POBLE ESPANYOL BARCELONA

You can tour the whole of Spain in an afternoon here at Barcelona's 'Spanish Village', a remarkable showcase of regional architectural styles. Built for the 1929 World Exhibition, the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) was intended as a recreation of the diversity of Spanish regional architecture through the ages. The 115 life-sized reproductions of buildings, clustered around 6 squares and 3km (5 miles) of streets, form an authentic village, where visitors can identify famous or characteristic buildings ranging from the patios of Andalucia to Mallorcan mansions and the granite facades of Galicia. Within the village are bars and restaurants serving regional specialties, and more than 60 shops selling folk crafts and regional artifacts.

Some are undeniably overpriced, but there are also some real finds The Fundacio Fran Daural, located inside the 'village', boasts a few Dalis and Picassos and is definitely worth paying the extra, inexpensive entrance fee. At night the Poble Espanyol takes on a different air with a handful of nightclubs and bars such as La Terraza  and EI Tablao de Carmen located inside its walls. During the summer during EI Grec cultural festival, the main square acts a stage for concerts In the past years Bob Dylan and Van Morrison have both played here.

The city's efficient public transport will whisk you to Barcelona's outlying districts and some of its top destinations. In the western neighborhood of Pedralbes sits the splendid royal monastery of the same name, the perfect place to escape the bustle of the city. South of the monastery, off the Avinguda Diagonal, lies the Palau Reial de Pedralbes, a royal palace that now houses a museum of ceramics and a museum of decorative arts. The section of the Avinguda Diagonal that cuts through the district of Les Corts, between the Palau Reial de Pedralbes and Plac;a de Francesc MaciEl, is lined with offices, banks and apartment buildings, though a megamall and classy shops make it a popular place for retail therapy.

To the south is FC Barcelona's Stadium, Camp Nou, where football fans flock  to see their team in action. To the north are Barcelona's ultramodern science museum, Cosmo Caixa, and Tibidabo, where you can ride on rollercoasters with the whole city laid out spectacularly before you.