Barcelona, with its wealth of historical and cultural sites, is loved the world over.
Buildings that span the ages, from the temple columns of Ancient Rome to Gothic drama and Modernism’s quirkiness, sit against the rolling green Collserola hills and look out over the glimmering Mediterranean Sea. This Iberian sun-soaked city has long provided inspiration to artists. Let it inspire you too.
This first stop on your Catalonia road trip is all about art — surprise, surprise. Explore Cubist classics at the Picasso Museum. Then head to the Museum of Contemporary Art: the building alone is a masterpiece, designed by Richard Meier. And, of course, the Sagrada Família — there really is nothing quite like it.
For more Gaudí, pay a visit to Casa Batlló or the Palau de la Música! And, when night falls, catch an open-air film at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona.
Next on your Catalonia road trip is the medieval city of Girona! A cultural chocolate box of museums, galleries, and Gothic churches, all connected by a maze of picturesque cobbled lanes, Girona straddles the River Onyar.
On one side is the city’s historic hub, with Modernist mansions reflected in the flowing water. On the other side, its commercial centre. The river is crossed by the Pont de les Peixateries Velles, designed by Gustave Eiffel, creator of — yes, you’ve guessed it — Paris’s most famous landmark.
Figueres is best known as the birthplace of surrealist icon Salvador Dalí. The Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, designed and founded by Dalí himself, attracts visitors from all over the world. Whether you're an art aficionado or not, you're drawn to the allure of a man who was just as uniquely odd as his oeuvre.
Aside from surrealist delights, Figueres, the next stop on your Catalonia road trip, also offers great food, wine and small-town charm.
Head first to the Dalí Foundation. Whether you consider him a genius or a self-indulgent eccentric, you can't help but be bowled over by this magical wonderland, which includes giant eggs and great walls of bread.
Figueres is also home to the Toy Museum of Catalonia, a collection of teddies, tricycles, spinning tops and steam engines, among other children's mementoes. And then there's the quirky Technical Museum of the Empordà, known for its collection of rare antique typewriters. It's more interesting than it sounds, we promise.
If you're looking to extend this Barcelona itinerary, the coastal area near Figueres is the perfect excuse for doing so. From Cadaqués down to the Golf de Roses, Catalonia's most north-eastern coast is seriously worth a detour.
Inland from Barcelona sits Vic, a city often ignored in favour of its coastal cousin. More fool them. Vic is home to fascinating cultural attractions and you won’t have to fight the crowds to see them.
With a young population it also has a sassy energy that draws you in. Here you’ll find restored Roman ruins, Romanesque bridges, Gothic town halls and Modernist mansions — a real cultural hodgepodge that only makes it more handsome.
Visit the Catedral de Sant Pere, where neoclassical and Romanesque styles collide. Then head to the Roman temple, tucked inside the walls of an 11th-century castle, packing a lot of history into a few square metres.
Wander through the art collection at the Museu Episcopal. Relax in one of the cafés that spill out into the Plaça Major, home to Vic’s twice-weekly markets. Stroll ancient alleyways and stumble across intriguing street art.
And when cultural adventuring wears you down, refuel with local cured meats, known as embutidos — probably the best you’ll have on this Catalan road trip.
