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Monaco

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The Principality of Monaco (fr. Principauté de Monaco) is the second-smallest country by area in the world; only Vatican City is smaller. Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world. Part of French Riviera.

The principality benefits from a mild Mediterranean climate and has many luxury hotel facilities. The Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place there every year. The Monte-Carlo Casino, the Oceanographic Museum and the Prince's Palace attract many tourists throughout the year.
Tourism and main attractions

Prince Palace. The Palace of Monaco, commonly known as the Prince's Palace, has been the official residence of the Prince of Monaco since 1297. It is at the top of the Rock of Monaco, the oldest district of the Principality of Monaco, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea from 60 meters.

Paris hotel. The Hôtel de Paris is a Belle Epoque-style palace in the heart of Monaco, in the Monte-Carlo district.

Monaco Port. The port of Monaco consists of two ports, one natural, the port of Hercule having been the subject of an extension (finalized in 2008) by a floating concrete dam, the other artificial, the port of Fontvieille built as the extension of the Fontvieille district to the sea.

Louis II stadium. The Louis-II stadium is a sports complex intended for the practice of many sports in the Principality of Monaco, inaugurated on January 25th, 1985 by Prince Rainier III. It includes a football stadium with a capacity of 18,523 seats with an athletics track, a sports hall and a nautical centre.

Monte-Carlo Opera. The Monte-Carlo Opera or Salle Garnier is a performance hall adjoining the Casino de Monte-Carlo in the Monte-Carlo district. Architect Charles Garnier designed the new casino and the opera house under the leadership of Marie Blanc (widow of François Blanc) and were inaugurated on 25 January 1879 with a performance by Sarah Bernhardt.

Monte-Carlo Casino. The Monte-Carlo Casino is a prestigious Belle Époque-style casino located in the Monte-Carlo district. The current building was designed in 1879 by Charles Garnier (who also built the adjoining Monte-Carlo Opera House). Today, the Société des Bains de Mer, which became the Monte-Carlo SBM Group, still owns and operates the Monte-Carlo casino.

Exotic garden. Designed by the Monegasque engineer Louis Notari for the Prince Louis II, the garden was opened to the public in 1931 but officially inaugurated only in 1933.

Yacht Club de Monaco. The Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) is a nautical club founded in 1953 in Monaco. This club brings together owners of classic or modern boats, motor-yachts or pleasure and regatta sailboats.
Museums

Museum of prehistoric anthropology. The Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology is located within the Jardin Exotique de Monaco. It was opened in 1902 and contains a collection of fossils and other excavated artefacts relating to the prehistory of Monaco and areas nearby.

Chapelle de la Visitation. The Museum is an art museum and Roman Catholic chapel in the Monaco-Ville ward of Monaco.

Oceanographic Museum. A museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. It is home to the Mediterranean Science Commission.

Stamps and coins museum. The Museum of Stamps and Coins is in the Fontvieille section of Monaco. It tells the postal history of the principality and contains a display of Monegasque money dating to 1640.

New National Museum of Monaco. A collection and exhibitions of contemporary art directed by Marie-Claude Beaud (Villa Paloma and Villa Sauber).

Museum of Old Monaco. It displays ceramics, paintings, furniture and costumes, as well as sets out scenes of daily life from Le Rocher, Monaco's Old Town.

Naval museum. The Naval Museum is a museum of model ships, paintings and maritime objects in Fontvieille, Monaco. It is an international museum, dedicated to all navies from ancient times to our era.

Monaco cars museum. Collection of vintage cars (from HSH the Prince of Monaco).

Religious buildings

Notre-Dame-Immaculée Cathedral, 1903, avenue Saint-Martin. A Romano-Byzantine building erected in Monaco under the principate of Charles III. It is the main church of the Monegasque archdiocese.

Palatine Chapel of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, seventeenth century, Place du Palais. The chapel was built during the time of Prince of Monaco Honoré II Grimaldi to replace an old oratory. Blessed on 15 October 1656 by the Bishop of Nice.

Church of the Sacred Heart of Monaco, 1929, Moneghetti district, chemin de la Turbie. The Church of the Sacred Heart, known as the Moneghetti, is a Catholic religious building. Built as a Jesuit church in the first half of the twentieth century, it became a parish in 1965.

Saint-Charles de Monte-Carlo Church, 1883, place Saint-Charles. Saint-Charles Church is a Monegasque parish church in the centre of Monte-Carlo. The Prince of Monaco Charles III built at the end of the nineteenth century on the site of the old Saint-Laurent chapel.

Sainte-Dévote Church, 1870; built on the site of an eleventh century chapel, place Sainte-Dévote. Sainte-Dévote Church is a Monegasque parish church located in the district of La Condamine.

Saint-Martin Church, 1976, Plati district, avenue Corvette-Frères. The Church of St. Martin is a Monegasque parish church located in the Plati district.

Church of Saint-Nicolas de Fontvieille, 1989, place du Campanin. Saint-Nicolas Church is a Monegasque parish church located in the Fontvieille district. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra.

Saint Paul's Church, avenue de Grande-Bretagne.

Chapel of the Annonciade, avenue de l'Annonciade

Church of Sainte-Thérèse of Monaco, 1913 (reconstruction in 2002), boulevard d'Italie. The Sainte-Thérèse church in Monaco, known as the Carmelite Chapel, is a Catholic religious building.

Chapel of Mercy of Monaco, 1646, Place de la Mairie. Monaco's Chapel of Mercy is a Roman Catholic place of worship, located on Le Rocher.

Chapel of the Franciscans, avenue Roqueville

Chapelle Saint-Honoré, early nineteenth century, restored 1968, avenue des Pins.

Chapel of the Visitation, late seventeenth century, place de la Visitation.

Notre-Dame de Lorette chapel, rue des Remparts.

Synagogue of Monaco, avenue de la Costa. The Edmond J. Safra Synagogue is a Jewish religious building located at 15 avenue de la Costa in Monaco. It was inaugurated in March 2017 in place of the previous synagogue which was in the Villa Esmeralda.

Protestant temple, rue Louis Notari.

Temple of the Antoinist cult, 48 boulevard du Jardin-Exotique.

Sport events
The principality serves as a setting for various prestigious events, including:

Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1.

Champions Trophy (handball).

Monte-Carlo Rally in WRC.

"Herculis" Athletics Meeting; the first Herculis meeting was organized in 1987.

International Circus Festival.

Monaco and Riviera Marathon, which is run in spring, between Ventimiglia and Monaco. At the same time, the Monte-Carlo 10 kilometre race takes place.

UEFA Super Cup (in 1986 and from 1998 to 2012), a football match between the winner of the Champions League and the winner of the Europa League.

Monaco international judo tournament: Adidas trophy in mid-December.

International chess tournament.

Denis Ravera International Challenge.

Tour de France bicycle race.

Red Bull X-Alps, a paragliding competition organized every two years, which starts in Salzburg and ends in Monaco.

Monte Carlo International Swimming Meeting.

International Jumping of Monte-Carlo.

Women's FxPro Monte Carlo Beach Volleyball.

Beaches
Larvotto Beach. This popular, artificial beach features clear waters, a volleyball court and a scenic promenade with great views. Available for kids.
Shopping
Golden Circle remains the top destination for shopping. The area has formed around Casino Square and covers several nearby streets.

The Métropole Shopping Centre is the main shopping centre in Monaco-and it's quite a delight. It is the perfect place to amble in opulence and browse all your favourite high-end boutiques.

Fontvieille Shopping Centre offers more affordable prices. Many clothing stores, including jewellery and gift shops.

The Monte-Carlo Market is a covered market that is open daily. More of a farmer's market selling fruit, vegetables, meats, dairy produce and local breads, it's great for picking up those essential picnic items. Situated in avenue Saint-Charles.
Cuisine and restaurants
Among best Michelin stars restaurants:

Joel Robuchon Restaurant, Monte-Carlo. Mediterranean cuisine. Holds two Michelin stars.

Yoshi Restaurant, Monte-Carlo. Modern Japanese Restaurant. Holds one Michelin star.

Blue Bay Restaurant, Monte-Carlo. Holds one Michelin star.

Le Vistamar Restaurant, Monte-Carlo. Gourmet seafood restaurant. Holds one Michelin star.

Louis XV Restaurant, Monte-Carlo. Possibly the best restaurant on the Riviera. Holds three Michelin stars.

Transport and how to get to?
There is no airport in the Principality of Monaco. The closest airport is Cote d'Azur Airport in Nice, France, which is connected to Monaco by the Express 110 bus.

The new Monaco-Monte-Carlo underground train station, located near the Sainte-Dévote church, offers a direct daily TGV service to Paris, and up to ten other cities, via the station near Nice - City, located on the Marseille-Vintimille line, also offering TGV and Intercity trains to all of France and the countries of Europe. From Monaco, the Russian Riviera Express train runs a direct service to Moscow, once or twice a week. There are also several daily connections to Turin, Milan and Rome via Ventimiglia. The station is also served by frequent TER, connecting it to Menton and Ventimiglia to the south, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Grasse and Saint-Raphaël to the north.

Since December 14, 2014, the station has been served daily by EuroCity Thello (between Milano-Centrale and Marseille-Saint-Charles).

