Location: Barcelona

Barcelona needs no introduction as one of the most famous and visited cities in the world – with it’s award winning beaches, packed bars and clubs and cosmopolitan feel it has something for everyone. You may think that with this impression of buzzing tourist centre that it had little else to offer, but it is in fact very hard working and dynamic in regards to business and industry with a focus on hi-tech and biomedical business. Barcelona is today one of the world’s leading economic centres and the fourth most powerful city by GDP in the European Union and 35th in the world with an output amounting to €177 billion and ranked the 4th best city for business and fastest improving city.

Barcelona has a long and respected tradition in the world of architecture and a visit to the The Barri Gòtic (Catalan for “Gothic Quarter”) in the centre of the old city is well worth the walk. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan modernista architecture (related to the movement known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe), developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. Several of these buildings are World Heritage Sites. Especially remarkable is the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, which can be seen throughout the city. His best-known work is the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by private donations. As of 2007, completion is planned for 2026.

Barcelona has many venues for live music and theatre, including the world-renowned Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, the Teatre Lliure and the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall. The major thoroughfare of Las Ramblas is home to mime artists and street performers. Yearly two major pop music festivals take place in the city, the Sónar Festival and the Primavera Sound Festival. The city also has a thriving alternative music scene, with groups such as The Pinker Tones receiving international attention.