Catalonia

The city of Barcelona and the sand fringed Costas are Catalonia's most popular tourist destinations and with good reason. Barcelona, the dynamic regional capital, packs style, history, great bars and some of Europe's most outlandish architecture all into a compact centre. Continually vying with Madrid as Spain's most cosmopolitan, go ahead city, Barcelona is easily the more manageable of the two, down to earth, accessible and with everything on a very human scale. It's easy enough to spend a week in the city and not run out of things to do or see, but there are also excellent beaches and some outstanding mountain scenery within easy reach equally likely to tempt you. Catalonia is a great region if you want to combine the excitement of city life, beaches and rugged peaks all within a short trip.

If you just want to fry on a beach, the mass marketed resorts of Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava are fine, crowded and cheap. Further north the coastal scenery becomes more varied with rocky headlands, clumps of pine trees and sandy coves filled with clear blue water. The more idyllic spots are harder to find, but exploration by car can be highly rewarding. No matter where you stay on the Costa Brava, the historic sights of Gerona and the riotous cheek of the Salvador Dali museum at Figueres both warrant a daytrip.

The Costa Dorada, south of Barcelona, is less spectacular, but it does offer the charming old resort town of Sitges. It's a wonderfully hassle free place that attracts a mix of relaxed gays and bemused families all mingling to create a laid back holiday atmosphere. Farther south still, the busy provincial centre of Tarragona boasts impressive Roman ruins.