NEWSLETTER

This summer, the roof-top terrace of Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudí’s architectural crown jewel, sees the return of the Magic Nights, which will run until November 4. Every day, the magical Modernist terrace will host a unique evening with a varied musical programme and a cast of 15 artists from a range of musical genres to suit all tastes. Tickets include a complete cultural visit of Casa Batlló with Smart Guide ending in the musical performance on the terrace and a choice of two drinks. To see the full programme click here.

Another summer proposal for night owls includes La Pedrera’s Jazz Evenings. On Friday and Saturday nights from June 8 to September 14, the roof-top terrace of Gaudi’s La Pedrera will offer visitors the chance to enjoy the best live music from the current jazz scene with stunning views of Barcelona.

The touristic train ride Tren dels Llacs (The Lakes Train), will be running through the landscapes of Lleida until November 3. This train passes through the historic railway line from the city of Lleida to the charming town of La Pobla de Segur, that has connected these two Catalan cities since 1951, giving visitors a chance to take a journey back in time, while also offering the ideal trip for families and train and nature lovers.

A trip on the Tren dels Llacs includes a welcome pack with a number of culinary products from the region of Lleida, a performance on the outward-bound route and a taste of the local delicacy “coca de recapte” at Balaguer station on the return journey. Visitors can also buy packages (guided tours, local product tastings etc.) for the main touristic attractions in the region.

This summer marks the 38th edition of the Torroella de Montgrí Festival in Costa Brava. This edition of the festival will be held from 1 to 19 August and will feature composers who looked to popular and folk music as a source of creation for their work. Bartók, Antonín Dvorák, Leoš Janáček, Joaquín Turina and Joaquín Rodrigo, whose works will be performed this year, are fine examples. Renowned artists such as violinists Lina Tur and Enrico Onfoni and the L'Apothéose Ensemble and the Academia del Piaciere with Rocío Márquez will also be performing at the festival.

L’Estartit Jazz Festival will also be making its return this summer from 19 to 22 July. This fifth festival will take on a new dimension, with a new venue and format. El Molinet village, with one of the most beautiful views of Les Medes, is set to become the centre stage, inviting artists and the public to enjoy its bar and food service. Participating this year, among others, are the swing sextet O Sister!; the young guitarist Julian Lage Trio; the Bruce Barth jazz; Mare Nostrum II, by Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano and Jan Lundgren; the cheerful, and the festive sound of The Street of New Orleans & Mark Braud.

Poble Espanyol is an architectural open-air site located in Barcelona designed by the architect Puig i Cadafalch, consisting of 117 buildings forming the “Spanish Village”, offering a route to discover the local architectural heritage of the Iberian Peninsula. This historic site has been refurbished to include new technologies and exciting interactive spaces, enriching the content to make the visit more dynamic and educational.

The new multimedia project consists of three new spaces. The first one is the reception area, which is fitted with eight 1.5-metre high interactive screens showing all the necessary information for planning the visit. Secondly, Feeling Spain, which consists of five immersive audiovisual spaces created for visitors to discover the diversity and wealth of landscapes and culture in Spain. And lastly, Fiesta, which uses a large-format mapping, recreating the most emblematic traditional festivals in Spain such as the Patum in Berga, the Tomatina in Buñol (Valencia), human towers (castells) or the Andalusian Holy Week.

The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation is hosting an exhibition until 6 January 2019 called ‘The women photograph Dalí’, which presents images taken by a group of modern, free-thinking women travellers, who chose photography as a means of expression and whose common denominator is Salvador Dalí.

The Centre for Dalinian Studies has decided to showcase the works of key 20th-century women photographers, such as Denise Bello, Martha Holmes and Liselotte Strelow, who have often been overshadowed by other renowned male photographers. The centre has also recovered photos of women close to the artist, such as Valentine Hugo and  Anna Laetitia Pecci-Blunt and has placed special emphasis on images attributed to Gala, as a way of discovering Salvador Dalí through the vision of his muse.

