Catalonia
Location: on the northeastern tip of the Iberian peninsula encompassing Barcelona, Costa Brava – Gerona, Costa del Maresme, Costa del Garraf, Costa Dorada, mainland Catalonia – Lleida and the Pyrenees.
Getting there: scheduled services operate from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Dublin to Barcelona. Flights are operated by Iberia, British Airways, Go and EasyJet. Charter flights operate from April/May to October to Reus on the Costa Dorada and to Gerona on the Costa Brava from 17 UK airports. Flight time from Gatwick is 1hr 50mins.
When to go: year round.
Currency: Spanish peseta. At the time of going to press the exchange rate was 273.07 to the pound. All major credit cards are accepted.
Sample price: Magic of Spain offers seven nights at the 209-room, four-star Hotel Terramar in Sitges, a 2hr drive from Barcelona, from £439 on a bed and breakfast basis. Guests are offered a 50% reduction on green fees at the adjacent 18-hole golf course; a child reduction of 50%; and for clients staying more than seven nights an extra night is offered for free.
Time: GMT +1hr.
Further details: Catalan Tourist Board, 17 Fleet Street, 3rd Floor, London EC4Y 1AA. Tel: 020-7583 8855. Fax: 020-7583 8877. E-mail: catalonia@catalantouristboard.co.uk.