Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) is located in the prestigious new Diagonal Mar business district of the city, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Inaugurated in May 2004 in time for the international cultural festival Forum 2004, the CCIB Convention Centre and adjacent Forum building boast excellent ultra-modern conference and exhibition facilities for meetings of up to 15,000 delegates.

Meeting facilities include a 3,200-seater auditorium and a total floor place of 67,000m2 – the largest in Southern Europe. The Convention Centre has an open-plan exhibition area of 11,500m2; the rest of the building is divided into 45 modular meeting rooms for 30 to 2,700 delegates, including an outdoor terrace with sea views. In the immediate vicinity of CCIB there are 2,500 hotel rooms, large shopping centre, bars and cafés.

CCIB is just a 10-minute drive away from the Olympic Port area with its many bars, cafés, restaurants and nightclubs. Barcelona's El Prat International Airport is only 30 minutes away and the city centre a mere      15-minute taxi ride.

		Barcelona International Convention Centre Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) Rambla Prim, 1–17 08019 Barcelona Spain Tel:      +34 93 278 0763 Fax:     +34 93 278 0764 Email:  ccib@ccib.es Web:    www.ccib.es

A cosmopolitan city steeped in history and tradition, Barcelona boasts an ultra-modern infrastructure and elegant old-world charm.

The Olympic Games in 1992 brought about the renaissance of this millennial city, which has always been and still is the focal point of modernization in Spain. Barcelona has many cities locked within its boundaries. It can purport to have been a Roman city, an ancient, Gothic and aristocratic city, a significant Mediterranean port, and capital of Catalunya, one of the most dynamic regions of Europe. Its rich historical past is the base on which the foundations of this new city were laid, this outward-looking and cosmopolitan city, which is spectacularly situated between the sea and mountains.

Barcelona is the ideal conference destination: take its convenient location and ease of access (just a two-hour flight from many European centres), and add in sunshine, continental flair, exciting architecture, history, the Mediterranean Sea - not to mention long sandy beaches within walking distance of the city centre. Barcelona has it all!

 

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Barcelona was given its first dramatic makeover for the 1992 Olympic Games and the renovation hasn't stopped since. The streets have been transformed in recent years, with the opening of new museums and galleries, and the remodelling of entire areas. Today, Barcelona is one of Europe's most vibrant and flamboyant cities.

Medieval squares, Gothic churches and extraordinary modernist apartments are just a few of the city's highlights. Many of Barcelona 's sights are within walking distance of each other. You'll need a comfortable pair of shoes and a good city map to find your way about the medieval quarters. If your feet grow weary, there is an excellent public transport system as well as cheap and plentiful taxis.

Another attraction is the Catalonian cuisine – delicious, hearty and a perfect accompaniment to the excellent local wine. Barcelona boasts an impressive array of cafes and bars serving coffees, beers, wine and tapas. These are invariably cheap, giving you no excuse not to make frequent pit-stops during your stay.

Outside the city boundaries, the resort of Sitges offers a beach escape in the summer months, while the mountain retreat of Montserrat is a perennially popular daytrip.

Detailed below are just some of Barcelona 's abundant places of interest. Full tourist information is available through Barcelona Tourism and its excellent web site:

Turisme de Barcelona (Barcelona Tourism)
Pl. de Catalunya 17-S, Barcelona
Tel:     +34 932 853 834
Email:  teltur@barcelonaturisme.com
Web:   www.barcelonaturisme.com
Open:  Daily, 09:00 -21:00hrs

Other permanent tourist offices are located at Sants station and at Barcelona's El Prat Airport. There are also kiosks in or near all the main tourist sightseeing areas.

		The Barcelona Card offers unlimited travel within the city and over 100 discounts at museums, leisure facilities, night-clubs, shops, restaurants and entertainment outlets. Cards can be purchased at Turisme de Barcelona offices, priced between €17 (1-day pass) to €27 (5-day pass).

		La Rambla La Rambla or Las Ramblas is one of the most popular and charming pedestrianised boulevards in Europe, capturing the rich culture of Barcelona with street artists, stalls selling caged birds and flowers, and some of the best sights, mansions, and shops. It runs like a vein through the heart of the Ciutat Vella (Old Town) from Plaça de Catalunya to the north to Plaça del Portal de la Pau with the Monument a Colom (Columbus Monument) and the sea to the south. Half way along the boulevard you find the buzzing Boqueria food market.

Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter)
Barri Gotic is the historic heart of Barcelona. Within its boundaries is preserved an amazing concentration of medieval palaces, churches and residences - many of them more than 700 years old. It's best to put away your map and follow your nose through this maze of pedestrianised streets and alleys. Don't miss the exquisite Plaça Sant Josep Oriol - dominated by the church of Santa Maria del Pi, and the little alleys to the south.

La Seu (Barcelona Cathedral)
Plaça de la Seu (Tel: 93 315 1554)
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 08:00-13:30 / 16:00-19:30, Sat/Sun 08:00-13:30 / 17:00-19:30
La Seu is Barcelona 's principal cathedral and one of Spain's greatest Gothic buildings. Built on the site of a Roman temple, it was constructed between 1298 and 1448. The interior is particularly grandiose: La Seu was built to impress the burghers of the Middle Ages. Judging by the perennial crowds of tourists, it has the same impact to this day.

The huge Muslim's head below the great organ is a must-see, as are the glorious 14th Century cloisters that overlook a lush tropical garden of shrubs and palm trees. A lift will whisk you up to the roof of the Cathedral for an impressive panorama of the city.

