| Catalonia ((it)Catalunya (oc)Catalonha (es)Cataluña) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Regional capital | Barcelona |
| Area | 31 895 km² |
| Population | 7 727 029 hab. () |
| Density | 242,26 inhab./km² |
| Spindle | UTC 01:00 |
| Location | |
 41 ° 43 ′ 49 ″ N 1 ° 49 ′ 25 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
| Touristic site | |
The Catalonia is a historic region shared between theSpain and the France. Its capital is the city of Barcelona.
In Spain, it has the status of "Autonomous Community" and is officially referred to as the Generalitat de Catalunya. Its autonomy statute, revised in 2006, makes it a “national reality”.
In France, the former county of Roussillon and Cerdagne (Catalogne-Nord) became the department of Eastern Pyrenees.
Understand
Tourist information office
- Catalunya Experience (Agència Catalana de Turisme) – Site of the official body promoting tourism in Catalonia.
Region
 Catalonia |
|
Cities
- 1 Barcelona
- 2 Sabadell (in the province of Barcelona)
- 3 Girona
- 4 Tarragona
- 5 Ulldecona (in the province of Tarragona) – Rock art from the Mediterranean basin of the Iberian Peninsula
- 5 Ulldecona (in the province of Tarragona) – Rock art from the Mediterranean basin of the Iberian Peninsula
- 6 Lleida (Lleida) – stage on the "Catalan path" (pilgrimage to Compostela)
- 7 Calella
Other destinations
To go
From France
The crossing points are numerous but of varying convenience:
- Via the Côte Vermeille via the Coll dels Belitres : a road initially with 2x2 lanes then in both directions starts from Perpignan. You must then take the road leading to Argelès-sur-Mer to join the border at the exit of Cerberus via the D914 where you immediately enter Port-Bou on the Spanish side on the N-260.
- Via the Col de Banyuls : a paved municipal road joins the pass to descend to the Catalan village of Espolla.
- Via the Col du Perthus : whether coming from Montpellier or from Toulouse, Highway A9 located on the European route E-15 allows you to easily cross this high-altitude border post but the entire route is tolled. However, it is possible to enter Spain by the ordinary road network by crossing the commercial cities of Perthus on the D900 (ex-N9...) and of La Jonquera by the famous N-II. Traffic jams often form in summer and on certain Sundays when the inhabitants of Perpignan go to do their weekly shopping, not to mention the squadrons of tourists arriving by specially chartered coaches.
- Via the Col de Manrella : in the territory of the municipality of Maureillas-las-Illas. You reach the pass by the Departmental 13. One kilometer before the hamlet of Las Illas, take a municipal road on the left and enter the hamlet. The town of Maureillas has acquired and returned to the public highway a motorized track with arrows to access the pass. On this pass is the commemorative monument to Lluís Companys, former president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, shot under Franco the .
- Via the Col del Pou de la Neu : since Ceret, take the D13f towards Fontfrède. At the Col de la Brousse, take Fontfrède. Shortly before the Fontfrède pass, a track is signposted towards Les Salines. Follow the 8 km track. The last 4 kilometers are hilly and due to the flow of water and falling rocks. On the Spanish side, you can access the Roc de France from a concrete track, or go down to Les Saline by the same road. The 12 kilometers of descent are made on a fairly good quality drivable track.
- Via the Riu Major Bridge : From Le Boulou, take the direction of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalada (Els Banys d'Arles) by the D115. Go through Amélie and take Arles-sur-Tech. At the exit of Arles-sur-Tech (Arles de Tec) continue towards Prats-de-Mollò on 5,5 km. Take the D3 towards Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans, and go up to Coustouges. Cross the village and continue on the same road until you reach the Riu Major bridge. The river acts as a border. The other bank is in the territory of the municipality of Albanyà. By the routon directly joins Maçanet de Cabrenys passing by Tapis, hamlet of the latter.
- Col d'Arès : located at the end of the D115 after crossing Ceret and Amelie-les-Bains, this extremely winding but spacious road leads in Spain at Ripoll where it is possible to recover the routes leading to Barcelona and to Andorra.
- Cerdanya : Since Toulouse and Foix on the N20 - E9 as well as since Perpignan and Prades on the N116, you can easily reach the border at the exit of Bourg-Madame to enter Puigcerdà over there N-152 Spanish side. To join Barcelona, it is recommended to follow the route E-9 - C-16 passing through the Tunel del Cadi paying but avoiding many detours with on the other side, a fast lane then a toll motorway to Manresa which plunges straight towards the Catalan capital. The other free and picturesque route but more trying (count at least an additional hour of route ...) goes through the Col de Toses and Ripoll on the N-152 then the fast lane C-17 which allows to recover Vic / Vich and Barcelona. To reach the city of Lleida / Lleida, follow the N-260 in the direction of La Seu d'Urgell just after crossing the border and Puigcerdà.
