It borders France and Andorra to the north along the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the Valencian region to the south and the Aragon region to the west.
Catalonia has a great variety of different landscapes very close to each other, mountains on the Pyrenees (at the border with France), green hills on north of the country, agricultural planes on the west and beaches on the east.
What to visit;
Catalan (Catala), spoken in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, most of Valencia region, a strip in Aragon, Andorra, Alguer-Alghero (little city of Sardinia - Italy) and, Roussillon (an area in the south of France sometimes called ''Catalunya Nord'' that corresponds roughly with the department of Pyrenees-Orientales). It is a Romance language which sounds similar to Portuguese and is similar in structure to French. You will be very welcome if you try to say some words in Catalan while you are in Catalonia, and phrases such as "Bon Dia" and "Adéu" are heard even when people then go on to speak Castillian.
Visitors who speak Spanish should note that it is called "Castellano" (Catalan ''Castellà''), and that while it is widely understood, some people may be reluctant to answer in that language, especially away from Barcelona and areas frequented by many tourists. This is due the historic fact that during the Francisco Franco dictatorship the Spanish language was for a time imposed on Catalonia by law and the native Catalan language prohibited. In normal usage, answering in catalan to a question posed in Spanish is the polite way to inform the asker that conversation can continue in Catalan, if desired. If you got an answer in Catalan, just say politely that you do not understand, and you'll be out of problems in most cases.
Barcelona's airport, called ''el Prat'', is about 10 km to the city centre. Once there, you can go to the centre by train (every 30 minutes, stopping at ''Sants'' and ''Plaça de Catalunya''), by bus (''Aerobus''), that stops in the same places and with the same frequencies. The bus is the more expensive option, with the added possibility of traffic jams. Both services finish at 23:00.
Two local buses, EA (during the day) and EN (at night) also serve the airport, however these are not particularly frequent and only run as far as the ''Plaça d'Espanya'', which is not particularly central. However, for those on a shoestring budget they may be a good option as they are fairly cheap.
There is quite a good taxi service, the only way to reach the centre directly if you arrive by night. The fares are about 12 euros if you go to the centre, but this can change depending of the time of the day and, of course, the part of the city you want to reach. All Barcelona taxis are painted black and yellow and are easily recognisable.
Of course, you can rent cars and there is a big car park, though it is quite expensive if you leave your car there for more than a couple of hours.
''el Prat'' airport is served by a number of airlines, including EasyJet, BMI, Virgin Air, Volare, MyTraveLite...
Other airports in Catalonia are:
Airport Information
The main train station in Barcelona is called ''Estació de Sants'', but the most central ones are ''Plaça de Catalunya'' (most local and regional trains) and ''Passeig de Gràcia'' (serving some local and most long-distance lines).
The Spanish train company is called [http://www.renfe.es/ingles/index.html RENFE]. Barcelona is very well connected by train with Madrid, Valencia (City), Zaragoza and the Basque Country in particular and with the whole country in general.
Inside Catalonia, there are frequent trains from the other three provincial capitals (Lleida, Tarragona and Girona).
A few trains travel across the Pyrenees, but it's possible to reach the eastern part using the train to Tour de Carol (France).
Going by train to the Costa Daurada beaches is the best choice, using the line to Tarragona. The Costa Brava isn't well connected by train.
There's also a Catalan train company [http://www.fgc.net/ Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya] (FGC), which serves destinations near Barcelona, and some tourist routes. It also operates a funicular service in the Pyrenees.
Buses and coaches connect the principal cities to many national and international locations, and it's the only public transport to get to many local places in Catalonia.
The most important bus stations are: ''Estació de Sants'' (Barcelona), mainly for international routes, is next to the train station and very well connected. 'The ''Estació del Nord'' (also in Barcelona), close to ''Passeig de Sant Joan'', is the main bus station for medium and long routes - the nearest metro (Line 1) and RENFE station is ''Arc de Triomf''.
The routes inside Catalonia are held by different companies, which leave from different places. Every town has normally only one company, so you should ask at some information point, or even [http://www.mobilitat.net/cat/html/int_trv.htm use this page] which, although in Catalan, is quite easy to use (put the origin at the left, the destination at the right, and gives the name of the company and it's telephone number).
Catalonia has hundreds of "festes" that go on around the region every week of the year. The closest word in English to translate "Festa" would be "Festival" but this is inadequate to describe the type of celebration that exists in Catalonia. "Festes" are ritual like celebrations that have been passed down through generations of people for more than 700 years. They are organized by the people of a town for their own enjoyment, and not for any commercial interest. "Festival" (which also exists in the Catalan and Castilian languages) denotes an event that is usually organized by a specific group of people for a particular market, and is often motivated by economic interest.
_gFestes_h have ritual like sequences of events that usually involve Giants, Devils, Human Castles and processions. A magical atmosphere is created at the _gfesta_h, almost like a type of Catharsis. _gFestes_h stem from Medieval Times when fantastical dragons and Giants were created to instruct people about religion in church services. Shortly after the fantastical creatures became a part of the Corpus Christi processions that paraded through the town during the summer. The importance given to these folkloric elements has gradually increased over time and now they have assumed a national importance. Nowadays, these traditions are associated with Catalan identity as something that is individual and separate from the rest of Spain.
These _gfestes_h are not greatly publicized by the Catalan government for foreign people. A new company that takes people on cultural tours of these festes has recently begun. culTOURa aims to show foreign visitors to Catalonia these special and defining traditions, without spoiling the festes and turning them into a commercial event. [http://www.cultourabcn.com culTOURa offers people the possibility to enjoy and participate in the best stunning Catalan festivals and traditions]
Because of its geographical location and terrific range of habitats, including dryland steppes, rocky coastlines, mountains and some of the most important wetland sites in Europe, Catalonia has a greater variety of bird life than anywhere else on the peninsular, with 95% of Iberia's and 50% of the whole Palearctic's recorded bird species.
Some of the most sought-after are Lammergeier, Black Woodpecker, Wallcreeper, Bonelli's Eagle, Lesser Grey Shrike, Dupont's Lark (recognised as probably extinct in Catalonia in 2006), Little Bustard, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Audouin's Gull and Lesser Crested tern. The most important sites are Cap de Creus, Aiguamolls de L'Emporda, Barcelona's Llobregat Delta, the Parc de Garraf, Ebro Delta, Steppes of Lleida and, of course, The Pyrenees.
There are a few companies that will organise tours for you, or even offer free advice, including Catalan Bird Tours and Oliva Rama Tours. There is also the Birdinginspain.com web site which offers birding sites and itineraries and lots of other useful information to help the visiting birder plan his or her trip to Catalonia.
In all the medium sized cities, you can expect to found a large range of possibilities;
If you travel try to avoid traffic police or prepare to have a fine for something. Notice that you will have to pay in cash immediately otherwise your car will be removed from the road. Therefore have at least 150 EUR with you for that occasion.