In a privileged position on the northeastern coast of the Iberian peninsula and the shores of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia, 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up Spain.

There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan, generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castilian Spanish. The city of Barcelona has a population of 1.510.000, but this number spirals to more than 4.000.000 if the outlying areas are also included.

The capital of Catalonia is unequivocally a Mediterranean city, not only because of its geographic location but also and above all because of its history, tradition and cultural influences. The documented history of the city dates back to the founding of a Roman colony on its soil in the second century B.C. Modern Barcelona experienced spectacular growth and economic revival at the onset of industrialization during the second half of the 19th century. The 1888 World's Fair became a symbol of the capacity for hard work and the international outlook projected by the city. Culture and the arts flourished in Barcelona and in all of Catalonia; the splendor achieved by Catalonian modernism is one of the most patent displays.

Barcelona, more than just a single city, is really a collection of multi-faceted and diverse cities. The visitor unfamiliar with its history might be surprised that such a modern and enterprising city preserves its historic Gothic center almost intact, or by the curious contrast between the maze of narrow streets and the grid-like layout of the Eixample, the urban planning "Enlargement" project of the end of the 19th century.

If you are going to visit Barcelona you will need a place to stay. Choose among selected Barcelona hotels in the center, from 1 to 5 stars ranking. Barcelona has of course a lot of hotels. Many of these Barcelona hotels are of high quality but this doesn't mean you have to stay in these. Of course Barcelona also has a lot of budget hotels for you to stay. This way your visit to Barcelona stays affordable.

Barcelona has emerged from a spotty history. With Castilian kings pumping cannonballs over the city walls and anarchists disagreeing on which shoulder to hang their rifles, the city shrank in the shadow of greater cities and powers for centuries.

Though founded around 230 BC, likely by the Carthaginians, and invaded by the Visigoths and then the Muslims, the history of the city, in a sense, only truly began after armies from what is now France pushed back the Muslims in 801 AD. At the time, the plains and mountains to the northwest and north of Barcelona were populated by the people who by then could be identified as 'Catalans' (although surviving documentary references to the term only date to the 10th century). Catalan's closest linguistic relative today is the langue d'oc, the old language of southern France.

In the 12th century, Catalunya grew rich on pickings from the fall of the Muslim caliphate of Córdoba. The Catalans managed to keep their creative forces alight through to the 14th century, when Barcelona ruled a mini-empire including Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Valencia, the Balearics, the French regions of Rousillon and Cerdagne and parts of Greece. But by the 15th century, devastated by the plague, spectacular bank crashes, and the Genoese squeezing their markets, the empire ran out of steam. While the Catalans may have hoped that union with the kingdom of Castile would pump cash back into the coffers and vitality onto the streets, heirs to the crowns of Castile and Aragón were more interested in juicing Catalunya to finance their own imperial ambitions.

A 1462 rebellion against King Joan II ended in a siege in 1473 that devastated the city. Barcelona was more or less annexed into the Castilian state, but was excluded from the plundering of the Americas that brought fantastic riches to 16th-century Castile. By now, the peasants had started to revolt. Disaffected Catalans resorted to arms a number of times, and the last revolt, during the War of the Spanish Succession, saw Catalunya siding with Britain and Austria against Felipe V, the French contender for the Spanish throne. That was their undoing. Barcelona fell in 1714 after another shocking siege, and as well as banning the Catalan language, Felipe built a huge fort, the Ciutadella, to watch over his ungrateful subjects in town.

After 1778 Catalunya was permitted to trade with America, and the region's fortunes gradually turned around. Spain's first industrial revolution, based on cotton, was launched there, and other industries based on wine, cork and iron also developed. By the 1830s, the European Romantic movement virtually rescued Catalan culture and language just as it was in danger of disappearing. The Catalan Renaixenзa, or Renaissance, was a crusade led by poets and writers to popularize the people's language. A fervent nationalist movement sprang up around the same time, and was embraced by all parties of the political spectrum.

