Barcelona’s seaside beauty, sprawling beaches, eclectic architecture, world-class tapas and Tempranillo are all reasons to fall in love with the city of Gaudí. Indeed, the treasures here are many and diverse, captivating travelers and experts alike. In fact, nine important sites in the city, seven designed by the famed architect himself, have earned the acclaim of UNESCO.

Marseille is Frances oldest city and one of the Mediterraneans premier ports. Amid the big-city bustle, the old port is a quaint landscape of historic charm: colorful fishing boats sail past the imposing Fort Saint-Jean, narrow streets wander among ancient churches and cobbled squares, while the venerable Basilica overlooks the scene from the hilltop above.

With a saltwater lagoon behind it, the grand sweep of the Mediterranean Sea out front, the 600-foot Mont St-Clair at its center and a network of canals running in between, Sete boasts a truly unique setting. Also unique is its ordinariness. Unlike many coastal Mediterranean locales, this port town is busily engaged with everyday work and life, giving visitors a refreshing glimpse of the daily routine of the French outside big cities like Paris and the wine and castle towns of the Loire Valley. While nicely grounded in its work ethic, there is plenty of charm in Sete. The canals are atmospheric, lined with grand houses and looking a bit like Venice here on the Mediterranean. Eight miles of beach entice a stroll and the rowdy tradition of joutes nautiques, or water jousting, brings a playful sense of competition and due laughter every August, when boat crews with long poles attempt to knock each other into the water.

Barcelona’s seaside beauty, sprawling beaches, eclectic architecture, world-class tapas and Tempranillo are all reasons to fall in love with the city of Gaudí. Indeed, the treasures here are many and diverse, captivating travelers and experts alike. In fact, nine important sites in the city, seven designed by the famed architect himself, have earned the acclaim of UNESCO.