The Autonomous Region of Catalonia
Our little village of L'Ampolla is ideally located for a restful seaside retreat. Yet further afield, there are amazing places to explore on a day's outing. Below are some of our favorite places to venture out to see on our visits.
Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain with a distinct character, culture, and language all its own. While Barcelona is a must see on your visit here, it has been discovered and can feel overrun by tourists. To really get a peek into the lives of the Catalan people, set a course for smaller towns and villages. We love Sitges for its lively narrow pedestrian only streets in the center of town; Figueres for the Salvador Dali Museum, Tarragona for the Roman ruins, Girona's medieval walled old town, Tortosa for its history, and Vilafranca del Penedès for being at the center of regional wine production. This is also the area for Cava and chocolate tasting in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia!
Barcelona is a major cruise ship hub to visit destinations around the Mediterranean Sea. So a week at our Apartment Vista Alegre and a week long cruise makes for a nice combined vacation. A 5 to 7 day cruise will take you to ports of call in France, Italy, or Portugal and then back to Spain.
See the rest of Europe. . .
El Prat Airport offers an easy jaunt to destinations all over Europe. But check out the flights from the smaller and closer Reus Airport. We have seen flights on the lower cost airlines for as low as 12 Euros each way. So a week or so at our Apartment becomes a great jumping off point to see other sights in Europe or even North Africa.
Our Favorite Day Trips. . .
- Barcelona - Capital City of Catalonia, Amazing Food, & Everything Gaudi
- Besalú - Preserved Medieval Town
- Delta de l'Ebre - Rice Paddies, Nature Park, & Flamingos
- Figueres - Salvador Dali Museum
- Girona - Gorgeous Medieval Old Town & Jewish Quarter
- Miravet - 12th Century Castle, Views of the Ebro River, & Artisanal Pottery Studios
- Montserrat - Monastery Atop Mountain, Rock Formations, & Wonderful Museum
- Peniscola - Castle Overlooking the Sea & a Wonderful Beach
- Reus - Ruta del Modernisme, Shopping, & Vermut de Reus
- Sant Sadurni d'Anoia - Center of Cava & Simon Coll Chocolate
- Sitges - Coastal Village, Beaches, & Gay Nightlife
- Tarragona - Walled Old Town, Cathedral, & Roman Ruins
- Tortosa - History of the Knights Templar & Spanish Civil War
- Valencia - Capital of Valencia & The City of Arts and Sciences
- Vilafranca del Penedès - Center of Wine Production
See the rest of Spain. . .
L'Ampolla is centrally located, within a 2 hours drive by car you can visit the City of Valencia along the coast to the south, or Zaragoza to the west by following the Rio Ebro into the region of Aragon, or even head north to the Pyrenees Mountains and the French border. From Barcelona you can also take a high speed train to visit Madrid via a 2 hour ride or longer train rides to see Seville, Malaga, Granada, or Bilbao and San Sebastian. You can even take a ferry boat to see the Balearic Islands. So many wonderful places to see and experience once you get here!