The beaches, culture and wine of Costa Barcelona Just outside the city limits of Barcelona lies a vast region to explore. From sun-drenched beaches to Art Nouveau-style summer residences to sweeping vineyards that produce much of the world’s Cava, Costa Barcelona is a must-see destination in Spain. I visited recently during Costa Barcelona Week, making my way around as many of the six regions that make up the Costa Barcelona brand – L’Alt Penedes, El Baix, Llobregat, El Garraf, El Maresme, El Valles Occidental and El Valles Oriental – as I could! This is what I found out.   Watch the Costa Barcelona video     The beaches! Costa Barcelona boasts a 100-kilometre stretch of coast along the Mediterranean Sea. Many of the seaside resorts, including Calella and Malgret del Mar, have been awarded Blue Flag status, an international standard for quality. Bring a bucket and spade, hire a sunbed and have fun in the sun. Then visit a watersports centre to get out on the sea to sail, kayak or be pulled by a speedboat on an inflatable banana boat! At Olympic Channel Catalonia, where the 1982 Olympics were held, you can learn to wake board. If you like more land-based sports, hire a bike and cycle your way through the Maresme coast. It’s absolutely stunning! Catalonia has a fascinating culture which you can experience year round, especially at many of the region’s festivals. Perhaps most intriguing are Castells, “human castles” where the community comes together to make the castle base (pinya) with human tier upon tier until it is finally topped off with a child raising her arms in victory. It’s mesmerizing to watch. Many of the castell organisations offer workshops where you can experience it yourself. The UNESCO listed Mediterranean diet is in full force in Costa Barcelona, fuelled by “kilometre zero” produce that includes strawberries from Mareseme (they are a bit smaller, but very sweet!), Gava Asparagus, Munt cherries, Valles Oriental tomatoes, El Prat artichokes and El Ganxet beans. The three Michelin-starred Restaurant Sant Pau is in the coastal town of Sant Pol de Mar, but perhaps the best meals are at local restaurants trying Catalan specialties like Xato, a winter salad with a nut dressing, white beans and sausage or Coca de Llavaneras, a traditional pastry filled with custard and topped with pine nuts and sugar. On St John’s Eve locals drink, eat coca and jump over a fire! Costa’s Barcelona’s climate cultivates an extensive wine region, especially around L’Alt Pendes and El Maresme. Catalonia’s wine trade is the biggest in Spain, with 765 wineries producing 180 million bottles of wine and 200 million bottles of cava a year. Many of the wineries have activities the while family will enjoy, such as a picnic lunch after a mule-drawn carriage ride through the vineyards. There are also Roman Spas, 16th century Monasteries, a Formula One Race course and more. Here are a few photos from my recent trip to Costa Barcelona. I hope you fall in love too!                                       IF YOU GO Barcelona Province Council Barcelona is Much More! https://www.barcelonaesmoltmes.cat/en/ AC Hotel by Marriott Gava Mar C/ dels Tellinaires, 33 – 35, 08850 Gavà, Spain +34 936 45 15 10 https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bcnga-ac-hotel-gava-mar/ Wellness Accura Gava Mar Carrer dels Tellinaires, 39-41, 08850 Gavà, Barcelona, Spain +34 936 45 15 00 https://clubsaccura.es/es Kauai Gava Mar Carrer de Calafell, 25-27, 08850 Gavà, Barcelona, Spain +34 936 45 11 88 http://www.kauaigava.com Cava LLopart Carretera de Sant Sadurní a Ordal, Km 4, 08739 Els Casots, Barcelona, Spain +34 938 99 31 25 http://www.llopart.com Mirador de les Caves Ctra. d’Ordal a Sant Sadurní Km.3.800, 08739 Els casots, Barcelona, Spain +34 626 03 06 21 http://www.miradordelescaves.com ROCROI – Activitats Nautiques Moll de Ponent, s/n, 08880 Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain +34 938 16 03 51 http://www.rocroi.com/en Camping Bon Repòs Passeig Marítim, s/n, 08398 Santa Susanna, Barcelona, Spain +34 937 67 84 75 http://www.campingbonrepos.com Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Camino Mas Moreneta, 08160 Montmeló, Barcelona, Spain http://www.circuitcat.com/es/ Sant Cugat Monastery Plaça d’Octavià, 1, 08172 Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain +34 936 75 99 51 https://www.visitsantcugat.cat/que-veure/monestir-de-sant-cugat/ Mercantic Av. de Rius i Taulet, 120, 08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain +34 936 74 49 50 http://www.mercantic.com Can Gula Av. de Rius i Taulet, 120, 08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain +34 934 88 43 85 http://www.cangula.es     Disclosure: My trip to Costa Barcelona was provided by Barcelona Province Council for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.