11 Aug 2020

Routes in Catalonia. Tourism in Group or Family.

THE HISTORY, ART, CULTURE AND GASTRONOMY OF THE COUNTRY, AS A WHOLE, MAKE UP A WIDE AND VARIED TOURIST OFFER.

Tourism has become an everyday element of our lives, generating the need to know new places. Although this year is a different summer and travel intentions have also changed from what has been done so far. In a recent survey conducted by the Diputació de Barcelona in July, it was estimated that a third of residents in the province of Barcelona intended to make a trip this summer. It follows the trend marked in the will of the families this season and that is reflected in the information and trends of the different countries of the European Union. From the result of this Omnibus Survey, it can be seen that the majority of families are interested in their local area. In the case of Catalonia, historically, a wide and varied tourist proposal is offered. In the face of the uncertainty of being able to choose a holiday destination, travel ideas have emerged that meet the requirements of trust, safety and health. Catalonia’s tourist destination has a wide range of activities available for both residents and foreigners. It is a rich and diverse territory from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean, which has an extensive artistic background, a broad cultural heritage and a highly regarded gastronomy, as well as a whole coastline where you can relax and enjoy beach activities.

The Catalan tourist destination presents a diverse landscape, enriched by the contrasts offered by going from the sea to the mountains and allowing you to travel from a natural setting to city tourism, passing through Pyrenean routes or getting to know the art, culture and gastronomy of the territory.

The landscape of Catalonia would not be understood without the forms of #modernism as there are dozens of buildings full of symbolism, colour and fantasy. Works such as those by Antoni Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch or Lluís Domènech i Montaner are the most remarkable and are scattered throughout the territory offering a spectacular modernist mosaic. Apart from Barcelona, which concentrates a good part of the most spectacular works by these artists, we should not forget to visit Manresa, Reus, Mataró, La Garriga and Terrassa, which also have modernist routes in their surroundings.

All this is part of the history of the tourist destination to which we must add a World Heritage legacy where we can highlight architectural groups of Romanesque churches such as the Vall de Boí, the archaeological treasure of Tarracoor the Cistercian monasteries of Poblet, Santes Creus and Vallbona de les Monges in a tourist proposal that is very complemented by Cistercian Route. EThe territory is rich in history and allows you to enter the Greek and Roman culture. You can find its mark in the archaeological site of El Born, in Barcelona or in the Ruins of Empúries, in the region of Alt Empordà, to give some examples. The tour of the territory also allows us to discover other treasures of Gothic style, such as the Palau de la Generalitat, the current seat of the government of Catalonia, or the Cathedral of Vic, from the 14th century. Painting and architecture are part of its identity and, as a whole, the cultural legacy is immense..

The wide and varied offer of routes around Catalonia allows you to make a guided tour to know the Route of the Iberians, the Mediterranean Coast or the trace of the Jewish heritage visiting the Jewish quarters and the old “calls” of the Jewish quarters of Barcelona or Girona. You can continue through the industrial revolution visiting textile colonias of the Llobregat or the most avant-garde and always alive architecture in buildings like the Agbar Tower, the Santa Caterina Market or the new Design Museum in Barcelona, opened in 2014.

For those interested in religious tourism, Catalonia Sacra created a tourist proposal to showcase the architectural and artistic heritage linked to the church. The monumental treasures flourish throughout the territory and can be walked along Ignatian route (Camí Ignasià) or the Camí Oliva (Oliva trail) which connect towns and cities and generate a cultural, natural and artistic focus.

It would not be understood to know and visit a territory without approaching its gastronomy and wine tourism to discover the world of its wines and the products of the land. The wine tradition can be found in the Pyrenees as well as in the Costa Brava, the Penedés, or the Priorat. There is a total of eleven different wine denominations of origin, (DO). All this gives an idea that the culture of wine is widespread. Throughout the territory you can find modernist wineries, hiking and cycling routes that allow you to discover the different wine production denominations of origin and accompany it with a gastronomic offer with local products from each of the areas visited that complement a very attractive travel experience. The gastronomy offers tourists and visitors a wide variety of dishes and wines linked to the Mediterranean diet and allows them to taste the traditional dishes and culinary products of each region.