Spain's most famous, but second city is the absolute ideal destination to exhaust yourself touristing before chilling out on the beach. Not only that, but you could do it for a fortnight straight and still not have seen or experienced everything you had planned. You like culture? There's Gaudi, Picasso and proud Catalonian tradition. You like music? There's Benicassim, Razzmatazz, Primavera and live music on in every other eatery. Socialite? You know which places already. Sport? Need I say more?
If you don't have a fortnight, or even a long weekend, if you just have a day or two, don't even bother with La Ramblas, Sagrada Familia or Port Olympico, instead, climb the colourful staircases up to Parc Guell where it's easy to wile away a whole day walking, discovering, marvelling and relaxing.
Alternatively, head to Montjuic and between the museums, stadia, gardens, architecture, castles and fountains there's something or everyone. Mies van de Rohe's iconic Barcelona lounger was born here, the metric metre was born here, one of the best street racing circuits in the world once existed here, and Lluis Companys, Joan Gamper and Joan Miro are all laid to rest here.
Barcelona is beautiful, it is Europe's new tour de force, growing quicker than any other city on the continent, and fuelling Catalonia's separatist cause. It is all of the superlatives. If you were Spain, you wouldn't want to let Barça go either.