How to plan the perfect trip to Barcelona

Barcelona is the perfect holiday location if you want an exciting city break with plenty of sunshine, beautiful beaches and plenty of exciting attractions to enjoy. Millions of tourists enjoy its long golden beaches, stunning architecture, and beautiful parks every year. It’s always best to be prepared before you travel in order to get the most out of your holiday. Take a look at these helpful tips to help you plan the best break possible.

Choose where to stay

Barcelona is a fairly spread out city and where you stay will have a big impact on the kind of trip you will have. Here are some recommendations on the top places to stay in Barcelona:

• Gothic Quarter - This is Barcelona’s oldest neighborhood and also considered the most beautiful. It’s the most popular area with tourists and has plenty of great restaurants, bars, and attractions nearby.
• Las Ramblas - Barcelona’s most popular and busiest road! Staying on Las Ramblas means you’ll be right in the center of the action and near all of the city’s main attractions.
• Gracia - This hip village has some of Gaudi's most famous works within easy walking distance. It’s also a lot quieter and less crowded.
• El Born - This area looks similar to the Gothic Quarter, but with a more residential feel and far fewer tourists.

Decide how to get around

Once you know where you will be staying, you need to decide how to get around. Fortunately, Barcelona has a great metro system which makes navigating the city fairly straightforward. Renting a car is another great option as it offers convenience and flexibility, especially if you want to go outside of the city and main tourist areas. It's also pretty straightforward to arrange, with plenty of car hire companies offering Discount International Car Rental, so you should find it easy to find a good deal! Generally, the early you book the better the price, but you should still be able to find good last-minute rental deals if you want to plan a spontaneous Spanish road trip.

Find the best attractions

Barcelona is perfect for travelers of all ages! Adults can appreciate the fascinating history, architecture, and culture, but there’s also plenty of things to keep kids entertained too. Make sure you do some research and make a list of attractions you want to visit. You can use resources like travel websites and blogs to find recommendations. Here are some of the best attractions you should be sure to check out when visiting Barcelona:

• La Sagrada Familia - Designed by Antoni Gaudi, this impressive building dominates the city skyline and is one of the world’s most visited basilicas.
• Park Guell - This is a beautiful large park showcasing some of Gaudi’s best work.
• Barcelona Cathedral - An impressive example of gothic architecture that offers amazing photo opportunities.
• The Magic Fountains of Montjuic - The fountain puts on an amazing nightly light, music and water performance that shouldn’t be missed.

World’s Tallest Building in Dubai - Burj Khalifa!

Dubai is located on the Eastern coast of Arabian Peninsula. It is an exotic city which welcomes millions of visitors every year. It is mainly renowned for the luxurious lifestyle, hospitality of people and where you can do world class shopping.

Travel from Barcelona to Dubai for the First Time 

If you are travelling to Dubai for the first time, then you should have all the details about the airport terminals. Emirates airlines provide direct flights and they are bit of less hectic than the break journey. Qatar airways can also be an option. They do stop at Doha once before continuing for Dubai. If you are looking forward to have a trip from Barcelona to Dubai, then you can take Swiss, Pegasus, and Emirates flight too. 

About Dubai: 

The infrastructure of the whole place is outstanding and it gives out a very dynamic energy to the tourists. Dubai is a hot and happening place; one can find all sorts of innovative architecture here. The landmark architecture of Dubai is Burj Khalifa, any tour is incomplete without witnessing that. 

 

 

Where to stay in Dubai: 

One will never have to face any shortage of hotels in Dubai, especially the luxury resorts. The most prosperous areas are the places near the Dubai mall, where the Burj Khalifa is situated. On the either end one can find the Dubai Marina with Burj Al Arab close by the place. There is also the “strip” located on the exact opposite with the charm of Old Dubai. Jumeirah beach is filled with exotic hotels, resorts and restaurants. It is a great delight for the tourists.

 

Why People opt to go to Burj Khalifa? 

Burj Khalifa was launched in the year 2010, it is a skyscraper and one of the most brilliant architecture in the world. It is around 828 metres and has 160 stories and holds the record of being the tallest building in the world. It also has the highest outdoor observation deck in the world, and the elevator travels the longest distance. If you stand beneath the tower, then it will appear like a spiral upwards into the sky like petals of a flower. The interiors are inspired by the local culture in fusion with contemporary design. 

 

Architecture of Burj Khalifa

The architecture is basically an abstract figure of a hymenocallis flower; it features a triple lobbed footprint. It has three main elements that are arranged around the central core. The Y-shaped structure with setbacks provides the support and a stable configuration. At the tallest tower in the world one can have an experience of a lifetime. Architecture is mostly likely the Islamic style.

Tickets for Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa tickets are one of the most sought after attraction passes in Dubai. It is noted for hosting the world’s highest observation decks. There cannot be a better view than this; it will leave every visitor awestruck. One can get the tickets and have dinner in the skies with their beloved.

Things to do in Burj Khalifa

There are a lot of places that one can visit in Burj Khalifa; the Burj Khalifa park is a famous place to visit. Lounges, spas and restaurants are found in the park, designer goods and boutiques are considered as a great purchase. The park allows the tourists to enjoy every attraction around the place.

A Travel to Miravet Castle in Tarragona, Spain

Declared as a site of national interest and opened to the public in 1994, the Castle of Miravet is one of those secret places of Catalonia that are a must in an avid traveler's agenda, only 50 kms away from famous Costa Dorada!

As you can appreciate above, the castle was built on a bend of the Ebro river and dominates over a landscape of fertile lands where vineyards are predominant.

From the rock on which it stands one cannot avoid to recall those centuries of history behind the renown building and the villagers that enjoyed such remarkable views.

From Iberians to Muslims, from Templars to feudal lords, from Carlists to Bourbons, from Nationalists to Republicans, each of them had the chance to rejoice in the same landscape.

There were people here, according to the oldest remains found, since 2 BC, Iberians to be precise. Later, came the Arabs or the Moors, as they were known in Al-Andalus, the name they gave to their dominions in Spain. By the 11th century, they had built this impressive defensive fortress which was expanded in coming decades in order to protect themselves from military incursions of groups organized by powerful Catalan counts. Bear in mind that, after many years of prosperity toiling these lands, the time came when only Miravet and Siurana remained as the last redoubts of the Moorish period.

It was Ramon Berenguer IV, one of those feudal lords, who took the castle from them and gave it to the Templar Knights. For almost two centuries they dominated the fortress which they improved until 1307, year in which, the Spanish Inquisition, instigated by Philip the Handsome, King of France, starts persecuting Templars in France as a result of which James II of Catalonia and Aragon sets on doing the same in Miravet. After two months of resistance to the siege imposed by James, Templars are imprisoned and sent to trials by the Inquisition. The order of the Temple is dissolved and their assets confiscated and transferred to the order of Hospital de Sant Joan de Jerusalem also known as Hospitallers.

But if you want to know more about this Romanesque building and you are fond of Catalonia castle tours it is better that you visit this place and its idyllic environment.

Miravet Castle

Contact details
Carrer del Castell, s/n
+34 977 407 368
Miravet, Tarragona (Catalonia)

miravet.cultura@gencat.cat

Location

Autonomous region: Catalonia
Province/Island: Tarragona

Practical information

Schedule

From Jun 01 to Sep 30
From 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

From Oct 01 to Dec 15
From 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM

From Dec 16 to Feb 28
From 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

From Mar 01 to May 31
From 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Prices

General: €3,50
Reduced: €2,50
ICOM members and associations: Admission free