The area around Barcelona includes the Maresme, Vallès Oriental, Vallès Occidental, Baix Llobregat, Garraf and Alt Penedès counties, which are all first-class tourist attractions for discovering the heart of Catalonia. Their proximity to Barcelona means that you can go on day trips or choose to stay for a few days. As well as the hotels and apartments you can find, especially on the coast, there are also holiday cottages and guest houses in the interior, which are a good way to get to know the area and enjoy its natural, historical and cultural heritage.
The coastal towns offer all the attractions of the seashore: coves, beaches, the chance to do water sports such as sailing and scuba diving, and a wide range of food, featuring seafood dishes. In the interior, you can go on walks through the woodlands of Montseny and Cadí, go hiking in the mountains and go climbing, as well as skiing in the winter.
There are also cultural activities on the seashore and in the mountains. Touring the towns of central Catalonia provides the opportunity to learn about the history of the country. The marks of our ancestors remain in the form of castles, monasteries, old medieval town centres and Modernista industrial buildings. There are also popular traditional festivals, some of which, like the Patum of Berga, are protected by UNESCO. There are still complete medieval towns, with cobbled streets and rustic houses, such as Rupit and Tavertet. In Vic, one of the oldest cities in Catalonia, there is a market whose origins go back to medieval times and it has an exceptional porticoed main square.
Culinary tourism is another great attraction of the Barcelona Province counties, which are intimately linked to wine culture and have managed to maintain and revive a high-quality wine-growing economy. There are five wine Designations of Origin in this area: Penedès, Alella, Pla de Bages, Catalunya and Cava. Apart from going to the area's wineries, which are open to visitors, you can also enjoy local festivals linked to rural life and wine-growing.