- Val d'Aran : a road there also quite winding crosses the Franco-Spanish border on the axis Toulouse - Lleida and the crossing of the Vielha Tunel on the N-230 this time free and completely renovated.
From the Principality of Andorra
The passage is generally made between Sant-Julia-de-Loria and La Seu d'Urgell. From there we can reach Lleida / Lleida over there C-14 and Barcelona speak Tunel del Cadi toll. It is nevertheless possible for people coming from Pas de la Casa to go through the France (Col de Puymorens ...) and enter Spain through Puigcerdà.
From the rest of Spain
The main routes start from Zaragoza by the highway AP-2 and of Valencia by the highway AP-7.
Circulate
The road and motorway network in Catalonia is generally good and new sections of so-called "autovías" expressways are being put into service. More modest deviations now spare the crossing of agglomerations, even in the most distant regions. The signage is now excellent and the mileage is optimal. The so-called "autopistas" toll highways serve tourist areas, the so-called "autovias" expressways gradually crisscross the rest of the region. The prices of the Catalan toll motorways are among the highest inEurope.
The classification of the road network has undergone profound changes in recent years, quickly rendering your expensive road maps and atlases obsolete.
Toll highways are given the prefix AP- and the quick sees for free use take up the letter AT-. Most of the national roads retain their history NOT- and regional links, on the other hand, have the prefix VS- recalling belonging to the autonomous region of Catalonia. Less important paths have the first letters (up to 4 ...) used to usually recognize each province, for example GI- for roads serving the area around Girona. For these last two categories of axes, know that the color of the cartridge varies greatly from one corner to another, which may seem strange at first. It should be noted that certain highways, whether free or toll, receive the local prefix according to the authority responsible for its management.
The conduct of the Catalans is in general fairly homogeneous with that of the rest of theSpain with however a flagrant lack of discipline on the part of the people of the capital (yes, Barcelona...). One characteristic to take into account is that the interval between the moment when the light for pedestrians flashes to turn red and when the light for cars turns green is much shorter than in France. In addition, it is customary to see cars start up when the pedestrian light turns red.
Speed limits:
- Agglomeration: 50 km / h
- National and comarcal roads: 90 km / h (sometimes 100 km / h on the N-II Between Girona and La Jonquera...).
- Autovías (expressways ...): 100 km / h (sometimes raised to 120 km / h...).
- Autopistas (toll highways): 120 km / h.
Vehicles towing a trailer are limited to 80 km / h.
Regarding offenses, everyone has the right to sanction, whether Nordic or Slavic. Each law enforcement officer has a translation booklet for the offenses committed, so it is not possible to escape the fine on the pretext of not speaking the local language. In the event of a serious accident or the absence of official documents, the vehicle may be held on site until the violation is resolved. Remember to equip yourself with two warning triangles (stored in the trunk ...) and a fluorescent vest (placed in the passenger compartment ...) under penalty of a fine of 90 € in the absence of this complete equipment.
However, nothing prevents you from parking your car in a guarded parking lot (because thefts are frequent in cars ...) and from visiting Barcelona by taking the metro, tram or bus. To motivate yourself, tell yourself that Barcelona circulation is as anarchic there as it is Paris. If you want to visit the region, you can take the "ferrocariles" network, which are regional trains with very good service quality, or the "Renfe" trains. Bus lines serve more closely all of Catalonia.
Some rates on roads and highways (on 01.06.2009 ...):
- Tunel del Cadi : 8,87 € (motorcycles) - 11 € (car) - 11; 53 to 30,19 € (vehicles with trailers and utilities depending on characteristics ...)
- AP-7 from the border to Barcelona : 11,65 €
- AP-7 from the border to Girona : 6,25 €
- AP-7 of Barcelona at Girona : 6,6 €
- AP-7 of Barcelona at Tarragona : 7,45 €
- AP-2 of Barcelona at Lleida / Lleida : 13,5 €
- C-16 of Barcelona at Manresa : 2,39 € (motorcycles) 4,78 € (passenger vehicle ...) from Monday to Friday, prices are almost doubled on weekends and public holidays.
Speak
Catalonia is a bilingual Autonomous Community. Catalan and Spanish (more commonly referred to as "Castilian") are the official languages. Catalan is spoken by around 70% of the population and the urban area of Barcelona, having attracted many people from the rest of the country or from other countries, is the area where Spanish is spoken the most day to day, but the signs, directions, street names, etc. are written entirely in Catalan. As regards shops, restaurants and transport, bilingualism is fairly well respected, with the predominance of Spanish in Barcelona.