The Monaco heliport, located on the seawall in the Fontvieille district, serves the international airport of Nice-Cote d'Azur, at the frequency of thirty daily rotations (seven minutes of flight; terminal to terminal time is 15 minutes).
Shortest distance by car: From Pyongyang (tolls): 8925.5 km From Bern (tolls): 6 h 43 min (599 km) via A6/E717 From Zurich (tolls): 6 h 26 min (577 km) via A2 and A10/E80 From Geneve (tolls): 5 h 50 min (521 km) via E25 and A10/E80 From Lucerne (tolls): 5 h 59 min (540 km) via A2 and A10/E80 From Bilbao (tolls): 10 h 2 min (1,020 km) via A64 From San Sebastian (tolls): 9 h 7 min (922 km) via A64 From Menton: 23 min (9.8 km) via D6007 From Beaulieu-sur-Mer: 20 min (10.9 km) via M6098 From Villefranche-sur-Mer: 28 min (15.9 km) via M6007 From Nice (tolls): 29 min (20.7 km) via A8 From Cagnes-sur-Mer (tolls): 51 min (35.4 km) via A8 From Antibes (tolls): 1 h (44.6 km) via A8 From Cannes (tolls): 1 h 8 min (55.2 km) via A8 From Mandelieu-La Napoule (tolls): 59 min (58.7 km) via A8 From Fréjus (tolls): 1 h 18 min (86.4 km) via A8 From Saint-Raphaël (tolls): 1 h 21 min (89.1 km) via A8 From Saint-Tropez (tolls): 1 h 51 min (134 km) via A8 From Cavalaire-sur-Mer (tolls): 1 h 56 min (140 km) via A8 From Toulon (tolls): 1 h 55 min (171 km) via A57 and A8 From Aix-en-Provence (tolls): 2 h 10 min (197 km) via A8 From Nîmes (tolls): 3 h 11 min (302 km) via A8 From Marseille (tolls): 2 h 26 min (221 km) via A8 From Avignon (tolls): 2 h 52 min (282 km) via A8 From Montpellier (tolls): 3 h 38 min (348 km) via A8
From Sète (tolls): 3 h 48 min (376 km) via A8 From Agde (tolls): 4 h 3 min (401 km) via A8 From Pézenas (tolls): 4 h 4 min (403 km) via A8 From Béziers (tolls): 4 h 12 min (413 km) via A9 and A8
From Perpignan (tolls): 4 h 52 min (497 km) via A9 and A8 From Argelès-sur-Mer (tolls): 5 h 13 min (524 km) via A9 and A8 From Collioure (tolls): 5 h 19 min (531 km) via A9 and A8 From Narbonne (tolls): 4 h 20 min (436 km) via A9 and A8 From La Baule-Escoublac (tolls): 12 h 12 min (1,240 km) via A7 From Saint-Nazaire (tolls): 12 h 7 min (1,226 km) via A7 From Nantes (tolls): 10 h 34 min (1,165 km) via A62 From Saumur (tolls): 10 h 6 min (1,035 km) via A7 From Les Sables-d'Olonne (tolls): 11 h 15 min (1,154 km) via A62 From Cognac (tolls): 9 h 25 min (940 km) via A62 From Angoulême (tolls): 9 h 22 min (938 km) via A62 From Eauze (tolls): 7 h 25 min (712 km) via A8 From La Rochelle (tolls): 9 h 48 min (1,002 km) via A62 From Rochefort (tolls): 9 h 48 min (1,002 km) via A62 From Saintes (tolls): 9 h 12 min (938 km) via A62 From Arcachon (tolls): 8 h 53 min (875 km) via A62 From Royan (tolls): 9 h 30 min (942 km) via A62 From Biarritz (tolls): 8 h 43 min (884 km) via A64 From Saint-Jean-de-Luz (tolls): 8 h 48 min (890 km) via A64 From Bayonne (tolls): 8 h 35 min (872 km) via A64 From Dax (tolls): 8 h 31 min (851 km) via A64 From Lourdes (tolls): 7 h 25 min (751 km) via A8 From Pau (tolls): 7 h 42 min (768 km) via A8 From Périgueux (tolls): 8 h 38 min (858 km) via A8 From Bordeaux (tolls): 8 h 10 min (824 km) via A62 and A8 From Toulouse (tolls): 5 h 47 min (583 km) via A8 From Carcassonne (tolls): 4 h 54 min (492 km) via A9 and A8 From Andorra (tolls): 7 h 43 min (672 km) via A8 Main information
Area: 2.1 sq. km

Population: 38 400

Languages: French, Italian

Currency: euro

Visa: Schengen

Time: Central European UTC +1

Coordinates: 43°44′N 7°25′E

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Monaco and its attractions * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The Principality of Monaco (fr. Principauté de Monaco) is the second-smallest country by area in the world; only Vatican City is smaller. Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world. Part of French Riviera. The principality benefits from a mild Mediterranean climate and has many luxury hotel facilities.

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * politics, business, tourism, society, science, education, sport

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Франция, Испания, Андорра

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Transport drawings

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Aviation, fleet, fighting vehicles of the world on the drawings and colorings by Joan Mañé Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Aviation, fleet, fighting vehicles of the world on the drawings and colorings by Joan Mañé

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Transport and fighting vehicles

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Transport, aviation and fighting vehicles by Andrew Pantele Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Transport, aviation and fighting vehicles by Andrew Pantele

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Music

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The sound of music with Dmitry Tolkunov Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The sound of music with Dmitry Tolkunov. All styles, all genres. Interviews with famous musicians. Read, watch, listen and enjoy.

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Nutrition

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Eat to live, live to eat: best nutrition and diet with Carolina Kramer Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Eat to live, live to eat: best nutrition and diet with Carolina Kramer

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Motorcycles

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World best motorcycles by Barbara Cryton Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Best motorcycles of the world: history, types, classifications, technical characteristics. Leading and unknown brands. Photos and descriptions. Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW, Yawa, Dnepr, Ural, KTM, Harley Davidson, Ducati

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Science

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Modern science and engineering with Ivan Stepanyan Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Modern science and engineering with Ivan Stepanyan

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Gadgets

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Computers and gadgets with Michael Kirsted Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Computers and gadgets with Michael Kirsted

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Folklore

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Festivals, holidays and fairs of the Pyrenees and around with Irma Tomas Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The Pyrenean region: Spain, France, Andorra. Traditions and culture. Main festivals and fairs. Photo reportages with descriptions of the main spots

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Design

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Design, fun spots and sights with Kilian Roldan Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Design, fun spots and sights with Kilian Roldan

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Dinner ideas

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Savory coca is a type of flatbread that comes in many varieties and coca de recapte is one of the most popular. There is also a sweet variety of coca, more cake-like.

Ingredients

For the dough
700 gr. of spelt flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, 5 gr. fast acting dry yeast, 350ml of mineral ...

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Dinner ideas of the Pyrenees by Carles Flinch Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Savory coca is a type of flatbread that comes in many varieties and coca de recapte is one of the most popular. There is also a sweet variety of coca, more cake-like. Ingredients For the dough 700 gr. of spelt flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, 5 gr.

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Cities

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The cities of the Pyrenees and around with Andrew Morato Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The most beautiful cities of France, Spain, Catalonia and Pyrenees with Andrew Morato: main facts, photos and tourist attractions.

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Castles

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Castles and fortresses of Spain and France with Mathew Kristes Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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European architecture: castles, fortresses, temples and monasteries of Spain and France. History, descriptions and photos.

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car to draw

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Car drawings and colorings with Joan Mañé Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Car drawings and colorings with Joan Mañé

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Cars

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World best cars by Jordi Vilaró Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Cars of the world with Jordi Vilaro: history, types, classifications, technical characteristics. Leading and unknown brands. Photos and descriptions.

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Interesting places to see

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The Bellesguard Tower (Torre Bellesguard), also known as Casa Figueres, was built by Antoni Gaudí between 1900 and 1909, using rectilinear forms rarely seen in his other work. His inspiration was the medieval castle of Martin I, also known as Martin the Humane, the last king of the Catalan dynasty of the House of Barcelona, ...

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Interesting places in the Pyrenees and around with Jane Cautch Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The Bellesguard Tower (Torre Bellesguard), also known as Casa Figueres, was built by Antoni Gaudí between 1900 and 1909, using rectilinear forms rarely seen in his other work. His inspiration was the medieval castle of Martin I, also known as Martin the Humane, the last king of the Catalan dynasty of the House of Barcelona, ...

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Architecture drawings

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Architecture on the drawings and colorings by Joan Mañé Archives * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra * Architecture on the drawings and colorings by Joan Mañé

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Andorra visit

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Andorra tourism * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Andorra travel guide: infrastructure, information, events, how to get to, resorts, sightseeing, activities, restaurants, hotels, Yellow pages.

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Andorra

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The location of Andorra on a map: full information about Andorra
The Principality of Andorra is a small country that could be attributed to the group of European diminutive states together with Liechtenstein, Monaco and San-Marino. Alongside with that, Andorra is the biggest out of this group. The area of Andorra makes up 468 km2.

