, in accordance with European standards of quality. Furthermore, the quality of accommodation and distance to venue are more homogenous in Barcelona and Cannes’ favorable booking conditions have been replicated in Barcelona.

Hotels in Barcelona are classified with a five-star rating system – with only the super deluxe obtaining five stars. The average vacation package deal would place you in a three- or four-star hotels in Barcelona – occasionally a two star – all of which should have good facilities, with en-suite private bathroom and air conditioning. A one-star hotel is less common, as hostels and pensions tend to cater for the budget traveler.

Hostels vary between one and three stars – often family-owned and run. Before the mass tourism of the 60s, hostels were extremely basic but these days you’ll often obtain good accommodation and restaurants at a reasonable price. At the bottom end of the scale are the cheap pensions. The best of them do offer a clean, family environment at a reasonable price – but you’ll not often get your own bathroom.

Younger visitors and those looking for alternative forms of accommodation will find youth hostels, halls of residence, some of them open all year round, and campsites located a short distance from the city. In short, accommodation for all tastes and at prices to suit every pocket.

The origins of paradores go back to 1910, when the Spanish Government assigned Marquís de la Vega Inclán the task of creating a hotel infrastructure to improve Spain´s image abroad. As a result, paradores can be found in converted castles, palaces and monasteries – as well as newly-constructed ones in beautiful, unspoilt areas.

Barcelona is increasing its hotel infrastructure year after year. It currently has 250 hotels and 43,000 hotel beds. In 2004, the number of overnights rose to 10,100,000 and over 4,500,000 tourists visited Barcelona.

Road Trip – Barcelona to Milano by Car

While a road trip from Barcelona, Spain to Milano, Italy can be made in under 10 hours, the adventure couldn’t be complete without a few stops along the way. Driving along the Spanish coast through Marseille, Toulon, Nice and Monte Carlo almost begs of a two or three day journey to take it all in.

Out of Barcelona, you’ll start on B-10 then take C-58 / C-17 as you head toward AP-7. Now would be a good time to fill up on petrol and pick up thirty Euro for the tolls you’ll encounter.

Your next road change will be to C-33 with a toll of 1.25 EU. That will be followed by E-15/AP-7 and another toll of 10.50 EU. You will have traveled 160 km by this point and will be entering the country of France and the city of Girona. Take in a museum here. The Museu del Cinema offers an interactive journey into the history of the cinema, from Chinese shadows to the magic of television. Located at Sequia 1, Girona.

Coleccion de Automoviles de Salvador Claret offers a collection of more than 300 vehicles including cars, lorries, motorcycles, velocipedes, bicycles and engines in addition to an aviation collection. Located at Sils, Selva, Girona. There are many other museums as well, including Museu d’Historia de la Joquina (a toy museum.)

Continue on AP-7 through Capmany, stopping for a quick tour of the historic Capmany castle, dating back to the eleventh century. Stop in for some tapas and a sangria before driving on AP-7 for a while longer. Take A-9/E-15 at the exit.

You’ll have to buy another toll ticket at Le Perthus and again at Montpellier 2 and 1. Beware, there are speed cameras at A9 km marker 102.3 and A9 km marker 59.7. Exit A-9 at exit number 25 onto A54 toward Nimes, Arles and Marseille.

Take N572 / E80 followed by N113 / E80. If you are getting tired, consider resting your head on a pillow in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, France. This small town is quaint and thick with history. They offer a charming Friday morning market you’re sure to enjoy.

Out of Saint-Martin-de-Crau, take A7 / E714 / E80. You have many tolls to go, make sure you have plenty of Euro on hand. Close to Marseille, take A8 / E80. Be wary of speed cameras at A8 km marker 147.0, A8 km marker 148.0, A8 km marker 149.0, A8 km marker 151.4 and A8 km marker 196.8.

Stop in Cannes or Nice along your way for a bite to eat and a visit to any one of their dozens of museums. Don’t forget to sample a few French pastries along the way as well.

About 40 km out of Nice you’ll pass into Italy. Take A10 / E80 for about 50 km then head toward Milano. You can stop along the way at Genova, also called Genoa, and take in some sites there. Acquario di Genova is the largest marine park in Europe and is appropriately located on the waterfront at Ponte Spinola. A revolving view of the city is available at Bigo, located in the Porto Antico area.

Out of Genova, you’ll take A26 to your final destination, Milano, Italy. Have a cookie on us!