Social Events

The social events include a Welcome Cocktail, a Dinner, a Visit to Montserrat, or a half-day Barcelona tour.

1. Welcome Cocktail

The welcome cocktail will take place on June, 24th from 18:00 to 20:00, in the central gardens of the Historical Building of the University of Barcelona.

The Building is a unique and exceptional space of the nineteenth century, catalogued as Cultural Property of National Interest. It offers its most emblematic spaces, which combine history, tradition and art. A magnificent lobby, its monumental Auditorium, its elegant cloisters, the gardens Ferran Soldevila .... around 30.000 m2 of a great variety of spaces of great artistic and cultural interest located in a privileged location in the heart of the city.

Address:
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585
08028 Barcelona

Cocktail



2. Conference Dinner

The conference dinner will take place on June, 28th in the Maritim Restaurant, located in a privileged enclave, on the quay of Barcelona, facing the sea. Sea, sun, rice, personality, wood-fire oven cooked sardines, incredible sunsets, fresh prawns, Mediterranean, a boat sailing, seeing Barcelona from the sea; that is Marítim.

Address of the restaurant:
Moll d'Espanya s/n
08039 Barcelona
website

Dinner



3. Visit to Montserrat, the Holy Mountain (4 to 5 hours)

Wednesday, June 27th afternoon

Montserrat is a mountain, a unique Natural Park, a massive rock over 4000 feet high, visible for miles, with weird shapes and rounded peaks that jut into the sky; there are walks, paths, stairs, with caves and hermitages scattered over the mountain, and mysterious rocks and wonderful views.
Montserrat is a Benedictine monastery nearly 1000 years old, perched half way up the mountain and sheltered by its peaks.

This is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Montserrat, popularly called the Moreneta as she is black, patron saint of Catalonia and a presence strongly felt and revered. The community of monks also run a boys’ school devoted to the study of music, and a famous choir.

Montserrat is culture: a library of nearly 300,000 volumes; the oldest boys’ choir in Europe; a museum with paintings by Greco, Picasso and Dalí among many others and treasures from ancient Egypt including a mummy.

The classical visit to Montserrat, and the fastest, you will have a view of the extraordinary landscape of the natural park on the drive up to the Sanctuary, 725m above sea level. During the journey the guide will give you a short history of Montserrat. Once there you will have a brief visit to indicate what there is to see (Monastery, Basilica, Boys’ Choir, Our Lady’s Chapel, Museum, St Joan, Holy Cave, Stations of the Cross, as well as bars, restaurants, and shops, the audiovisual projection, home products market etc). Then you will have free time to visit what you wish in detail.

4. Barcelona Highlights (Half Day) (Approx. 3 hrs)

Wednesday, June 27th, afternoon

Discover curiosities and little known details about Barcelona’s famous sites; with the options we offer you will get an overall view of Barcelona’s multiple personalities. The order of your tour is flexible; it can vary according to the group’s preferences, the starting and finishing place, and the state of the traffic or even the weather. Avoid queuing by having a reservation and a Licensed Guide. These are the ideal tours for an overall picture of the best the city has to offer its visitors.

  • Montjuïc Hill: Urbanized in 1929 for the International Exhibition, Montjuïc is both a cultural attraction (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Fundació Miró, the German Pavilion (Miess Van der Rohe) and a sportive one ( the Olympic Ring).
  • Stadium Stop: Part of the Olympic Ring, the nerve centre of the Olympic Games, along with St. Jordi Pavilion, Picornell swimming pools, the University of Sport, Calatrava Communications Tower, etc.
  • Mirador de l’Alcalde (Mayor’s Lookout) Stop: This balcony over the Mediterranean offers a panoramic view over the whole city and port. There is a monument here dedicated to the typical Catalan dance, the Sardana.
  • Columbus Monument: Between La Rambla and the sea beside the medieval Drassanes, which house the Maritime Museum, the Columbus column was built to commemorate Columbus’ return from America which was to the city of Barcelona where he was met by the Catholic Kings.
  • Port: We will show you the seafront of the Old Port, which has been converted, into a popular city port near the city centre. There are many attractions such as the Aquarium, Imax cinema, restaurants, nightclubs and shops.
  • Arc de Triomf: The entrance to the 1888 Exhibition, the Arch is found at the top of a wide avenue with lovely Modernist lamp posts leading down to Ciutadella Park.
  • Passeig de Gràcia: This beautiful central boulevard is known for its luxury and design shops and famous international brands. You will find several Modernist buildings including two houses by Gaudí: Casa Batllò and Casa Milà or “La Pedrera”.
  • The Sagrada Família Stop: Unfinished temple of the genius architect Antoni Gaudí, who dedicated the latter part of his life to this work, synthesis of his overall conception of architecture. The richness of detail and its significance need explaining in order to appreciate this fascinating and extraordinary building in full.