Plaça Pau Vila 3,
Barceloneta

A modern and vibrant museum that tells the story of Catalunya's roller-coaster history in a stimulating and enjoyably environment. Exhibits cover the periods of pre-history right up to the death of Franco and the nation's subsequent rebirth. Cafe-Restaurant available on the top floor.

Feeling like some kind of giant -- perhaps puffed up with your new knowledge of Catalan history -- the museum deposits you into a room filled with a huge 3-dimensional map over which you must trek. The glass floor enables you to take a colossus-eye view as you stride your way across the nation's mountains and out towards the sea.

Here you get a true feel for the national terrain-- its peaks and valleys -- flattening off as the land rolls down to towards the Costa Brava and the throbbing seaside towns.

contributor: Nigel Hayler