North (crags of Font Blanca) - 42º 39' 15''

South (Conangle - River Runer) - 42º 25' 38''

West (Aquell pass) - 1º 24' 34''

East (River Palomera - River Ariège) - 1º 47' 19''

Highest point - Peak of Comapedrosa 2,942 m

Lowest point - Confluence of the River Runer 840 m

Woodland - 38%

High mountain fields - 26%

Scree and rocky areas - 20%

Urban areas and infrastructures - 5%
Borders with:
Spain - 63,7 km

France - 56,6 km
Where is Andorra on a european map:

Political map of Andorra

The official name of the country is the Principality of Andorra (cat. Principat d'Andorra).

Historically, the Co-princes of Andorra as well as the Head of the State possess general and inseparable powers and can represent the Principality at the highest level. As stated in different versions of "Pariatge", the decree of the co-Princes of the State is personal and inseparable and belongs to the bishop of La Seu D'Urgell (Spain) and to the President of France. According to the same decree, the bishop of Urgell and the President of France guarantee the stability of Andorra's political system. The Co-Princes are also in a position to solve controversial issues of the Principality and participate in the process of taking decisions by the governmental and constitutional powers. More...

Europe integration process: Andorra is not part of the European Union. One of the major external political priorities is the development of the integration alliances with EU aimed at the associated membership on the basis of Collaboration agreement from 2004. Andorra has been a member of OSCE since 1996. According to the former FM Gilbert Saboya, "we don't pretend to be a full member of the EU, but the association agreement with the EU will provide Andorra with access to the European market". More...

Human development: in 2015 Andorra joined the list of 49 "Countries with very high human development index", reported in the "Human development Report" by the UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME. Andorra takes the 34th place between Qatar and Slovakia. More...

Freedom: Andorra took the 16th place in the list of " free" countries in 2016, according to the rating of the public organization "Freedom House". The ratio of the Principality is 96 out of 100, according to the website of the organization. More...

Tourism revenues make up about 80% of GDP of the Principality. Tourism: the most visited country in the world - Andorra, reports World Bank. In this country, there are 32.4 tourists per 1 inhabitant. The inseparable beauty of landscapes and resorts, skiing, thermal springs, duty and excise free trade, low level of criminal activity, excellent ecological conditions, a relatively low cost of living in comparison to the neighbor France and Spain attract approximately 8 mln tourists per year. More...

Currency: Andorra is the only country of Europe which uses EURO as its official currency without formal agreement with EU. Andorra never had its own currency. Previously before the introduction of new currency Andorra used French franc and Spanish peseta. More...

Crimes: according to the World Bank's report, Andorra ranks fifth in the world in terms of "no criminality" (index 1.32). To put this into context, neighboring Spain is in 31st place (index 0.01).

Life expectancy: according to 2016, the highest life expectancy (83.9 years) was recorded in Andorra, reports WHO.

Healthcare system: the UK medical journal The Lancet published a ranking of the healthcare systems HAQ (Healthcare Access and Quality Index) of 195 countries. The leader of the "best health care system in the world" rating is Andorra. The second place was taken by Iceland, the third - Switzerland.

Sovereign rating: in January 2020 Standard & Poor's confirms Principality's rating at BBB / A-2 and positive outlook.

Holy Church: 90% of the population consider themselves Catholics. In accordance to the Constitution of Andorra, Catholicism is not a state religion. Though there is a freedom of religion in the country, Catholic Church is mentioned separately in the Major Law.

Climate: due to the southern location of the country and its mountainous relief the climate may be considered mountainous sub-tropical, partially moderated by the Mediterranean Sea, located nearby. The temperature conditions of the country are more than comfortable for living. The temperature in January, the coldest month of the year, is -15C in the mountains and about 0C on the plain, ranging from -3C up to +3C. In summer the temperature may come up to +15C-+20C. Due to the mountainous terrain, relief diversity and abrupt elevation changes, the weather in Andorra is differentiated by zones and may notoriously differ within relatively small distances.
The time zone: GMT+1 The code for international calls to Andorra: +376 National currency: euro Internet domain: .ad ISO Code: AND
Electricity: 220 V, plug type: C-F
Car registration code: AD

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What is and where is the Principality of Andorra? * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The location of Andorra on a map: full information about Andorra The Principality of Andorra is a small country that could be attributed to the group of European diminutive states together with Liechtenstein, Monaco and San-Marino. Alongside with that, Andorra is the biggest out of this group.

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Barcelona

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Barcelona (cat. Barcelona) is a city and metropolis located on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of Catalonia, the region of Barcelonès and the province of Barcelona, as well as the second most populous and economically important city in the Iberian Peninsula after Madrid.
History
There are two different versions of the founding of Barcelona, one of which is mythological. According to this version, the city was founded by the half-deity Hercules during his heroic expeditions. A more realistic version says that the small village of Barcino, the site on which the city of Barcelona was formed centuries later, was founded by Hannibal's father Hamilcar Barca in the 3rd century BC. It is historically confirmed that in the 1st century BC on the site of the future capital of Catalonia was the small town of Laie, which was conquered by the Romans under the leadership of Lucius Cornelius Scipio in 133 BC.
Geographical location and climate
Barcelona is located in the northeast region of the Iberian Peninsula. The Pyrenees are approximately 120 km north of the city. The coastal mountains of Collserola form the boundaries of the city. The highest point is Mount Tibidabo. Its height is 512 m; it towers above the Colserola TV tower (Torre de Collserola) with a height of 288 m, visible from afar. The highest point in the city is the 12 m tall hill of Mant Taber (cat. Mont Taber), on which the Barcelona Cathedral is located.

This municipality grows on a plain between the Litoral mountain range, the Mediterranean Sea, the Besos River and Montjuïc. The city is home to the headquarters of the most important institutions of self-government of the Generalitat of Catalonia: the Parliament of Catalonia, the President and the Government of the Generalitat. Due to the fact that it was the capital of the county of Barcelona, it is often referred to as the city of Barcelona. In addition, since it has been the most important city in the Principality of Catalonia since the Middle Ages, it often receives the nickname or title of chapter and house.

The climate of Barcelona is typically Mediterranean; however, there are many nuances that distinguish it from the neighboring Catalan seaside cities.
Administrative and political division
Barcelona is the most populous city in Catalonia and eleventh in the European Union, the second non-state capital after Hamburg. It is the main urban core of the metropolitan region of Barcelona with a population of 4,774,561 and the metropolitan area of Barcelona, united by 36 municipalities, with a population of 3,225,058 inhabitants. In a 2005 study by the United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs, Barcelona was ranked 51st with the largest population in the world.

Barcelona grew by the annexation of neighboring municipalities, which are now city districts.

Barcelona is divided into ten districts (73 quarters).
Economy
Barcelona has long been an industrial city, one of the first in Spain to industrialize in the 19th century. Businesses have now moved to the outskirts, making it possible to transform old industrial areas into residential areas to create high value-added products and services. The most representative industries in Barcelona are the textile, chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive, electronics, medical and printing industries. In the service sector, Barcelona stands out for its logistics, publishing and IT activities.

At the same time, the economy of Barcelona has moved from an industrial base to a tertiary one in one century, with a special and progressive development of tourism since the last decade of the twentieth century. In recent years, the growth in the number of visitors has accelerated, which is in line with the increase in the number of visitors to the rest of Catalonia: from 5.65 million tourists in 2005 (25.24 million in Catalonia) to 8.30 million in 2015 (30.22 million in Catalonia).
Education
According to the Department of Statistics of Catalonia, on average, Barcelona has a total of 424,000 students at one time, distributed as follows: about 57,000 students in early childhood education, about 77,000 students in primary school, about 2,000 students in special education, about 100,500 students in high school and about 187,000 students in university.

Barcelona is home to many renowned universities and secondary schools, both public and private:

Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya)

University of Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona)

Autonomous University of Barcelona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

University of Pompeu Fabra (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Ramon Llull University (Universitat Ramon Llull)

International University of Catalonia (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya)

Abat Oliba University (Universitat Abat Oliba)

Open University of Catalonia (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)

Higher School of Music of Catalonia (Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya)

Higher School of Business Administration and Management (Escola Superior d'Administració i Direcció d'Empreses)

Higher School of Film and Audiovisuals of Catalonia (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya)

Higher School of Architecture Barcelona (Escola Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona)

Japanese College of Barcelona (Collegi Japonès de Barcelona)
Theaters
The city has a long tradition as the seat of institutions dedicated to the performing arts, such as the Gran Teatre del Liceu or the Palau de la Música, two institutions of an associative nature, created by citizens. Recently, large centers of artistic creation have also actively developed, such as the Mercat de les Flors, as well as the National Theater of Catalonia and the Auditori.

The city hosts the Filmoteca de Catalunya exhibition, where there are screenings of classic, experimental films or novelties that have no place on billboards.
Tourism
According to the European Brands Barometer, the Barcelona brand is in third place after Munich, and after Paris and London (tied for second). It is ranked fourth for the best business cities and hotels, fifth in the organization of congresses, first in passenger cruises and sixth in rental prices.

Some of the slogans the city has used to promote itself are "Barcelona is getting beautiful," "Long live Barcelona" and "Barcelona is bigger than ever."

Barcelona is the fifth most visited European city and seventeenth in the world, according to the latest Mastercard survey. In terms of the European destinations where tourists spend the most money, Barcelona is in sixth place with an average daily spending of €195.

