Palau Robert

The website contains a lot of useful information if you want to explore Catalonia beyond Barcelona.

•We liked: The 700 (car, MTB, walking...) "routes" section, great for discovering the lovely Catalan countryside
•Not so hot: Actually finding the information that is there
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, French

Arteguias Highly recommended
Romanesque architecture

Catalonia has some superb Romanesque architecture most notably among the churches to be found dotted about the hills and which date back to the late tenth, early eleventh century, and the origins of Catalonia as a nation in the days of the Reconquest.

The site (homepage), accompanying print versions of a guidebook series, is a vast one, generally well-organised, lacking perhaps only maps for ease of location. It covers a lot more than the Romanesque and a lot more of Spain than just Catalonia, and the excellent images on the site will have you reaching for your Michelin map and hitting the open road…

•We liked: The models section (purchase)
•Not so hot: Castles in Catalonia page (under construction)
•Languages: Spanish

Sort of like, er... Legoland (well, perhaps not quite)
Catalonia in Miniature
17 km outside Barcelona at Torrelles de Llobregat, Catalunya en Miniatura is a sizeable collection of 1/25 scale models of Catalonia’s most famous architecture, including all of Gaudí and the Nou Camp Barça stadium, but also some of its Romanesque churches, not to mention the odd biscuit factory or two. Regrettably some of the models need some serious renovation work, but it makes for quite a fun day out with kids, especially if you've already "been there, done that".

The site isn't up to much, but provides (importantly!) directions as to how to get there.

•We liked: The models themselves (though knowing the real things probably makes it more interesting)
•Not so hot: At €9.50 a head (€6.50 for kids), it's a bit pricey
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan; French and German

Castles in Catalonia
Catalan castles
Fascinated by castles? This is your site. It reckons that there are, or rather were, over 1,000 castles in Catalonia, ruins of around 600 of which can still be seen today. Many date back to the time of the Moors, Catalonia having marked the northernmost limit of their advance in eastern Spain.

Barcelona itself has the impressive fortress of Montjuich, overlooking the city. If you really are potty about castles, you may find this second castles site interesting (Catalan only).

•We liked: The map allowing you to click and see a listing by region
•Not so hot: The lack of precise instructions as to how to get to some of the more out of way ones
•Languages: Spanish

See also
Day and weekend trips outside Barcelona

The Barcelona Tourist Board site has an excellent "near Barcelona" section, which will also be of interest.

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