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Universal Studios’ theme park is divided up into five areas: China, Far West, Mediterranean, Polynesia and Mexico, each offering rides and attractions. Thrill-junkies will appreciate one of Europe’s biggest roller coasters, Dragon Kahn (China). There are also shows, and the entire experience is like being on a film set.

Saunter along the Rambla de Mar, a floating wooden pier that leads to Mare-magnum, a flashy mall of shops, fast-food outlets, restaurants and bars. Nearby the giant IMAX^® cinema shows 3-D films on mega-screens, generally on nature-, adventure-, and sports-related topics.

In 1859, Catalan Narcís Monturiol invented one of the world’s first submarines, a replica of which stands on the Moll d’Espanya. Hard to believe, but in an earlier version of this wooden, fish-shaped submarine, powered by two internal steam engines, Monturiol made a number of successful underwater journeys. He invented the submarine as a means of gathering coral; later, he tried to sell it to the army. However, he finally sold his invention in parts and died penniless.

Entering the city of Tarragona, past the oil refineries and its huge industrial port, it’s hard to envisage the astounding archaeological treasures that await. Once the capital of Roman Catalonia, the city’s main attractions today are from this era. Highlights include an impressive amphitheatre and the well-kept Roman walls that lead past the Museu Nacional Arqueològic and the Torre de Pilatos, a tower where Christians were supposedly imprisoned before being thrown to the lions. Also in Tarragona is the Catedral de Santa Tecla (Churches & Monasteries).

Salvador Dalí was born in the town of Figueres in 1904. Paying tribute to the artist is the fantastic circular Teatre-Museu Dalí which is full of his eccentric works. The country’s second-most-visited museum (after the Prado in Madrid), housed in a former theatre, it provides a unique insight into the artist’s extraordinary creations, from La Cesta de Pan (1926) to El Torero Alucinogeno (1970). Twenty minutes’ drive away, near the lovely beach town of Cadaqués, the Dalí connection continues. Here you can visit the Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí, the artist’s summer house for nearly 60 years until his death in 1989.

Visible from almost anywhere in Barcelona, the Temple of the Sacred Heart was built by Enric Sagnier between 1902 and 1911. It has a dramatic sculpture of Jesus and an elaborately decorated door that verges on the psychedelic. Take the elevator up the main tower, or climb the steps to the outside terrace for breathtaking views.

This dynamic, slender telecommunications tower was designed by British architect Norman Foster. The needle-like upper structure rests on a concrete pillar and is anchored by 12 huge steel cables. Rising to a height of 560 m (1836 ft) above sea level, the top is reached by a glass-fronted elevator. On a clear day, you can see as far as Montserrat and the Pyrenees.

The city’s blue trams, with their old-fashioned, wooden interiors are attractions in themselves. The route, from the FGC station to Plaça Doctor Andreu, passes past many Modernista mansions to the top of Avinguda Tibidabo.

This enchanting Pyrenean hideaway, surrounded by crests reaching as high as 3,000-m (9,840-ft), is a ski resort in winter and a green, peaceful oasis attracting hikers and nature-lovers in summer. The mountain resort centres on a tiny religious sanctuary and has a youth hostel and apartments for rent. The beautiful valley is only accessible via a silent cog railway, which trundles above the clouds through breathtaking mountain scenery.

This massive, circular structure is home to offices, convention halls, a five-star hotel and the top-notch restaurant Ruccula (Restaurants & Tapas Bars). There are also several gift shops, including Galería Surrealista, featuring souvenirs inspired by Dalí and other Surrealists. In the central courtyard is a “rhythmic” fountain that spurts out streams of water at differing velocities. Nearby, you can board cable cars and soak up splendid views from the top of Torre Jaume I.