In 2019, Catalonia welcomed almost 21 million travelers. The portion that visited Barcelona was approximately 8.5 million people (41% of total Catalonia visitors). The main source of tourism to Barcelona is foreign visitors. In 2019, foreign tourism accounted for 83% of the total, leaving the national tourist at only 17%.
Barcelona restaurants Transport infrastructure
Barcelona allows you to quickly move around the city thanks to two roundabouts: Ronda de Dalt (next to the mountains) and Ronda del Litoral (next to the coast). These are partially underground and have several exits in different parts of the city. The city's main arteries are Avinguda Diagonal (which, as the name suggests, crosses the city diagonally), Avinguda Meridiana (which starts at Parc de la Ciutadella and connects with Diagonal) and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes (which crosses the city from north to south through the center).

In terms of motorways and dual carriageways, the AP-7 starts in Almeria and runs through Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona to Perpignan. The motorway northeast starts in Madrid and runs through Zaragoza and Barcelona to the French border. Finally, the AP-2 runs parallel to the A2 between Zaragoza and Barcelona. AP7 and AP-2 have tolls.
Barcelona airport El Prat Football in Barcelona
Football in Spain is more than just football. This is both a national treasure and a national pride. A separate topic is football in Barcelona. Fútbol Club Barcelona, also known as Barça, is the Spanish professional football club of Barcelona, the most decorated in Spain (including 26 Spanish Champion titles, 31 Spanish Cups, 13 Spanish Super Cups and 2 Spanish League Cups). It was founded in 1899 under the leadership of Joan Gamper, a 21-year-old accountant.

The club is one of the symbols of Catalonia, and its fans are known as "culés." Representatives of "Barça" together with Madrid "Real" and Basque club "Athletic" stood at the origins of the formation of the First League. "Barça" has never in its long history not been in the top division. Barcelona is one of the most expensive sports clubs in the world, ranking fourth after the Dallas Cowboys (American football), New York Yankees (baseball, $4.6 billion) and Real Madrid (football, $4.2 billion).

In the main application of "Barcelona" for the 2019/20 season, there were 22 players, including 15 legionnaires. The captain of Barça is Lionel Messi. Argentinian by birth, according to Forbes magazine in 2019, he became the highest paid athlete in the world, earning more than one billion dollars throughout his career.
Main information
Area: 101.3 sq. km

GPS coordinates: 41 ° 22 ′ 57 ″ N, 2 ° 10 ′ 37 ″ E

Language: Spanish, Catalan

Currency: Euro

Visa: Schengen

Time: Central European UTC +1, in summer +2

Phone code: 93

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Barcelona and its attractions * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Barcelona (cat. Barcelona) is a city and metropolis located on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of Catalonia, the region of Barcelonès and the province of Barcelona, as well as the second most populous and economically important city in the Iberian Peninsula after Madrid.

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Catalonia travel

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Drawing: Joan Mañe
Tourism in Catalonia is one of the most important sectors of the Catalan economy. It is the main tourist destination in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. One of the main destinations is the metropolitan area of Barcelona.

Catalonia is one of the leading tourist regions in the world. Tourism accounts for about 11-12% of Catalonia's GDP. For example, in 2019, this figure was 12.34 billion euros.

As of 2019, Catalonia's tourism consists of over one million places to stay. This figure also includes a number of tourist sites. According to Eurostat, tourist accommodation in Catalonia accounted for 22.1% of the total in Spain and 2.5% in the EU in 2019.

Catalonia is divided into 9 travel brands. The Barcelona brand is the most highly demanded by tourists. It is followed by the Costa Brava, Costa Daurada and Costa de Barcelona.

The total tourism in Catalonia in 2019 was 39.4 million: 49.2% of foreign tourism, 38.4% of domestic tourism (Catalonia residents) and 12.4% of other residents Spain. In terms of total travel spending, which reached €25,167 million, foreign tourism accounted for the bulk (84.7% of the total), followed by resident tourists in Catalonia (7.7%) and residents of the rest of Spain (7.5%).

Overseas tourism increased by 0.8% in 2019, while its spending increased by 4.1%.

Catalonia is positioned as the leading tourist destination in Spain. Between 2005 and 2019, the number of foreign tourists in Catalonia increased by 38%, while spending increased by 144.5%.
Catalonia travel guide Sea resorts (from north to south) Most beautiful cities. TOP 10 Barcelona - capital of Catalonia Vic - one of the seven wonders of Catalonia Girona and its attractions Lleida and its cathedral Montblanc and its folklore Reus and its modernist architecture Tarragona and its Roman heritage Figueres and the museum of Salvador Dalí Empuriabrava - the largest residential port in the world Best museums National Museum of Science and Industry of Catalonia Salvador Claret Automobile Collection Barcelona museums. TOP 15 Ski resorts. TOP 5 Historical monuments. TOP 5 The Monastery of Montserrat The castle of Sant Ferran King's Castle of Lleida The Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet Nature. TOP 5 Bagnoles - the largest lake in Catalonia Cap de Creus - the easternmost point of the Iberian Peninsula Canigou Peak - National Symbol of Catalonia Salt Mountain Salins de Cardona

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Catalonia travel guide * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Drawing: Joan Mañe Tourism in Catalonia is one of the most important sectors of the Catalan economy. It is the main tourist destination in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. One of the main destinations is the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Catalonia is one of the leading tourist regions in the world.

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Catalonia

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Drawings: Joan Mañe
Catalonia (cat. Catalunya, Aran. Catalonha, Sp. Cataluña) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is located on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and borders Andorra and France in the north, Aragon in the west, Valencia in the south and the Mediterranean Sea in the east. Catalonia is the largest part of the historical and cultural territory of the Principality of Catalonia and one of the countries belonging to the Catalan countries.

According to IDESCAT (cat. L'Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya), the country's population in 2020 was 7,600,065, which is 51.55% of the total population of Catalan countries.

The territory now known as Catalonia was the possession of the Roman Empire, which passed into the hands of the Goths and Alans in the 5th century. The Muslims conquered it in 712 but were expelled from the northern coast of Llobregat at the end of the same century and at the beginning of the next century, with the support of Charlemagne, then the king of the Franks, who created a number of counties.

Over time, the Frankish counts turned Catalonia into an independent territory, which was allied in 1137 with the crown of Aragon, and ended the conquest of the Muslim territories of Catalonia in 1154. The Crown of Aragon later joined the Crown of Castile in 1476 as a result of the marriage between Elizabeth and Ferdinand, the Catholic monarchs.

Catalonia retained its autonomous government institutions until the end of the War of Spanish Succession in 1714. A few years later, the division of the territories followed as a result of the cession of the province of Roussillon and part of Cerdanya to the French kingdom. In 1978, the region regained autonomy and became the Autonomous Community of the Kingdom of Spain. On October 27, 2017, the Parliament of Catalonia proclaimed the Catalan Republic, which did not enter into force and did not appear in the DOGC (El Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya), but led to the application of Article 155 by the Spanish government for 218 days.

The Parliament of Catalonia, uniting the feelings and will of the citizens of Catalonia, defined Catalonia as a nation by a majority vote in the Preamble to the Statute of Autonomy.

The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, has a total of 947 municipalities. Two-thirds of the population lives in the Barcelona metropolitan region. More

Catalonia's own language is Catalan, with the exception of the Aran Valley, where Aranese is spoken. Both Catalan and Spanish, the official language of Spain, are official languages throughout Catalonia. Occitan, called Aran in the Aran Valley, is also an official language in Catalonia. Catalans are generally bilingual and speak two main languages. As of 2013, 99.7% of Catalans speak Spanish and 80.4% Catalan. In addition, the use of a particular language by each speaker often depends on the social sphere in which it is expressed. According to the Statistical Institute of Catalonia, 36% of Catalans use Catalan as a common language, 46% use Spanish, 12% use both languages and 6% of the resident population of Catalonia regularly use other languages. More
Etymology
The name Catalonia began to be used in the late 11th century to designate a number of border counties, which were gradually dissociated from the tutelage of the Franks. The origin of the word Catalonia is still unclear and can be interpreted. One theory is that it comes from a reference to the presence of numerous castles, and that it comes from the Castilian term for "castle governor." According to this theory, the Spanish term would be similar. Another theory suggests that Catalonia came from Gotoland, that is, the land of the Goths. In fact, the Franks often referred to the territory of Catalonia as Gothia.

Another theory comes from its history of Muslim rule, which wanted to relate the name to Talunya or Taluniya, a Muslim town in the region of Ath-Thaghr al-Allah near Lleida. It is mentioned by the Muslim historian and geographer Al-Udhrí (1002- ~ 1085) in his work Tarsi al-akhbār. According to Al-Udhrí, it was located halfway between Lleida and Huesca, which leads many experts to identify it with Montsó. It would be a name of Iberian origin. During the Saracen period, it had a fortification or castle (qalat in Arabic), which gave qalat Talunya or, using the contraction qa- to refer to castle, qa Talunya ('castle of Talunya'). According to this hypothesis, the Arabs would call the inhabitants of Gòtia 'those who live beyond qa Talunya.' The Arabic origin, through an Iberian toponym, could explain the lack of exact correspondence between the Catalan gentilicio and the toponym Catalunya.

