Culture and traditions

With over 100 kilometres of blue Mediterranean coastline, it is easy to understand why the municipalities of Costa Barcelona have such a close relationship with the sea. The origins of many villages, towns and cities in Maresme, Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat and Garraf, lie in fishing, maritime trade and shipbuilding – origins that for many of these places are by no means a distant memory. Along this stretch of coastline, fishing remains one of the main industries – a fact that you can see for yourself, if you visit any of the seafood auctions that take place on the region's quaysides every day.

If you have a curious mind and are looking for a family-friendly activity, then plan a day trip to the colònies tèxtils (textile model villages) of the regions of Barcelona. Built between the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, they’re still full of working machines, fabrics you’re allowed to touch and plenty of amazing stories. Ready to journey into the past?

If you think you need to travel beyond the regions of Barcelona to enjoy ancient and meaningful cultural spectacles, then you haven’t experienced the atmosphere of human tower-building performance from the front row, you haven’t leapt up and down during the Patum festivities in Plaça de Sant Pere in Berga, and you haven’t seen the night-time descent of the falles (torches) in Berguedà. If you had, you’d understand why UNESCO has included these essential ancient traditions in its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and, above all, you’d make a date in your diary to make sure you don’t miss them!