Barcelona Insider

Barcelona was among the winners at this year’s British Travel Awards event, which took place in London last week.

Barcelona was voted the best city break destination at the 2009 Travel Awards.

The Catalan capital was voted the best city break destination, with Paris picking up the silver award.

People staying in Barcelona can see some of Spain’s most popular landmarks and attractions in the city, such as the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell.

Why not take advantage of the city’s awarding winning status by booking a stay in a hotel in Barcelona today.

The US was voted the most popular country to visit for this year’s British Travel Awards, with Italy in second place.

Travel professionals and consumers alike submit votes for the event, which is the largest awards programme in the UK.

Singapore won the best overseas airport accolade ahead of Dubai, while Manchester was voted the UK airport of the year, an honour it has now received for two consecutive years.

Virgin Atlantic was named the best long-haul scheduled airline and British Airways picked up the top prize in the category covering European scheduled carriers.

Music fans in Barcelona are in for a treat next month.

A younger Depeche Mode

This is because Depeche Mode, one of the most successful bands of the early 80s, are performing in the Catalan city on November 20th.

The group will be heading to the Palau Sant Jordi, a 20,000-capacity arena that is also used for sporting events – a far cry from their musical roots in Basildon, Essex.

According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold 75 million albums around the world, so tickets for the event are sure to be in high demand.

Fans attending the gig can expect to hear classics such as See You, Shake The Disease and It’s Called A Heart.

It was announced in 2007 that Depeche Mode were heading back to the studio to record their 12th studio album, Sounds Of The Universe.

This was released internationally in April, which has so far been well received by the group’s fans.

People staying in Barcelona over the coming months will have the opportunity to visit an exhibition celebrating the genius of Antoni Gaudi.

Museo Diocesano de Barcelona

The show was launched to mark the centenary of Gaudi’s Colonia Guell crypt.

It will be open at the Museu Diocesa on Avinguda Catedral in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district until January 31st 2010.

Visitors will have the chance to see a selection of 100 items that relate to research on Gaudi’s work conducted by the glazier Pere Canovas, the archaeologist Manuel Medarde and the architect Roger Moras.

The items, which have never been shown in public before, are displayed alongside Gaudi’s drawing case.

Another highlight of the exhibition is a file of sketches that Salvador Dali dedicated to the Catalan architect, which were delivered to Gaudi personally when Dali visited the crypt.

Gaudi played a major part in the development of modern Barcelona and the creation of its aesthetic appeal, designing buildings such as Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and parts of the Sagrada Familia.