Museu Picasso (Picasso Museum)
Carrer Montcada 15-19 (Tel: 93 319 6310)
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-15:00
Picasso spent much of his youth in Barcelona from the age of 14 to 23 years and used to visit the old town frequently. Much of what he saw would later find its way into his paintings. His first public exhibition was at
Els Quatre Gats (the famous Four Cats café in Carrer Montsio) and all the works of his Blue Period were painted in the city.

Museu Picasso contains many of the artist's earliest works. There are some fascinating paintings produced when he was just 14 which reveal him to have been a conventional young artist. More outlandish are the famous works of the Meninas series, donated to the Museum by Picasso himself.

Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family)
Plaça Sagrada Familia (Tel: 93 455 0247)
Opening hours: Daily 09:00–21:00

So famous that it has come to symbolise Barcelona - is the vast cathedral of Sagrada Familia. Antoni Gaudí was just 31 when he began work on the temple and he spent the rest of his life overseeing its construction. His plans were nothing short of breathtaking. He wanted the church to hold 10,000 worshippers and hoped to construct eight strange-shaped spires that would each be more than 300ft high. Building went slowly, hampered by lack of funds and by the time Gaudí died in 1926, progress had been at a snail's pace.

In recent years, work has been undertaken with renewed vigour and it's now projected that the cathedral will be finished by 2017. To see the completed architectural masterpiece, you'll need to book your next trip to Barcelona 12 years from now!

Casa Milà (‘La Pedrera')
Passeig de Gràcia 92 (Tel: 93 484 5900)
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-15:00

Casa Milà is an extraordinary construction and Gaudí's most famous apartment block. Inspired by the windswept mountains of Montserrat, its curved and rippled facade is decorated with twisted metal balconies. It was built between 1905 and 1911, its nickname La Pedrera meaning 'the stone quarry'.

Inside La Pedrera you'll see an apartment furnished in the modernist style, as well as an exhibition about Gaudí's most famous buildings. Don't miss a trip to the rooftops for a view of Barcelona surrounded by fantastical chimneys also designed by Gaudí. The building, his last secular work before dedicating all his time to the Sagrada Família, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Palau de la Música Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music)
Sant Francesc de Paula 2 (Tel: 93 295 7200)
Opening hours: Daily 10:00-15:30 (guided tours every 30 minutes)
Designed by Lluís Domènech I Montaner and built between 1905 and 1908, the Palau de la Música is one of Barcelona 's major pieces of Modernist architecture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, there is ample justification for describing the Palau as one of the world's leading concert halls. A concert at the Palau is an absolute must for music lovers visiting the city and the building a must-see for anyone interested in architecture.

Montjuic (Jove's Mountain)
Covering an area bigger than the Gothic Quarter, ‘Jove's Mountain' rises imposingly over the harbour. This is the city's finest park, a unique blend of exotic gardens and tourist attractions, including two of Barcelona 's finest art museums: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) and Fundació Joan Miró. Another highlight is the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village), a stunning re-creation of Spanish regional architecture.

Many of the area's buildings were designed for the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympics, held on its southern slopes.

Port Olimpíc (Olympic Port) & beaches
The eye-catching development of the Vila Olimpíc (Olympic Village), built for the 1992 Olympics, is a stunning ensemble of marinas, promenades, glittering buildings and open space. You can stroll along the promenade, where there are cafés and bars at regular intervals as well as sun bed hire, water sports, beach games and everything you could need for a relaxing day on the beach!

Port Vell (Old Port)
Renovations in the early 90s reclaimed the Old Port and reintegrated it into city life. The modern Rambla de Mar walkway extends across the water to the Maremagnum complex – a huge shopping and entertainment centre. Here you'll also find L'Aquàrium de Barcelona, one of the largest in Europe, and an IMAX cinema.

 

Barcelona is increasingly gaining a reputation as one of Europe's real party cities and deservedly so. Things may start slowly with some food and a few drinks at about 5pm, but they soon gather pace and by midnight the city is buzzing. Friday and Saturday nights are when the city is at its liveliest, but the drinking and dancing keeps going throughout the week.

If you decide to take a look at Barcelona by night, there are lots of places to choose from. For example, thanks to the city's mild climate there are many outdoor terrace bars with a very lively atmosphere in the spring and summer. These are excellent places to enjoy a drink or even have something to eat, a great place to start your evening.

The largest number of fashionable night spots is located is Ciutat Vella (Old Town). Here the Born quarter stands out, as do Raval and the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) with their 'underground' atmosphere. L'Eixample is north of the city centre with plenty of great bars and clubs, mostly on the western side. Gràcia is a particularly entertaining place where the maze of narrow streets is marked by a non-stop party atmosphere at night. You will find a multitude of places of entertainment on the city's Mediterranean seafront, especially in the Olympic Port area. Lastly, Sant Gervasi is an elegant district and the city's biggest focus of musical venues. Here you will find the city's most fashionable discotheques and clubs.

Bars are usually open until 2am, while clubs and discos keep going until around 6am. Port Olímpic is particularly buzzing on summer nights, as is Port Vell. In the last few years, bars modernos with music and designer decor have been popular with a young ultra-hip clientele across the city.

For details on the city's top clubs, restaurants and bars, visit Time Out's online guide to Barcelona: www.timeout.com/barcelona.

 

Location	Catalunya ( Catalonia ), Northeast Spain
Country Dialling Code	+34
Time Zone	GMT+1 hour (+2 hours from late March to late October)
Population	1,514,588 (city) / 4,228,048 (metropolitan area)
Language	Catalan & Castilian Spanish
Religion	Predominantly Roman Catholic
Electricity	220 volts AC, 50Hz, round two-pin plugs are standard
Average January Temp	10°C (50°F)
Average July Temp	25°C (78°F)
Annual Rainfall	590mm (23.2 inches)