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.
