Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the capital and the most populous city of Catalonia, and as such it also houses the seat of the Catalan government. It is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, facing the Mediterranean Sea. With one of Europe's busiest Mediterranean ports, Barcelona is a major economic centre, being the 12th most visited city in the world and the most popular tourist attraction in Spain. Barcelona is a bilingual city: Catalan and Spanish are both official languages and widely spoken. The city is well known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Barcelona has 68 municipal parks. The biggest of Barcelona's parks is the Montjuïc park, having an area of 203 hectares and situated on the mountain of the same name. The second largest is the Ciutadella Park, located on the site of the old military citadel, which houses the Parliament building, the city zoo and a selection of museums. Barcelona has seven beaches. The two largest, oldest and the most frequented are the Sant Sebastià and Barceloneta beaches.

Accommodation in Barcelona’s student residenes (Colegios Mayores)

Barcelonas’s student residences and Colegios Mayores are independent entities and are mostly assigned to the two most prominent universities: The University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). It should be understood that these residences are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, the halls do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.

Getting around Barcelona

Barcelona is served by Barcelona Airport, which is located about 17 km from the centre of Barcelona. Barcelona has a large and reliable network of public transport that includes an underground system, a bus network and two modern tram networks. In 2007, Barcelona introduced the Bicing service, a bicycle hire service, which is considered public transport. The city's main train station is Barcelona-Sants station.

There are two separate legends that detail the foundation of Barcelona. According to the first, it is attributed to the mythological Hercules, 400 years before the building of Rome. The second legend links the city’s foundation to the historical Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his own family, in the 3rd century BC. In about 15 BC, the Romans redesigned the town as a military camp centred on the "Mons Taber". In historical accounts it was mentioned among the small towns of the district. It was, however, gathered from later writers that it gradually grew in wealth due to its excellent location and a great harbour. Some significant ruins from the Roman times are exposed under the Plaça del Rei and the typical Roman grid-planning is still noticeable today in the layout of the city’s historical centre.

In 1469, the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile united the two competing royal lines. Madrid became the centre of political power and with the colonisation of the Americas, the commercial importance of Mediterranean trade was greatly reduced. However, Barcelona was always the stronghold of Catalan separatism and was the center of the Catalan Revolt (1640–52) against Philip IV of Spain. After the Napoleonic wars, the province was left ravaged, but it also marked the start of industrialisation.