Barcelona
Freddie Mercury put it this way: Barcelona, Like a Jewel in the Sun. It was a song entirely suited to a city that inspires passion and immense flights of imagination. Stand beneath the incomparable Sagrada Familia, the church that extraordinary architect Antoni Gaudí began working on in 1882 and remains a work in progress. Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, rejoices in Art Nouveau architecture too but there are also Gothic masterpieces. Wander the Cathedral cloisters in the footsteps of the Knights of the Golden Fleece. Stroll La Rambla – an 18th century thoroughfare of flowers, trees, cafés, street artists and markets. Barcelona comes into its own at night – bars, clubs and restaurants range from the chic to the Bohemian.