Catalonia has, in the Costa Brava north of Barcelona, one of Spain’s most beautiful Mediterranean coastlines, where the hills run down from the Pyrenees into the sea and hide pretty coves and sandy white beaches. The Costa Dorada, to the south of Barcelona, is flatter, with dramatic long sandy beaches, but this terrain also means that, unlike the Costa Brava, much of this coast has been overdeveloped. Inland the countryside is green and attractive, well kept with farms, orchards and vineyards or natural parks. However Catalonia is Spain’s most northern Mediterranean coast, which translates into colder winters and shorter summers than, for instance, the Costa del Sol. It is also a difficult region for expatriates to establish a social life.
