In the regions around Barcelona, Christmas is a celebration that is enjoyed with family members around a table laden with traditional dishes. In a region with such a wide range of quality products, it is surprising that there is such a consensus about the menu for the holiday season. Hearty soups, free-range chicken, salads with seasonal vegetables and nougat are must-haves. Would you like to know what people usually eat at this special time of year? 

If there is an art movement linked to Barcelona, it is Modernisme. As a symbol of flamboyance and modernity for the bourgeoisie of that time, we still have many examples of this aesthetic revolution that emphasised curved shapes and highlighted the importance of detail and craftsmanship.

Barcelona is the cradle of this avant-garde art. Furthermore, in the different regions of Barcelona and very close to the city, there are also great gems that have largely gone unnoticed, perhaps because they are not on Passeig de Gràcia. If you have not visited them yet, you should do so as soon as possible.

The Gallecs Rural Area, in the municipality of Mollet del Vallès, is a break in the middle of a completely urban area; an oasis of peace for the modern and active Vallès region. Here, the preservation of nature and traditional agriculture are combined with leisure activities and environmental education.

Following in the footsteps of Bishop Oliba a thousand years after his appointment as Bishop of Vic has encouraged us to explore other Romanesque gems in the area surrounding Barcelona, because there’s always some secret left to discover. If we had a protractor, the city of Vic would be at the centre of its base, just a few kilometres from places where Romanesque heritage blends into beautiful nature.

The Cardener Ecorail is a seven-kilometre route along old railways that have been adapted to modern times without losing their essence. Throughout the week, these tracks are used to transport the salt extracted from the mines in Súria and, on Sundays, they take families keen to discover the Bages Plain aboard a highly original means of locomotion: the Ciclorail.

Shopping in the regions around Barcelona is a great pleasure that you should treat yourself to once in a while. Inland or by the sea, there are many towns and cities with centuries-old shops, where elegance reigns supreme, food shops run by master craftsmen who are true gourmets, pharmacies decorated with Art Nouveau furniture, and fashion and accessories shops, where the creations of local designers sit alongside the most exclusive international brands. Here are five essential shopping destinations.