The concept Principat de Catalunya is a legal term (in Latin principatus) that appeared in the 14th century to indicate the territory under the jurisdiction of the Catalan Parliament, whose sovereign (in Latin, princeps) was the king of the Casal de Barcelona, without being formally a kingdom but a grouping of counties with laws united by Cortes.
Geography of Catalonia
The geography of Catalonia describes the topography and how it affects human relations (trade, demography, transport) that are established in the territory of Catalonia, in the sense of an autonomous community, with an area of about 32,000 km².

Catalonia has borders in the north with Andorra (65.3 km) and France, in the west with the Department of Eastern Pyrenees (315 km) and the Autonomous Community of Aragon (359.9 km), in the south with Valencia (52.9 km) and in the east with the Mediterranean Sea. Its geographical position since the Middle Ages has contributed to the establishment of close and intense relations with the rest of the Mediterranean and at the same time with continental Europe. More
Climate
Catalonia has a temperate Mediterranean climate, typical of its latitudes in the northern hemisphere. However, given its varied topography, there is a variety of climatic features. Average annual temperatures range from 0 ° C in the Pyrenees to 17 ° C on the southern coast; the maximum temperature can reach 43 ° C (in Les Garrigues) and the minimum is -30 ° C (high in the Pyrenees). More
Administrative division
There are several administrative levels in Catalonia. The division into municipalities and provinces was organized after the territorial division of Spain in 1833 with variations, usually the merging of municipalities, especially in places where depopulation was the main demographic force. Catalonia has four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. However, in connection with the growing strengthening of self-government, the local administrations of Catalonia have called for the creation of other administrative levels, which would be more consistent with this administration. Among the largest cities in Catalonia are Barcelona, Lleida, Girona, Figueres, Tortosa, Sabadell and Tarragona. More
Political system
The institutional norm that establishes the political structure of Catalonia is the 2006 Statute of Autonomy. In accordance with what the Statute establishes, the self-government of Catalonia is politically organized in the Generalitat of Catalonia, which is coordinated by the Parliament, the Presidium, the Executive Council and other institutions created by the Parliament. The system of political organization in Catalonia is based on parliamentarism. More
Economy
Catalonia, despite a certain lack of natural resources, is one of the richest communities in Europe. Catalonia is a member of The Four Motors for Europe. Four Motors for Europe (4ME) is an association for interregional cooperation between the territories of Catalonia, Baden-Württemberg (BW), Lombardy (ITA) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (AURA) with the aim of strengthening and increasing economic activity. The association controls the internationalization of its members, as well as their active participation in European construction, mainly through joint decisions and positions that are presented to European institutions.

The Catalan economy, with a gross domestic product of 223,629 million euros in 2016, is the largest in the autonomous communities of Spain. More
Art
The art of Catalonia has given the world many important figures. The most famous Catalan painters worldwide are Salvador Dali, Joan Miró and Antoni Tapies. Closely associated with the Catalan scenic environment, Pablo Picasso, originally from Malaga, lived in Barcelona as a young man, studied painting there and laid the foundation for the Cubist movement. Other Catalan artists include Ramon Casas, Josep Maria Subirax and Maria Fortuny.

The most important scenic museums in Catalonia are the Dalí Theater Museum, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, the Antoni Tapies Foundation, the Joan Miró Foundation, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona (MACBA), the Center for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) and CaixaFòrum.

In the field of architecture, various predominant artistic styles in Europe have been developed and adapted in Catalonia, leaving their mark on many Romanesque churches, monasteries and cathedrals. The prevailing styles include Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassicism. The name of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi has become a "common" name. More
Cuisine and gastronomy
Catalan cuisine takes its own place among the gastronomy of the Mediterranean, while being its typical representative. Often, this name refers to the cuisine of Catalonia under the influence of Spain, Northern Catalonia (cat. Catalunya Nord), France and even Andorra (cat. Andorra). Some contemporary authors such as Josep Pla, Jaume Fàbrega, Eliana Thibaut i Comalada, Ferran Agulló and English-speaking writer Colman Andrews talk about the gastronomy characteristics of the entire area of distribution of Catalan culture, including the Valencian Autonomy (cat. País Valencià), the Balearic Islands (cat. Les Balears), the Western Strip (cat. Franja de Ponent)-the border area between Catalonia and Aragon-and Andorra; thus, it becomes the predominant cuisine of the Catalan lands (cat. Països Catalans). More
Festivals and holidays
The anniversary of the end of the siege of Barcelona in 1714, the National Day of Catalonia (cat. Diada Nacional de Catalunya), is celebrated every year on September 11th.

Popular festivals in Catalan countries are a collection of traditional festivals that are celebrated in Catalan-speaking territories.

The festivals of the Pyrenean fire, or San Joan (cat. Les falles del Pirineu), are essential elements of traditions rooted in paganism. It is interesting to note that these fire festivals, which are also widespread throughout Europe and beyond, have very high recognition in all Catalan countries, from Falles del Pallars Sobirà, Falles d'Andorra and Flame of Canigó (cat. Flama del Canigó) to the bonfires of Alicante and the other 90 cities of Valencia. More
Tourism
Tourism in Catalonia is one of the most important sectors of the Catalan economy. It is the main tourist destination in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. One of the main destinations is the metropolitan area of Barcelona.

Catalonia is one of the leading tourist regions in the world. Tourism accounts for about 11-12% of Catalonia's GDP. For example, in 2019, this figure was 12.34 billion euros. More
Media
Catalonia has many media both in Catalan and Spanish, and an even large number of bilingual media.

Televisió de Catalunya, a public channel in Catalonia that broadcasts entirely in Catalan, is the main Catalan television. It has five channels: TV3, Canal 33, 3/24, Esport3 and Canal Super3. TVC competes for an audience with the Spanish-language channels of Spanish communication groups, mainly Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), Atresmedia and Mediaset España Comunicación. These groups are based in Madrid, but have production centers in Catalonia, from where they broadcast some programs.

Other channels with a smaller audience are 8 TV, the private Godó Group TV that broadcasts in Catalan, Barça TV, El Punt Avui TV and local TV channels, the largest of which is Barcelona Televisió, which also broadcast in Catalan.

The two main groups of the Catalan press and magazines are the Godó Group and the Zeta Group. Each of the groups has a variety of both newspapers and magazines with general and sports information.

The two main Catalan general information newspapers are El Periódico de Catalonia (Grupo Zeta) and La Vanguardia (Godó Group), both of which are published in both Catalan and Spanish. These are the two newspapers with the largest circulation and distribution in Catalonia, ahead of national Spanish-language newspapers such as El País or El Mundo, which also have branches in Catalonia. Also noteworthy are the newspapers El Punt Avui i Ara, published only in Catalan.

Many regional newspapers are published both in Spanish and Catalan. The most influential are El 9 Nou, Segre, Regió 7, Diari de Girona and El Diari de Tarragona.

In the area of sports information, Sport by the Zeta Group and El Mundo Deportivo (Godó Group) stand out. Both newspapers are published in Spanish. L'Esportiu is published in Catalan.

The radio with the largest audience in Catalonia is RAC 1 (Grup Godó), which broadcasts entirely in Catalan. The second is Catalunya Ràdio, a public radio owned by the Catalan radio and television company.
Symbols
National symbols of Catalonia are elements and icons that are representative or characteristic of Catalonia and its population, culture and history. The oldest Catalan symbol is the coat of arms of Catalonia, which is one of the oldest heraldic emblems in Europe. According to legend, it dates from the ninth century, and it is said that the four sticks (or four rods) depicted on it were the result of four fingers of Charles II the Bald (cat. Carles el Calb) passing through the blood stain on the golden shield of Guifré el Pelós as a reward for his valiant struggle against the Normans. The national flag of Catalonia (cat. Senyera), inspired by the coat of arms, is perhaps the most representative symbol of Catalonia.
Bibliography: L'Enciclopèdia: Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana. "Els Països Catalans": Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana. Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya

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Catalonia - Spanish autonomous community * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Drawings: Joan Mañe Catalonia (cat. Catalunya, Aran. Catalonha, Sp. Cataluña) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is located on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and borders Andorra and France in the north, Aragon in the west, Valencia in the south and the Mediterranean Sea in the east.

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Pyrenees travel

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Tourism in the Pyrenees: France and Spain
The main sources of income in the Pyrenees are tourism, especially in Andorra, the Aran Valley and the Cerdanya, as well as livestock and other agricultural activities. The tourism in the Pyrenees is alpine tourism based on winter sports, especially skiing, but also hiking, ecotourism and rural tourism in general.

However, some places have additional attractions to nature or ski resorts. The Boí valley has a group of Romanesque churches classified as world heritage site. In Andorra, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley also has this distinction, as well as a very popular Romanesque route. Prada and Northern Catalonia use their cultural particularity as a tourist attraction, and so does the Iparralde. Conflent and Cerdanya main attractions are their tourist Yellow Train (Tren Groc), and the citadels of Montlluís and Vilafranca, which are also a World Heritage Sites. Lourdes, in Gascony, is a world pilgrimage center.

Beside tourism, agriculture lives on and is still an important factor in the lives of the villages of the Pyrenees. While the cattle ranch is the main agricultural activity in most areas of the mountain range, in the Mediterranean Pyrenees, the vines and fruit predominate. Moreover, industry used to be an important element in the Pyrenean valleys. The most typical industries were mining, dams, textile and fish farming, all now in serious decline. Some examples that can be highlighted are: the arms industry in the Navarrese Pyrenees, and the Catalan mines and forges around the Canigó and the headwaters of the Llobregat river.
Most visited cities and towns
Towns and cities that live mainly from tourism due to the situation in or within proximity to the Pyrenees.

● Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Basque: Donibane Garazi)
● Elizondo
● Lourdes
● Bagnères-de-Luchon
● Jaca
● Aínsa-Sobrarbe
● Foix
● Ax-Les-Thermes
● Vielha
● Andorra la Vella
● La Seu d'Urgell
● Sort
● Ripoll
● Mont-Louis (cat. Ovança)
● Font-Romeu
● Puigcerdà
● Prades (cat. Prada)
● Ceret
● Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda
Best hiking routes
The main footpaths of the Pyrenees are the GR 10 and the GR 11, which cross the range west to east on the north and south slopes respectively, climbing to 2000 meters at some points. Two more paths, both of great length but not specifically related to the Pyrenees are the historical Camino de Santiago (GR65), which crosses the mountain range in Donibane Garazi or the valley of Aragon, and more recent path the Route of Catalan Countries, which traverses the whole of Catalan Pyrenees.

Other footpaths:
● The Pedals de Foc, a mountain bike route that goes round the Aigüestortes National Park.
● The GR 7, between Andorra and Gibraltar.
● El Camí dels Bons Homes, between Montsegur and la Serra de Queralt in Berguedà.
● The Route of the Salt of Life (La Ruta de la Sal de la Vida), between Costa Brava and the valley of Núria.
● La Ruta dels Segadors, between Berguedà and La Cerdanya crossing the Cadí mountain range.

On the other hand, national and natural parks that charge admission fees such as Kakuetta Gorges or caves attract millions of visitors every year, and represent a great economic engine in itself.
Full travel guide Pyrenean transport guide Pyrenean ski resorts guide Pyrenean castles, fortresses and architecture guide Most interesting places and museums guide Pyrenean festivals and fairs guide Pyrenean thermal water and SPA guide Nearest sea resorts guide

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Tourism in the Pyrenees: main tourist spots in France and Spain * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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Tourism in the Pyrenees: France and Spain The main sources of income in the Pyrenees are tourism, especially in Andorra, the Aran Valley and the Cerdanya, as well as livestock and other agricultural activities. The tourism in the Pyrenees is alpine tourism based on winter sports, especially skiing, but also hiking, ecotourism and rural tourism in general.

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Pyrenees

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The Pyrenees (endonyms: els Pirineus or el Pirineu in Catalan, Pyrénées in French, Pirenèus in Occitan, Pireneu in Aragonese, Pirinioak in Basque, Pirineos in Spanish) are a set of ranges (forming one mountain range) located at the north of the Iberian Peninsula and crossing the entire length of the isthmus that unites the Peninsula to the rest of Europe.

They extend from the Mediterranean Sea (Cap de Creus) on the east, to the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay) on the west; to the south, there is the depression of the Ebro and to the north the one of the Garonne.

The Pyrenees occupy the northern part of Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre and Basque Country; the southern parts of the North Basque Country (France) and Occitania (Bearn, Gascunya, and Languedoc); the west and south parts of northern Catalonia (France); and the whole of Andorra. The border between France and Spain mostly follows the Pyrenees. The Basque Country and Catalonia are located respectively at the west and east end of the mountain range.

The range is about 425 km long and has a width that generally does not exceed 100 km, with a total area of 19,000 km². The five highest peaks in the mountain chain are the Aneto (3,404 m), the Pocets peak (3,375 m), the Monte Perdido (3,355 m) (cat. Mont Perdut), the Punta d'Astorg (3,355 m) and the Pic Maldito (3,350 m ).

Despite its unity as a massif, it is often convenient to divide the range into differentiated areas depending on the context. According to the slope: the northern or the southern slopes of the Pyrenees; to the territory, the Catalan, Occitan, Aragonese and Basque Pyrenees; or even region: Pirineu d'Aude, Pirineu de Girona, Pirineu de Navarra. On the other hand, it can be divided in terms of altitude: the Upper and Lower Pyrenees, the Pre-Pyrenees (the lowest mountain ranges around the massif itself), or more proportionally the eastern Pyrenees, the central Pyrenees and the western Pyrenees. Finally, it is divided into climate zones of the Atlantic Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Pyrenees.
Etymology
There are many possible etymologies for the name of these mountains:

● The term "Pirineus" comes from a personage of Greek mythology, Pirena (Πυρήνη). Heràcles built a tomb for Pirena giving her name to the mountain range. The word "Pirineus" was already known in ancient Greek: the term Πυρηναῖα (Pirēnaîa) appears in the texts of Plutarch.
● The Pyrenees, however, could also come from poranaia, pora (huge) and naga (mountain), a word from the ancient language of the people that inhabited the north of the massif before the Celts.
● A text by Diodor of Sicily (1st century BC) says that, long ago, the Pyrenees were covered by forests that got burnt by pastors. The earth itself burnt - thus giving it the name Pirineu, from ancient Greek πῦρ pîr, meaning fire.
● According to another theory, it is an Iberian or Basque ancestral toponym. In this language, the mountain range is called Ilene os ("piles of the moon") as "Ilene" means the moon.
Geography
In physical geography, the Pyrenees form a fairly straight-line quite narrow mountain range, of a total length of 430 kilometres from Cap de Creus, in the Mediterranean, to the Gulf of Gascony, in the Atlantic. The western boundary is difficult to determine accurately because the Pyrenees blend progressively with the Basque mountains between Álava and Biscay, which to the west connect with the Cantabrian Mountains, thus creating a Pyrenean-Cantabrian axis of 1,000 km. The simplest, and most popularly accepted geographical definition, refers to its "isthmus" nature: a mountain range between the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Gascony, which separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of the European continent.

The Pyrenean valleys are typically oriented from north to south, except for the maritime extremities and some remarkable valleys such as Ordesa, Cerdanya and Aragón. This explains the low accessibility between the different valleys (the Jaca-Pamplona and Puigcerdà-la Seu d'Urgell axes are two exceptions). In addition, the highest peaks are mixed without any major depression that separates them, which explains why there are so few usable passes between the two sides.

The border between Spain and France, as a rule, follows the line of the highest peaks, with the notable exception of the Aran valley, which belongs to Spain but is located on the northern slope. Another exception is the great plain of La Cerdanya, which is on the southern slope but is divided between the two states nevertheless (see: Treaty of the Pyrenees). In order to set an approximate width of the massif, it can be said that the Pyrenean foothills and pre-Pyrenees blend into the basins of the Ebro to the south and the Garona and Aude to the north.
Geology
The Pyrenees is a variscan orogeny massif (of the paleozoic/primary era) practically swept out during the Mesozoic (secondary era) and re-elevated during the Tertiary era (Alpine orogeny), as part of the great Alpine-Himalayan folding.

In the axial Pyrenees, there are crystalline materials of the primary period (granites and metamorphic rock), while the Pre-Pyrenees is made up of sedimentary materials from secondary and tertiary periods (limestone, conglomerate, clay, marl, sandstone).

The most pronounced geological features are: the asymmetry of the slopes in the transverse direction, meaning that its unevenness is much more pronounced on the north side than on the south; and the asymmetry in the longitudinal direction: the massif progressively descends to the Bay of Biscay and more abruptly to the Mediterranean.

From the structural point of view, the Pyrenees are clearly different from the Alps, while in the second one the thrust sheets played a decisive role, the Pyrenees can be classified as a mountain range of autochthonous folds.

The sediments of the genesis of the Pyrenees were deposited in the coastal basins during the Paleozoic (primary era) and the Mesozoic era (secondary era). Then, in the Early Cretaceous (150 - 100 Ma), under the effect of an oceanic opening, the Bay of Biscay fanned out, pushing Iberia against the European continent and taking large layers of these sediments ensue. The pressure and lifting of the earth's crust first affected the eastern part to then progressively extend to the entire chain, a process that culminated in the Eocene at the beginning of Cenozoic (tertiary era).

The eastern part of the Pyrenees is mostly made up of crustal rocks (granites and gneiss), while in the western part the granite peaks are flanked by layers of limestone. The massive and little worn character of the mountain range is a consequence of this predominance of crustal rocks, which hinders erosion and the creation of glaciers.
Highest Summits and altitudes
The culminating point of the Pyrenees is the Aneto peak with 3,404 meters, located between the Ribagorça and the Aran Valley. Almost all of the peaks with the elevation exceeding 3,000 m are in the central Pyrenees. In the French region of Midi-Pyrenees, in Catalonia and in Aragon. In total there are 129 main summits and 83 sub-summits above the mythical bar of the three thousand meters, divided into eleven zones.

It should be mentioned that this symbolic boundary that divides the mountains into high (more than three thousand meters) and middle (less than three thousand) is an invention of the 19th century when the French Revolution institutionalized the metric system (before the toise was the unit of measure in France).