The Pyrenees Early Music Festival (FeMAP) will once again be filling the most emblematic stages in the Pyrenees with early music, at the eighth such festival. From 29 June, through the months of July and August, some of the most famous early music soloists and groups in the world today will be coming to experience the passion for this form of music in the Pyrenees, combining music, heritage and beautiful scenery.

The FeMAP programme combines music, heritage and tourism. Concerts can be enjoyed in combination with other activities, such as guided tours, food tastings and cultural activities. GastroFilm sessions will also take place, combining local products tasting with the sreening of documentaries.

Discover the Pyrenees on the GR1 and GR11 long-distance trails

The Catalan Tourist Board has updated the publication Catalan Pyrenees, GR1 and GR11. The GR1 long-distance trail, also known as the ‘historic route’, crosses the country linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. The GR11 links the Mediterranean and Cantabrian seas along the southern face of the Pyrenees. The publication is also available in both French and Dutch. Full information on other Catalan Pyrenees trails can also be found at the Pyrenees website.

Everything Catalonia has to offer for organising incentive trips

The Catalunya Convention Bureau has brought together, in a single publication, 100 experiences for enjoying Catalonia in incentive trips. The brochure showcases how Catalonia is ideal for exploring in groups, feeling inspired and putting the essential values of teamwork into practice, whether it be learning to play rumba in Barcelona, treasure hunting in Costa Brava, creating your own film or joining a “colla castellera” human tower team.

New features in El Maresme

The Costa del Maresme Consortium of Tourism Promotion has also published a new promotional catalogue of assets in El Maresme titled: Enjoyment all year round, which compiles some of the region’s key attractions besides sun and sand. These include the family tourism offerings, the quality of its beaches, its rich cultural heritage, numerous sports’ facilities, protected natural landscapes and renowned culinary products, among others.

Km0 slow food is a non-profit eco-gastronomic association founded in 1989 and now present in 160 countries. Slow food restaurants cook dishes Km0 in which local and organic farming is prioritized, seasonal foods are employed and the use of GM products is avoided, among other characteristics.

This year, 9 Catalan restaurants have joined the slow-food movement: El Ginjoler, Marítim, La Calèndula and Ca La Lola in Costa Brava; La Baula Ateneu Cooperatiu in Terres de Lleida; Equilicuà, Casa Gallau and Maspubills Restaurant Ecològic in Costa Daurada and Artesanal in Costa Barcelona. With these new additions, Catalonia now has around 65 establishments recognised as Km0 slow food restaurants that can be found in the Km0 slow food website.

The new tourism season has kicked off in PortAventura World with five brand new rides in Ferrari Land designed for kids, based on the spirit of the Italian racing team. These include:

Junior Red Force: is a mini roller-coaster giving kids of all ages a chance to experience the same vertical acceleration speeds as the popular Red Force rollercoaster.

Kids’ Tower:  a 9-metres high free-fall drop and rebound tower.

Crazy Pistons: inspired by the movement of pistons in a real Ferrari engine.

Champions Race: a fun chance for the whole family to experience the sensation of driving the legendary Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.

Flying Race: the ride designed for adventurous young pilots.

The new Ferrari kid’s area marks the start of an expansion of the resort which will continue until 2019, with the opening of a new four-star hotel and a new ride in the Sésamo Aventura children area.

You can now discover Barcelona’s most emblematic sites, monuments and attractions on a night-time trip with the tourist bus! Barcelona Night Tour Bus allows passengers to discover the light and colour of the city’s most emblematic buildings at night as well as the Montjuïc Magic Fountain show, which combines water displays, coloured lights and music.

SAVE THE DATE

> Press Trip Ultratrail Pyrenees
   Pyrenees (September 24-30)

> Fam Trip & Workshop Rediscovering Nature
   Barcelona + Pyrenees + Ebro Delta (September 18-22) 

> BUY Catalunya 2018
   Catalonia (September 25-29)

> Press Trip Kayaking in Costa Brava
   Costa Brava (October 1-4)

> Press Trip Cycling Pirinexus
   Costa Brava (October 1-5)

> Workshop Costa Barcelona
 Belgium (October 2), Netherlands (October 4), Locations TBC

> Presentation Arts and Culture in Costa Daurada
    Eindhoven (October, dates TBC)