Welcome to Barcelona

Barcelona is a major economic centre, with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean ports, and Barcelona International Airport is the second largest in Spain. Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage.
As the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunya; of particular note are the executive branch, the parliament and the Supreme Court of Catalonia. The city is also the capital of the county (comarca) of the Barcelonès.

What's the yearly weather like in Barcelona?
The weather in Barcelona is pleasant most of the year round. However you'll experience the absolute best weather from May to the end of July. September is also a good month.
August can be hot during the day (sometimes peaking around 34°C, 95F ) so if you love saunas then this is the time of the year for you!
The weather in October and November is still pleasant but starting to get a little cooler (21°C down to 15°C, 69 to 59F). You won't find sunshine every day though, so be prepared for days when it could be overcast with a little rain.
Remember these are only guidelines and the weather can vary somewhat from year to year. Especially in the last few years there has been some fluctuations from the norm.
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Climate in Winter
From November to February the temperatures are cooler averaging around 12°C or 53F. It doesn't tend to rain a lot here in Winter so even though it may be cooler, often times you'll have some sunny days too. But do be prepared for some overcast and rainy days. It's all the luck of the draw!

Barcelona Safety :
This is a difficult article to write because I don't want to scare people off from coming to Barcelona. By writing about Barcelona safety and how to ensure you are not pick pocketed or robbed implies that the city is not safe.
However it's true to say that there is a pick pocketing and bag snatching problem in Barcelona mainly for those visitors that do not take the right precautions and it is to those people this article is intended. So many times I walk down La Rambla and see tourists with maps open, looking lost and with their bags unguarded. These tourists will almost certainly be noticed by all the wrong people and be an instant target. You can be a tourist, no problem, but what you must behave like is a savvy tourist and you will be much, much safer.
Please take these precautions to safeguard yourself. I know you may think it will never happen to you. You may even think that "all big cities are the same in this respect" but I would say perhaps think again. I see so many tourists that are leaving themselves wide open for something to happen and all they need to do is just take a few simple steps to help safeguard themselves.
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Lille Maps

Lille is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region. In the 19th century, Lille became the centre of French industry. The city has large coal deposits. Lille is also the central part of the country's rail network. The city has one of it's nation's largest university student population. It was once known as "the Manchester of France". Slowly over the years, the city has transformed itself into a cultural hub with the help of government investments.

Area & Location: Lille is located in Northern France and is the main city of France's fourth largest metropolitan area. The city is located on the Deule River. Lille covers a total land area of 39.51 square kilometer. The 2004 population estimate is 226,800 with a density of 5,740 per square kilometer. 50°37'57?N latitude and 03°03'30?E longitude pass through Lille.

Transportation: The city is well connected. Lille lies on the Eurostar line to London and the French TGV network to Paris. The city has two train stations. Lille-Europe station (Gare Lille-Europe) serves high-speed trains and Lille-Flandres station (Gare Lille-Flandes) serves lower speed trains. Lille is the city where you'll find the densest confluence of highways in France after Paris. Autoroute A27, Autoroute A23, Autoroute A1,Autoroute A25 and Autoroute A22 are the five autoroutes that pass by Lille. The Lille Lesquin International Airport that is located at a distance of 15 minutes from the city center serves Lille. The city is the third largest river port after Paris and Strasbourg.

Hotels: The hotels in Lille provide the tourists with the best services. Some popular hotels of Lille are Exclusive Hotel L'Hermitage Gantois, Couvent des Minimes - Alliance Lille, Crowne Plaza Lille, Hotel de la Paix, Mercure Lille Centre Opera, Ibis Lille Centre Gares, Hotel Lille Europe, Best Western Bellevue, Brueghel, La Howarderie Hotel, Citadines Lille Centre, Hotel des Tours, Ibis Lille Hotel de Ville, Hotel Chagnot, Novotel Lille Centre Grand Place, Hotel de la Treille, Sofitel Lille Metropole, Hotel Atlantic, Wimereux, Hotel Continental and Le Chateau des Ormes.

Places of Attraction: Lille is a city that has a lot to offer its students. Some popular attractions of Lille are Palais des Beaux-Arts, Wazemmes Market, Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange), Grande Place, Euralille Mall etc. There are many speciality shops in the city where shopaholics can indulge in shopping. Authentic Licence, Bidule, Michel Ruc, Carrefour, Philippe Olivier, La Cave d'Annie Paule, Balade nocturne, Chez Paul, Cle Astrale, Du Pareil au Meme, Eric Bompard, Godon and Harmonie Nature are some shops in Lille.

Avignon Maps

Avignon is the capital of Vaucluse department. It belongs to the Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur. Avignon is often called the city of Popes. Also, the city's architecture is marked by papal history. The most popular piece of architecture of the city is the Palace of the Popes that was built in the 14th century. Between the 10th of July and the 5th of August, a theatre festival is organized in the city. Jean Vilar started the festival in 1947. A series of street shows also take place at the Off Festival.

Area & Location: The city is located on the left bank of Rhone river. The 43°56'58?N latitude and 04°48'32?E longitude pass through Avignon. The total land area occupied by Avignon is 64.78 square kilometer. The altitude varies between 10m and 122m. Around 85,935 people reside in the city with a density of 1,326 per square kilometer.

Transportation: The airport serving Avignon is Aeroport Avignon-Caumont. From Paris, you can reach Avignon in just an hour from Orly Airport. From Aeroport Avignon-Caumont you can reach Avignon by taxi. The Marseille-Provence Airport is located at a distance of 50 miles southeast of Avignon. Tourists can reach Avignon from Paris in three hours in TGV trains from Gare de Lyon. By road A6 south to Lyon and A7 south to Avignon can be taken. If you're departure point is London, then you can take the Eurostar high-speed train from Waterloo station.

Hotels: Hotel d'Europe, Le Clos du Rempart - Guest House, La Banasterie - Guest House, De l'Horloge Hotel, Holiday Inn Express Avignon, La Mirande Hotel, Best Western La Magnaneraie, Concept Nurys Agramonte - Appartments Avignon, Avignon Grand Hotel, Clarion Cloitre Saint Louis Hotel, Kyriad Avignon Palais des Papes, Auberge de Noves, Hotel d' Angleterre, Bristol Hotel, Hotel Roques Les Angles, Hotel de l'atelier, Mercure Cite des Papes, Mercure Avignon Sud and Hotel Golf Avignon are some popular hotels of the city.

Places of Attraction: Avignon has a lot in store for the visitors. The most popular attractions of Avignon are Palais desPapes (Pope's Palace), Rocher des Doms, St. Benezet Bridge (Pont d'Avignon), Cathedrale Notre-Dame des Doms, Fondation Angladon-Dubrujeaud, Musee Calvet, Musee Lapidaire, Musee Requien, Musee du Petit-Palais, Rue de la Republique, Chartreuse du Val de Benediction, Musee Louis-Vouland, Tour Philippe le Bel, Place de l'Horloge, Rue de Teinturiers (Street of Dyers), Avignon Synagogue and Eglise Notre-Dame des Anges.