Guides about Catalonia are over-powered with references to Barcelona.. Spain’s second and perhaps most famous city. And a great city it is too.. with much to do and see and a thriving immigrant population, it is widely revered as a King of World Culture. Most famous, perhaps, for the extravagant architecture of Antoni Gaudi and the surrealist art of Salvador Dali.

But the region has a cultural and national identity of its own and this becomes more evident when touring the region. And great variety can be found while doing that. The North of the region is bordered by the giant Pyrenees where lakes and headwaters of great rivers nestle between the towering mountain peaks. In the foothills of these great mountains there are many wonderful towns built from stone. These are typified by architecture found the city of Girona.

The coast, all the way to the southern town of Tarragona is famed for stretches of good beaches. Most notably the rocky coves along the Costa Brava. But the temperature here is considerably lower than in Andalucia so, if hunting beaches, be sure to arrive in mid-summer.