Some of the most important peaks of the Pyrenees:

● Aneto (3,403.5 m) in Ribagorça, the highest in the range.
● The Pocets peak (3,375 m) in La Ribagorça.
● El Monte Perdido (3,348.2 m) in Aragon.
● The Vinhamala (3,298 m) in Gascony.
● The Pica d'Estats (3,143.1m), between Pallars Sobirà and País de Foix, is the highest mountain in Catalonia.
● The Comapedrosa (2,942 m), the highest altitude of Andorra.
● El Carlit (2,921 m), in the Alta Cerdanya.
● El Puigmal (2,910 m), in Ripollès.
● The Collarada (2,886 m), in Aragon.
● Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,885 m).
● El Migdia de Bigorra (2,877 m).
● El Montardo (2,833.8 m), in the Vall d'Aran.
● The Canigou (2,784 m), in the Conflent, symbolic mountain of Catalonia.
● The two peaks of Els Encantats (2,734.3 and 2,748.1 m), in Pallars Sobirà.
● The Great Gabizos (2,692 m).
● The Pedraforca (2,506.1 m), in Berguedà.
● The pic d'Anie, divided between Occitania, Aragon and the Basque Country (2,504 m).

However, some important mountains of the massif do not reach such high altitudes: the Bugarachla peak, in the Corbera range( Northern Pre-Pyrenean), which marks the border of Northern Catalonia and Occitania, is 1,230 m and the Larrun peak, a magical mountain for the Basques, is 905 m.
Main Valleys
The Pyrenees are not a single mountain range but a set of ranges, separated by valleys, even open and flat ones, such as the Cerdanya. Other important valleys of the chain are:

Additionally, the valley of Aragon is a very important one for international transport. It is a historical railway axis and the current axis of heavy transport by road through the Somport tunnel.
Rivers, lakes and glaciers
This mountain chain is the cradle of important rivers. While in the north, the Garona river starts its journey in the Aran Valley and becomes the main river of the north depression of the range, the rivers of the southern slope of the massif mostly flow into the Ebro, a river that creates the homonymous depression in the south of the Pyrenees.

North slope:
● Adur, Garona and Errobi rivers, which end up in the Atlantic Ocean
● Tec, Tet, Ariege, Aude, Aglí and Camini that lead to the Mediterranean

South slope:
● Bidasoa, which flows into the Cantabrian Sea
● Aragon, Gàllec, Cinca, Éssera, Noguera Pallaresa, Noguera Ribagorçana, and Segre (all tributaries of the Ebro)
● Ter, Llobregat, Muga and Fluvià rivers which flow into the Mediterranean.
Nowadays there is no glacier below 3,000 meters and those that survive today are usually reduced to cirque glaciers: Balaitus, Vinhamala, Monte Perdido and Maladeta. The Pyrenees contains an important collection of lakes ("Estany" in Catalan, "Estanh" or "Gorg" in Occitan, "Ibón" in Aragonese), which can reach up to 100 meters deep. Some of the most notable lakes are those of Sant Maurici, Colomers (Vall d'Aran) and those that are around the Bollosa (Capcir).
The Pyrenean landscape
The Pyrenean landscape is typical of the high and middle alpine mountains, but there are also differences: the absence of large lakes, while the small ones are grouped in large numbers; few saddles and their high altitude; a large number of gaves - torrents that fall from the high peaks as cascades, on the northern slopes. The Pyrenean cascades are one of the largest in Europe, surpassed only by those of Scandinavia and the one of Reichenbach in Swiss Alps. Worth mentioning is also the frequency of occurrence of the cliff like slopes forming cirque: where the bottom of the valley takes steep semicircle shape surrounded by precipitous cliffs. Examples include the cirque de Gavarnia, Tromosa, Litor and Marcadau.

On the southern slope, the canyons abound, for example, the Añisclo Canyon, in Ordesa. On both sides there are deep gorges such as the Montrebei Gorge or the Gorges de Carançà.

The highest waterfall in the mountain range has 422 meters, it is at the source of the Gave de Pau river at the cirque of Gavarnia. It forms part of the Mont Perdido massif on the northern slope, and in 1997 it was registered as a UNESCO's World Heritage Site.
Climate
The climate of the Pyrenees is that of mountains, with higher precipitations and lower temperatures than those in the surrounding territories. At the same time, it is a climatic frontier between the predominant Atlantic or oceanic climate to the northwest and the Mediterranean climate to the southeast (with continental nuances to the south).

There is a decrease in precipitation from west to east and from north to south. The pre-Pyrenean valleys of western Catalonia are the driest zones in the range (compare, for example, 636 mm per year in Adrall with more than 1,500 mm in the Atlantic Pyrenees). In the central Pyrenees, rainfall is moderate with regular rainfall indexes (1,000 to 1,500 mm/year in the mid-altitudes, and locally 2,000 mm at the highest peaks of the western Pyrenees) and the thermal amplitude increases ranging at 1,200 m from 0° in January to +14° in July. Right at the extreme east, rainfall increases again due to its proximity to the Mediterranean, which, although not very common, sometimes generates upheavals. The cross-border region between Canigó and Olot is especially prone to intense rainfall (1,000 to 1,500 mm/year), although during the summer the drought is also common.

The oceanic influence of the northwest, from the Bay of Biscay, is intense in the Basque Country, with rainfall accumulations of 1,500 to 2,500 mm/year, relatively mild winters and cool summers (average temperatures of +1° in January and +13° in July at 1,200 m altitude). This influence extends to the four-fifths of the northern slopes of the mountain range (up to Aude), and yet it penetrates very little into the southern slope (not much further than the mountains of Navarre closest to the border ridge of the massif ).

On the southern slope, the rainfall is essentially fueled by disruptions of southwestern Atlantic origin, which suffer continental influence during its journey through the peninsula and are reactivated at the contact with the Pyrenean relief. The precipitations are more infrequent but often more intense than on the northern slope, which explains the high number of sun hours despite having similar rainfall records (1,000 to 1,500 mm/year), except for the arid foothills (close to 500 mm/year). Temperate ocean air is rejected by high mountains, where winters are relatively cold and the summers hot (at 1,200 m: 0° in January, +15° in July).
Flora and fauna
The Pyrenean flora is made up of about 4,500 species, of which about 160 are endemic. With regard to trees, it is worth mentioning the pine (Pinus uncinata) at high altitude (sub-alpine level), beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) and fir trees (Abies alba), in the medium-high mountain (mountainous level), then oaks and chestnut trees at the foothills.

Due to the mediterranean influence the eastern and southern Pyrenees are sunnier and have a different flora composition from the rest of the mountain chain. The western orientation of the east mountain range caused a large number of species that were present in the north of this region during the Tertiary era to disappear due to the cold of the last glacial period (last ice age dating from around 20,000 years ago). They "migrated" to areas of lower latitude, milder than the high Pyrenean zones, which they were not able to cross.

The climate is the biggest influencer on the flora of the Pyrenees. In the Atlantic Pyrenees, that is at the north and extreme west , there are green meadows alternating with forests of holm oak in the valleys and at the foot of the mountain, and beech and pine forests in the middle-high mountain. The upper limit of the forest is between 2,000 and 2,500 m (pines), replaced by subalpine heathlands (erica, rhododendron) then, from 2,500 to 3,000 m, replaced by scree, snow and small glaciers.

The medium-high mountains of the southern slope are the driest and presents a typically Mediterranean vegetation: garrigue, green beech forest, black pines, scots pine. The highest valleys include greenish meadows, beech trees, fir trees, and scots pine trees. In the highest parts of the range there would be little difference with that of the northern slope, except for the predominance of limestone lands that influence the climate and lower the vegetation boundary. Finally, in the extreme east, the torrential rains of the Mediterranean, combined with summer drought, give rise to great beech trees. It is worth mentioning the Irati Forest, considered the largest beech forest in Europe and the largest forested area in the Pyrenees.

The Pyrenees is a large territory with varied climate, which makes its fauna very varied from zone to zone. Altogether 42 species of mammals exist there. In the Basque Country, the Pottok or Pyrenean horse is symbolic. Meanwhile, Brown Bear is the animal most associated with much of the central Pyrenees, although there are only few left there. Other typical but not exclusive species of the Pyrenees are: the common kestrels, marmots, wild boar, chamois, wolf, deer, iberian lynx, eagle, falcon, etc.

Some endemic species have already been extinct, such as Pyrenean goat or ibex, the latter mysteriously extinct between 1998 and 2001.

Among the nearly 200 species of animals that subsist there, some, such as the Brown Bear, hunted almost to extinction in the 1990s, was reintroduced with bears from Slovenia in 1996. Their timid presence can already be seen in the Vall d'Aran and Andorra. Some other species on the brink of disappearance have been revived, like the isard, which at the beginning of the 19th century was on the threshold of extinction and now has 45,000 specimens.

Among the birds, the undisputed king is the bearded vulture, extinct in almost all of Europe, it is estimated that there are 500 to 600 left. Other birds in the Pyrenees are the royal eagle, bee-eater, red and black kite, the falcon, the common kestrel, the pyrenean owl or the very rare boreal owl, as well as the griffon vulture, the egyptian vulture and the black vulture. Additionally the wood grouse, in clear danger of extinction on the southern slope (4 males in Navarre, 75 in Aragon and around 450 in Catalonia), is actually well conserved in the north (about 3,500 males). In the high mountains lives one of the Pyrenean jewels, the ptarmigan, with 700 pairs.

