JUST WHERE IS CATALONIA...?

Just about everyone knows where Spain is, but Catalonia......well, its a well kept secret nestling on the north-eastern part of Spain. 

Triangular in appearance, stretching from the peaks of the Pyrenees to the lovely bays and golden sands of the Costa Daurada.

GET TO KNOW THE AREA A LITTLE BETTER.

Catalonia or Catalunya (local spelling) is very diverse and offers a wide variety of scenery, although the area it covers is mainly mountainous, the area stretches from the south of France -just north of Perpignan, the capital of French Catalogne to below Tortosa in north eastern Spain, Barcelona being the capital of Spanish Catalunya.

The Pyrenees, an alpine range containing the highest peaks in Catalunya, deserve special mention -the scenery is outstandingly beautiful, with meadows, forests, rivers, lakes, and numerous works of Romanesque architecture. It is also an ideal area for mountain sports, skiing in winter and mountaineering and rock climbing all year round. Nowadays there are a number of established winter sports resorts offering both downhill and cross country skiing, as well as hotels and services, which draw many visitors.

The coastal region of Catalunya is an outstanding tourist attraction, with many km of coastline, including the long sandy stretches from Canet et Rousillion, Argeles, Collioure and Banyuls in France leading into the northern Spanish coastline - the Costa Brava, stretching from the French frontier to the town of Blanes. Although wild and rocky, the inlets are surrounded by pine groves, with beautiful beaches and typical fishing villages, many unspoilt by mass tourism, in particular Cadaques -a unique white washed village situated around the bay and where the artist Salvador Dali spent a great deal of his time.

From Blanes down towards Barcelona, the character of the coastline changes and the Costa del Maresme begins, with its long, wide beaches protected from the wind by the inland mountains. South of Barcelona towards Tarragona we have the Costa Daurada, renowned for the soft fine, golden sands on the beaches and for its warm, stable climate.

Along the whole of the coast tourists are well provided for, with hotels, camping sites, residential areas, yacht clubs and many sailing harbours offering every conceivable type of water sport.

Perpignan, the capital of French Catalogne is a small city, with medieval tourist attractions such as Puig del Rei, the palace of the Majorcan Kings, covering 700 years of Rousillion history, and the Castillet in Perpignan built at the end of the 14th century, now home to the Catalan Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions. The surrounding areas contain many examples of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque art. There are fine examples of pre-history - the Tautavel Museum which is the European capital of pre-history covering 450,000 years of life in the sun and fine Abbeys, such as the Abbey at Saint Martin de Canigou, situated high in the mountains, built by Guilfred, Count of Cedagne in 1035, with its pink marble cloister and the Abbey situated at the foot of the Canigou, a high mountain peak in French Catalunya,  the Abbey of Saint Michel de Cuxa, an important monument in Catalunyan history, with its cloister being the largest in the Pyrenees and the earliest in Catalunya.

Barcelona is the Spanish Catalunya capital, it is also a major European city-situated between the mountains and the sea, it dates back some 2000 years and is one of the most important seaports on the Mediterranean.
It is a cosmopolitan city, bustling with culture, commercial and sporting activities. It has numerous monuments of artistic and historic interest, museums, art-galleries and libraries and is within easy driving distance of our offices which are situated in the beautiful mountains of Tivissa and delightful coastal resort and fishing port of Cambrils.

Tivissa itself is a picturesque medieval town where most of the buildings are constructed in stone the area is mainly mountains and rivers and is renowned as an area of outstanding natural beauty. The wild life consists of wild deer, wild boar, eagles & falcons. The area is of great ecological interest, there are many caves and interesting cave paintings. The lower plains of the Baix Ebre are fertile growing areas for a wide variety of fruits, the lands irrigated by the waters of the famous River Ebro, well known to many fishermen for the huge catfish regularly caught from its banks and of course the wetlands of the Delta Ebre a world heritage site renowned for its flora, fauna and numerous species of wildlife.

There is much more to discover than can be covered here, so why not visit us in this delightful corner of Europe.