Barcelona has 1.5 million inhabitants, representing the historical center and primary purveyor of services within a metropolitan conurbation of approximately 4.2 million inhabitants. Located in the northeast corner of the Iberian Peninsula, it is the capital of Catalonia, and in economic and cultural terms the most dynamic autonomous community of Spain. Catalonia, with 6 million inhabitants, represents 15 per cent of the Spanish population and 22 per cent of national GNP. Proud of its national identity and conscious of the difficulty involved in preserving a minority culture and language (Catalan), in an increasingly globalized world, Catalonia seeks to develop its cultural sectors by maintaining its unique identity while remaining open to the rest of the world. 

Barcelona is one of the most fashionable cities in Europe, particularly since the Olympic Games of 1992. From that time onwards the number of visitors to the city has increased 63 per cent. 

Barcelona affords the visitor an opportunity to admire a 2,000 year architectonic tradition: one can visit the Roman ruins laying under the city, the Gothic Quarter (an ancient medieval city), or an exceptional selection of Modernist buildings and monuments, including those associated with Gaudi's imagination. One can also admire the latest design trends in the city's streets and squares, as well as in the Olympic areas. 

The presence of art is not only to be found in the streets, but in a varied sample of museums: Museu Picasso, Fundació Miró, Fundació Tápies, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Museu d'Art Contemporani (MACBA), and a lot of private art galleries situated in the city's heart. 

Open to the Mediterranean, one can walk on the city's beaches or on its very attractive and crowded avenues. The most famous of the latter is La Rambla, a promenade exploding with colors, flowers, contrasts, histories and spontaneous artistic manifestations. The conference will be located in this special area of the city. 

To enjoy traditional Catalan culture during your stay in Barcelona, we recommend you participate in the most traditional cultural events (Patum de Berga, castellers, sardanes...). Likewise, you will find all the flavors of Catalan cuisine and patisseries, as well as a wide variety of international cooking, in its varied restaurants. 

For those who decide to enjoy some extra time in the city, we recommend a visit to the Costa Brava (where one can admire the Museu Dalí, in Figueres), Tarragona (capital of Roman Hispania), Girona (with a medieval Jewish Quarter) and a large sampling of Romanic and Gothic churches and monasteries located within the varied geography of Catalonia. 

Weather: 

Barcelona enjoys typical Mediterranean weather, which is generally temperate and rather hot and humid in summer. The temperature in June oscillates normally between 16ºC and 24ºC, with a relative humidity of approximately 60 per cent, which accentuates the heat. Nevertheless, most hotels and sites, as well as the urban transportation system, have air conditioning. 
 
 

See "Tourist Recommendations", J. Mark Schuster