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Barcelona this region has many interesting places to discover Baix Llobregat has an elongated shape that increasingly narrows as it moves away from the coast and goes inland The landscapes and villages further to the north marked by the presence of the mountain of Montserrat are quite different from those near the sea The getaway we are now starting will help us discover these two facets of the region and lots of interesting places IN COLLABORATION WITH BARCELONA ÉS MOLT MÉS AND THE DIPUTACIÓ DE BARCELONA We want to start our trip in a magical spot. Although the mountain of Montserrat is already spectacular outside, inside its beauty is just as breathtaking. Its rocks conceal a unique underground world, and it is best seen and enjoyed at the Saltpetre Caves (Coves del Salnitre) in Collbató Perhaps it is just our imagination but during this half-kilometre walk through the bowels of the holy mountain you seem to be looking at Gaudí's architecture organ pipes or even the sculpture of La Moreneta which leaves you fascinated and a little disconcerted Is it really possible that Antoni Gaudí visited here and was inspired for the design of his buildings We cannot be certain about the great architect but we do know that other renowned figures such as Santiago Rusiñol Ramon Casas and Jacint Verdaguer did visit the caves Now we are here and we can admire these underground landscapes that water has patiently sculpted in the stone over thousands of years © Catalunya en MiniaturaOn the second day we suggest an activity promoted by Torrelles de Llobregat Council It consists of diverse experiences in this town beginning with the well-known scale model theme park Catalunya en Miniatura Later we can visit a winery producing exclusive cherry wines such as an organic bakery with a wide range of handmade breads And the package also includes lunch in a restaurant that uses local products from Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park If you fancy booking this full day in Torrelles This morning we are going to get to know the best of Viladecans and the ideal way to do this is by joining a guided tour You will discover places such as Torre del Baró which dates back to the 10th century; Torre Roja a modernista building but with a watchtower dating back much earlier A town with a spectacular demographic growth in the last third of the 20th century but that has managed to preserve much of its heritage and charm Built in the second half of the 19th century, it is a neo-Romanesque shrine to Saint Raymond Nonnatus. From here we can see the Llobregat Delta, Montseny, Montserrat, Garraf... and, on clear days, even the mountains of Majorca! Bearing in mind that in the morning we were in Viladecans, a good option is to walk to the shrine from the Torre Roja park in the town. Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! facebook twitter spotify tiktok About us Contact us Time Out Worldwide who served as the Executive Chairman of the Junta Constructora de la Sagrada Família between 2005 and 2011 Born in Torrelles de Llobregat on 4 April 1943 he had a background in humanistic and philosophical studies all interior spaces were closed off and on 7 November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the Basilica for religious worship and designated it a minor basilica We use our own and third-party cookies to improve this website as well as collect and analyze access data By clicking on 'OK' you accept the use of your data for these purposes You can modify this consent whenever you wish The Barcelona metropolitan area has been one of the 690 regions worldwide that have contributed to the City Nature Challenge an international challenge to discover the nature of cities With the coordination of the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the collaboration of various environmental entities, the Barcelona metropolis recorded, over the four days of the competition, a total of 3,514 observations on the citizen science observatory MINKA citizens have been the driving force behind making the Barcelona metropolitan area the region with the highest number of observation records and species among the 15 Spanish populations participating in the global challenge highlighting the contribution of marine observations we have the advantage of having a wide range of ecosystems which allows us to obtain a great diversity of species when organizing citizen science events," emphasizes Jaume Piera researcher at the ICM-CSIC and leader of the initiative Most of the coastal observations were made thanks to photographic outings and daytime and nighttime biodiversity censuses carried out by the Catalan Federation of Underwater Activities (FECDAS) snorkeling outings by the company Anèl·lides - Serveis Ambientals Marins and outings to metropolitan beaches within the BioPlatgesMet project co-led by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) and the ICM-CSIC Among all the species recorded in the challenge, the finding of a specimen of nudibranch stands out, which until now had not been cited in the city of Barcelona. It is the species Tergipes tergipes, a mollusk of Atlantic origin found specifically in the breakwater area of Llevant Beach in Barcelona who is also a technician at the ICM-CSIC and a member of the BioDiverCiutat organization emphasizes that "it is not common to find this species in the Mediterranean Sea