See
Buy
The potteries of Bisbal (village of Bisbal a few km from Girona).
Gaudi style mosaic objects. The salamander for example.
Good olive oil.
Eat
The emergence of large cities means that we eat better all over the world. Apart from a few specialties of the type: "Calçot", a kind of leek that is eaten from December to March, Catalonia does not really have any specialties that are not already present in the rest of Spain. Everything that is eaten in Catalonia is also eaten in the rest of Spain, sometimes the specialties are called differently, for example the "Madejas" in Saragossa which are called "chiretas" or "zarajos" in other regions. Remember that the cradle of Spanish gastronomy is Galicia and this is recognized historically.
Catalan cuisine can be distinguished between the cuisine of the coast and that of the interior. On the coast, fish and rice dishes are king (especially rice in broth: "arroç caldós"). In the land, it is very popular to eat in a "masia" (large traditional country house converted into a restaurant) dishes that are often simple but good (grilled meats, in particular the "butifarra" sausage, the "galtes" pork cheeks. , etc., accompanied by white beans "mongetes"; light and tasty starters such as grilled vegetables "graellada de verdures", eggplants and cold peppers from "escalivada", etc.). Each region has its specialty: snails (cargols) in Lleida, tender onions (calçots) in Tarragona, sausages and cold cuts in Vic, a kind of cabbage stew (trinxat) in Puigcerdá, etc.
Barcelona offers cuisine restaurants from all countries ... the specialty of the city being above all the very designer decoration of the place.
List of Michelin-starred restaurants in Catalonia
Drinks
Catalonia is famous for its wine-making tradition. Here are produced very great wines of Spain (Priorat), and Catalunya is the leading national producer of It's okay (Catalan variant of champagne cultivated in the Penedes region) and whose classic grape varieties are: Xarel-lo, Macabeu and Parellada. There are also grape varieties specific to this region, namely Trepat and Monastrell.
Housing
Learn
security
As this is a highly touristic region, it is prudent to watch your belongings (yes, there are a lot of pickpockets in Barcelona ...). Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of the world. So it is strongly recommended not to walk in popular neighborhoods that you do not know without a maximum of attention and / or armed with a defense spray in your hand.
For those who wish to visit the big cities with their personal vehicle (which will surely have foreign plates ...), they are recommended to opt for paid and supervised car parks. It's not uncommon for a car to be found with a broken window or a bent door, even just for a book left in the passenger seat.
On the highway AP-7 or on the N-II between the border and BarcelonaAlways beware of motorists who say you have a flat tire or flames coming out of the exhaust. It is only a staging intended to have you robbed (money, means of payment, official documents) by thugs. If you are on foot, never agree to get into their vehicle at their request and be evasive about the contents of your bags. Insist on asking for their police card (say "tarjeta de policia" in Spanish) until you see it, they will quickly end up giving up, pompously pretending to report you to the authorities (funny police manners, right? not ?...).
If you are overtaken by an unmarked vehicle and one of the occupants holds up a card decorated with a star, do not comply and go as far as possible to a frequented place, especially at night. A highway or expressway service area should do the trick. This will cause them to run away without venturing any further on a second attempt against you.
These individuals are often of South American or Gypsy descent and sometimes wear towering sunglasses.
In order to avoid any misunderstanding, however, be aware that there is a brigade in Catalonia called "Mossos d'Esquadra"who owns a handful of unmarked cars, with people presented in civilian clothes. If you get approached like this, especially when you are yourself on foot, always ask for their police card that they will never balk at you present and spelled out the name of this brigade They are usually equipped with a walkie-talkie and can carry out a strictly visual inspection if you are in a car.
Each seaside town has its own police station and there is a permanent presence day and night. In addition, they are also able to give you precise indications if you happen to get lost on the way.
Health
In and around Barcelona there are a number of medical and dental clinics. With or without an appointment, in your quality of tourist, if you arrive there with cash, most of the care will be promulgated to you. There are a lot of small, very specialized medical centers: nails, feet, digestive tract, ears, eyes, teeth. On the other hand, the skill level in the pharmacy does not exceed that of France, be careful.
For your health, do not drink the tap water in town! Beware of ice cream which is very often frozen then thawed then refrozen. And be very, very careful in the toilets, most of them are very dirty and carry very frequent diseases (Staphylococci, viruses, Escherichia coli). Sanitary requirements in Catalonia are very low (look at the handling of products in the markets, that's eloquent).