The decades around the turn of the century were a fast ride, with anarchists, Republicans, bourgeois regionalists, gangsters, police terrorists, political gunmen called pistoleros and centrists in Madrid all clamoring for a slice of the action. This followed an explosion in Barcelona's population - from around 115,000 in 1800 to more than half a million by 1900, then over a million by 1930 - as workers flocked in for industrial jobs. As many as 80% of the city's workers embraced the anarchist CNT by the end of WWI, and industrial relations hit an all-time low during a wave of strikes in 1919-20 when employers hired assassins to kill union leaders.

Within days of Spain's Second Republic forming in 1931, Catalan nationalists declared a republic within an 'Iberian Federation'. Catalunya briefly gained genuine autonomy after the leftist Popular Front won the February 1936 Spanish general election, and for nearly a year revolutionary anarchists and the POUM (the Workers Marxist Unification Party) ran the town. Get 10 anarchists in a room, though, and you'll have 11 political opinions; in May 1937 infighting between communists, anarchists and the POUM broke out into street fighting for three days, killing at least 1500 people.

Franco wasted no time in banning Catalan and flooding the region with impoverished immigrants from Andalucía in the vain hope that the pesky Catalans, with their continual movements for independence, would be swamped. But the plan soured somewhat when the migrants' children and grandchildren turned out to be more Catalan than the Catalans. Franco even banned one of the Catalans' joyful expressions of national unity, the sardana, a public circle dance.

But they'd barely turned the last sods on El Supremo's grave when Catalunya burst out again in an effort to recreate itself as a nation. Catalan was revived with a vengeance, the Generalitat, or local parliament, was reinstated, and today, people gather all over town several times a week to dance the sardana. While there's still talk of independence, it remains just that - talk. Barcelona is its country's most happening town, and seems set to stay that way.

Barcelona's location on the shores of the Mediterranean means that it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate and pleasant temperatures all year round. Between the Barceloneta district and the River Besos, the city has over four kilometres of perfectly equipped beaches which are frequented by its residents during most of the years. Barcelona also has an Olympic harbor which provides excellent conditions for water sports.

Rainfall is often heavy, with levels of around 1,000mm per year. This helps to maintain the many green areas around the city. In any season of the year, Barcelona basks in the sun. You can eat in open-air restaurants or have a drink on the terraces, by the shores of the Mediterranean sea.

For serious history, high culture, breathtaking architecture and jaw-dropping style, no other Spanish city does it quite like Barcelona. A cosmopolitan metropolis in the sun, this popular destination attracts huge numbers of holidaymakers and with low-cost flights available year-round, it has never been easier to visit.

As the second-largest city in Spain, Barcelona has a great deal to offer anyone looking for a memorable holiday. With so much to do and see, it's easy to understand why cheap flights to Barcelona are always in demand. From the breathtaking Sagrada Família to the wonderful Montjuïc Castle, there is no shortage of attractions to take in.

Upon arrival at Barcelona International Airport, transport to the city centre has never been easier to arrange. Located just 13km (8 miles) from the city, there are frequent buses, trains and taxis plying the route from the airport. You can also hire a car by contacting one of several car rental agencies at the airport.

With the potentially fraught transport situation sorted, it's time to get on with enjoying your holiday. Many holidaymakers book flights to Spain for the country's fantastic weather, culture and history, and in those terms Barcelona is second to none. With plenty of fantastic sightseeing opportunities and as many fascinating parts of the city to explore, be sure to keep your camera at hand at all times.

Among those you should not miss is La Rambla de Canaletes, one of the liveliest areas of Barcelona. To say it is a merely a vibrant part of the city is an understatement as shops, markets, street performers and restaurants vie for your attention. This busy street is a popular holiday hotspot for many tourists and is named after the Font de les Canaletes fountain. Local legend has it that if you drink its water, you will keep coming back to Barcelona. Something that is made all the more likely thanks to the availability of affordable flights.

Barcelona is also renowned for its magnificent, striking and occasionally unusual architecture. During your visit, be sure to see some of Gaudi's standout works including the Sagrada Família church, a building of outstanding beauty that was started in 1882 and not yet finished and Park Güell, a garden built between 1900 and 1914.

Barcelona Airport, El Prat, is located just 16km outside the city. Girona Airport, north of the city, and Reus, to the south, are a little over an hour away. Lleida Airport, to the west, is just over two hours away.