because it feeds only on certain species of hydrozoans and at shallow depths limiting its presence to very specific locations." The first record of the species in Catalonia was in a shallow area of Sitges, and currently, there are very few documented cases on the Catalan coast, according to the Biodiversity Database of Catalonia and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) The ranking of the ten most cited species in the Barcelona metropolitan region within BioDiverCiutat is led by the anemone goby fish (Gobius incognitus) a common fish in the Mediterranean Sea that was recorded 100 times on the MINKA platform over the four days The second most cited species has been the sea snail Cerithium vulgatum BioDiverCiutat also recorded 61 exotic species such as the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis and the marine polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum both also in the ranking of the ten most cited "The Forum area of Barcelona stands out for its uniqueness: an artificial seabed with uncommon structures in nature This protection often results in a great diversity of species being observed some of which are difficult to find elsewhere," explains biologist Xavier Salvador a lepidopteran that can make an annual migration of 10,000 kilometers Viladecans was the third most active population in the competition, contributing 225 observations and 91 different species, mainly from the beach area, where several specimens of the by-the-wind sailor (Velella velella) were recorded which were abundant on various beaches in Catalonia at that time a group of volunteers from the Barraquer Ophthalmology Center participated which maintains an ongoing collaboration with the ICM-CSIC The organization of the City Nature Challenge which promotes the use of various citizen science platforms similar to MINKA celebrates its ninth edition as the most participatory with 83,000 participants from 690 cities in 51 different countries and documenting nearly 2.5 million observations of urban wildlife Although the four days of the challenge in Barcelona were marked by rain researcher Jaume Piera highlights that "the results of BioDiverCiutat demonstrate people's interest and willingness to participate in citizen science activities to discover nature The BioDiverCiutat event was funded by the European projects ANERIS ©2020 - Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) | Design and Development: Ondeuev / Omitsis you can stroll around the most emblematic buildings and sites in Catalonia thanks to the miniatures at Catalunya en Miniatura VER ENTRADAS Some of the best places in Catalonia to visit the fields in bloom One of the best things to do outdoors now that Spring is approaching is to stroll through fields of flowers you don’t have to travel far from home to visit This is a list of eight sites in Catalonia that you can comfortably go to from Barcelona and a guide to when to see their fields in bloom To see the cherry blossoms without having to travel far from Barcelona there are several options The courses of Torrelles de Llobregat and Sant Climent de Llobregat are two of the best although the municipality of Begues can also be visited you can enjoy fields full of fruit trees such as cherry Although the timing depends on each species their flowering time is between February and April There are maps of the region divided into Zones according to flower types you can complete the experience by hiking or visiting other gems in the Zone’s villages The best place to enjoy the ephemeral landscape of the almond tree fields is Les Garrigues The perfect plan is to drive the route from Arbeca to La Floresta A little more than half an hour from Barcelona is Masia Mas Sampera located in Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana and dedicated to the organic production of lavender Its owners allow free visits to their fields which have more than 18,000 specimens of these flowers This is a species with a very short duration so its enjoyment is reduced to the month of July The peach groves around Aitona become a sea of pink in Primavera The municipality has established routes to tour them some of them for individual enjoyment and others for which a guide is needed Due to the tourist boom during the flowering season there are times when it is not possible to access with your own vehicle There is a wide range of activities on offer the best spots for observation are mounds such as the one at the hermitage of the Virgin of Carrassumada The best place to enjoy the different shades of yellow characteristic of rapeseed fields in April is undoubtedly the region of Pla de l’Estany you can take advantage of the trip to visit some charming villages in the Zone such as Vilert just half an hour from Barcelona you can enjoy some smaller ones located near the urbanization of Estany de Gallecs although to see this flower in all its splendor you have to wait until June and July One of the places where these fields can be visited is the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà Natural Park Tulipmania is not only a flower field to visit and walk through but also offers different floral workshops and in this idyllic place you can take a yoga class or learn the techniques to plant tulips from scratch You will find flowers throughout the year since during the spring they plant tulips and during the fall dahlias you can enjoy a beautiful floral landscape