Spain's traditional alternate capital, Barcelona is a millennium older than Madrid. Capital of Catalonia, the region that borders France to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east, Barcelona often seems to have more in common with Marseille or Milan than with Madrid or the rest of Spain. 

Barcelona has long been dubbed "La Gran Encisera" - the Great Enchantress. Little wonder: with the bustle of the world's busiest seaport, the medieval romance of its Gothic Quarter, and a feast of Catalan Art Nouveau buildings - including the great creations of Antonio Gaudí - Barcelona remains one of the most eye-knocking cities in Europe. A cradle of art, architecture, and design - the indelible marks left by Picasso, Miró, and Dalí are never far away - this metropolis is now generating a renaissance of Catalan culture. Much better than flawless, Barcelona remains unforgettably exciting, relentlessly alive. 

Barcelona has always been ambitious, decidedly modern (even in the 2nd century), and quick to accept the most recent innovations. Its democratic form of government harks back to the so-called Usatges Laws, which were instituted by Ramon Berenguer I in the 11th century and amounted to a constitution. This code of privileges represented one of the earliest known examples of democratic rule, while Barcelona's Consell de Cent (Council of One Hundred), constituted in 1274, was Europe's first parliament and is the true cradle of Western democracy.

More recently, the city's electric light system, public gas system, and telephone exchange were among the first in the world. The center of a commercial empire when Madrid was still a Moorish outpost, Barcelona traditionally absorbed new ideas and styles first. 

The city advances into the new millennium in the throes of a cultural and industrial rebirth only comparable to the late-19th-century Renaixença that filled the city with flamboyant Moderniste architecture. Barcelona, a 2,000-year-old master of the legerdemain of perpetual novelty, is now Spain's most visited city. 

DMC Companies

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• Citytravel
• Euromotivation
• Intersol
• Latitud 4 Destination Management

Summary|Barcelona|Madrid