Endemic wildlife of the Pyrenees include: the Pyrenean Cow, the Pyrenean Sand Lizard, the asp viper, the Pyrenean newt, the Gerbe's vole, Bruna dels Pirineus, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog and Pyrenean desman.
Natural parks and reserves
The fauna and flora of the central Pyrenees are protected by three national parks: the Pyrénées National Park, the National Park of Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici and the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido. Additionally there are national nature reserves in the north-western Pyrenees such as the Néouvielle, the Aussau valley, the Pocets-Maladeta Natural Park and the Alt Pirineu Natural Park in the south-eastern zone, and also the Cádiz-Moixeró Natural Park.

Also, there are numerous North-Catalan nature reserves like the ones of Prats de Molló, Noedes, Pi de Conflent, Mentet, Vall d'Eina, Jújols, Conat, La Maçana; and the Catalan nature reserves of the high valleys of Freser and Ter, and Albera. Finally there are the regional nature reserves of France: Ariège (Embeyre), Northern Catalonia (Nyer) and the Alt Pirineu (Pibeste). The numerous natural areas classified by law to protect the landscape, the biological reserves, and the wildlife reserves, all bear witness to the ecological importance of the Pyrenean massif.
Transport
The transport of the Pyrenees is based around two facts: it is a rock massif that clearly divides the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe; and you have to overcome it. All commercial, public and private transport going between Iberian Peninsula and the center of Europe must pass through the Pyrenees, or go by boat, but that is often expensive and not convenient. See here more about transport system of the Pyrenees
Economy and tourism
The main sources of income in the Pyrenees are tourism, especially in Andorra, the Aran Valley and the Cerdanya, as well as livestock and other agricultural activities. The tourism in the Pyrenees is, in general terms, alpine tourism based on winter sports, especially skiing, but also hiking, ecotourism and rural tourism in general.

However, some places have additional attractions to nature or ski resorts. The Boí valley has a group of Romanesque churches classified as world heritage site. In Andorra, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley also has this distinction, as well as a very popular Romanesque route. Prada and Northern Catalonia use their cultural particularity as a tourist attraction, and so does the Iparralde. Conflent and Cerdanya main attractions are their tourist Yellow Train (Tren Groc), and the citadels of Montlluís and Vilafranca, which are also a World Heritage Sites. Lourdes, in Gascony, is a world pilgrimage center. See here full travel guide of the Pyrenees
Cross-border economic regions
Being as much a crossing point as a border, the Pyrenees host a number of cooperation or community projects that group areas on both sides of the Spanish-French border:

● Basque Bayonne-San Sebastián Eurocity
● Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion (l'Euroregió Pirineus Mediterrània), created in 2004
● The Catalan Crossborder Area (l'Espai Català Transfronterer) between Northern Catalonia and Girona (in project)
● La Xareta, a region and community of services of two villages of Navarra and some Lapurdi villages.
Human presence Prehistory
The first documented human presence in the Pyrenees is found in Bauma Margineda (Andorra) dated to the Epipaleolithic period, the same place also documented the occupation during the Neolithic periods and the Bronze age.

The presence of Iberian tribes is cited in ancient sources: Bebrics in the central Pyrenees, Iacetans in the Aragonese Pyrenees, Cerretani in Cerdanya, Andosins in Andorra, Airenosis in the Aran Valley, Castellanis in Ripollès. It is possible that the Basque were also present.

● 9th century BC: the Celtic tribes, from Central Europe, enter the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees, where they settle, becoming Celtiberians.
History (Ancient and Post-classical)
● 219 BC: Hannibal crosses the Pyrenees on his way to Rome. He was finally defeated.
● 133 BC: The Romans arrive in the Iberian peninsula during the Second Punic War. Little by little they extend their influence with military campaigns and the construction of new Roman cities. However, this invasion mainly affected the Mediterranean coast and valleys, in the Pyrenees the introduction of Latin culture was slower and less obvious. Finally Iberia was romanized, and started to be called Hispania. The Roman provinces that encompass the Pyrenees on both sides are to the east Autrigonia and to the west of Tarraconensis. For a long time, the Basques are free from the Roman domination, if not from their influence.See here more history of the Pyrenees
Pyrenean architecture
The climate and diverse cultures that occupied the Pyrenees have generated a distinct architecture. As a cradle of nations (the Basque, Aragonese, Occitan and Catalan), it conserve the oldest constructions of these towns, often as a result of the distance of the mountain range from the main centers of modern cities and the scarcity of urban pressure. Many of these constructions are protected as regional, national or, in some cases, world heritage sites.

Among the Pyrenean architectural heritage, there are:

● Hórreos, typical construction of the Basque Pyrenees (especially the Aezkoa valley) used as an outer pantry or granary. It has the shape of a house raised on four pillars to keep the food dry.
● Mountain huts (refugis), from the humble ones made with dry stone to the modern complexes such as the one in Núria valley. Originally they were shepherds shelters, now best known in reference to hiking and nature parks and reserves, where the government is responsible for their upkeep. See Refugis del Pirineu català.
● Military buildings: Castles are a typical structure throughout the peninsula, especially in the Pyrenees. Where good examples can be found, such as the Cathar castles, the Casa de la Vall in Andorra, or the castles designed by Vauban in the 18th century.
● Civil buildings: Some stand out for their modernity. Examples include: the Caldea spa in Andorra, the Canfranc Station in neoclassicist style and the totality of the Pyrenean railway heritage, which is in the process of restoration.
● Religious buildings: The Pyrenean mountains are full of Romanesque and even pre-Romanesque churches and hermitages almost in every valley and summit. The outstanding Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí are a world heritage site. The sculpted portico of the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll is considered the best example of Catalan Romanesque style, it is a work of the school of Ripoll, which has designed or influenced most of the Catalan-Pyrenean churches. Worth mentioning is also the sanctuary of Lorda, a pilgrimage center.
● Monuments: The Cromlechs, megalithic monuments of pagan worship, stand out.
See here more architecture of the Pyrenees Mythology
According to Greek mythology, Heracles created the Pyrenees, when gathering stones to bury Princess Pirena. According to geology, they formed in the Tertiary Era, with the alpine folding.

The Pyrenees are a very suitable ground for the creation of tales and legends of fairies, monsters and heroes. There are many rocky formations, that due to their strange form, have sparked all sorts of stories around them. Likewise, the wild and immense forests and rivers, and the unpredictable and drastic weather, gave the nature (and its agents) strong mystical powers in the beliefs of the natives.

The mountain range was a place of human passage from prehistory, but at the same time it was a place isolated from population centers. This has delayed the advance of the Christian religion and in general, of modernity. In the area, there is evidence of very ancient cults, for example the Chryslerch of Donibane Garazi, as well as local gods. The pagan deities lost strength in favor of fantastic figures that did not clash with the Christian culture. These figures were especially important among the shepherds as protection from evil. In this way, the pre-Christian superstition simply linked with the newly arrived Christianity. Legends were created which incorporated the Christian trait of a strict and judicial God, but did not stop using the traditional characters such as giants and follets (catalan mythological character). As an example, in the Catalan Pyrenees there is the legend of the Encantats (cat. the enchanted ones), two hunters who skipped the mass in search of a chamois and as a punishment were transformed into stone.

In general, we can talk about tales of giants in the central and eastern Pyrenees, lamias (fairies) in Basque Country, minairons (Catalan fairies) and witches in the lower ranges. The witch is a symbol of many villages, and in Zugarramurdi there is a museum of witches. The same mysticism turns many mountains into gods or spirits, such as the Puigmal or the Aneto. There is also a large number of enchanted rivers and forests, as well as inhabited by spirits, goblins or other creatures.

Although most of these legends surely come from prehistory, it does not mean that there is no new ones. Like the story of Roland's Breach (Bretxa de Rotllan), a mountain pass supposedly open with a cut of a sword by Roland, which is rooted in a real story of the battle of Roncesvalls in 778.

To this day, the pagan festivals have a strong significance in the Pyrenees, such as the Saint John's Eve (Nit de Sant Joan) or the Falles del Pallars.
Languages of the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees form territories of three states (Spain, Andorra and France), there are four languages of Pyrenean origin (Catalan, Occitan, Aragonese and Basque) and five that are official (Catalan, Occitan, Basque, Spanish and French). The mountain range receives the following names in the languages of the territories it occupies: in Catalan "Pirineu" or "Pirineus"; in Aragonese "Perinés"; in Basque "Pirinioak"; in Occitan "Pirenèus"; in French "Pyrénées"; in Spanish "Pirineos".

Catalan language is official in Andorra and co-official in Catalonia (but not in Ribagorça or Northern Catalonia, although it is spoken there.

Spanish and French are official languages on the southern and northern sides of the Range respectively.

Basque is co-official in the South Basque Country, but not in the North Basque Country.

Occitan is co-official in the Aran Valley.

The only Pyrenean language that does not enjoy official status, in any territory, is Aragonese, spoken throughout the Aragonese Pyrenees but without its own legal status.

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The Pyrenees: information and main facts * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

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The Pyrenees (endonyms: els Pirineus or el Pirineu in Catalan, Pyrénées in French, Pirenèus in Occitan, Pireneu in Aragonese, Pirinioak in Basque, Pirineos in Spanish) are a set of ranges (forming one mountain range) located at the north of the Iberian Peninsula and crossing the entire length of the isthmus that unites the Peninsula to ...