Sant Cugat del Vallès travel guide

Sant Cugat del Vallès (pop. 71,424 as of the year 2006) is a town and municipality west of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. In antiquity known as Castrum Octavianum, it is named after Saint Cucuphas, who is said to have been martyred on the spot now occupied by its medieval monastery, which has a Romanesque cloister with many historiated capitals. The altar of the church was painted by Ayne Bru.
Sant Cugat has seen its population increase in recent years, with more births than bigger cities like Barcelona (2004).
The town's other buildings include the UPC School of Architecture del Vallès and the CAR ("Centre d'Alt Rendiment" or "High Performance Centre"), a famous center for professional sport training.
Sant Cugat has become an affluent suburb of Barcelona due to its location (only 5 kilometers from the city), its natural surroundings, and its pedestrian shopping area. Sant Cugat also offers restaurants, a Concert Venue, two movie theaters, and one large shopping mall. It is also a political stronghold for conservative Catalan nationalism, with Convergència i Unió dominating the town's politics.
Sant Cugat has practically merged with the nearby Rubí (population 62,475) and Cerdanyola del Valles (population 58,347).
The town has its own train station with a direct subway connection into downtown Barcelona and the nearby industrial cities of Terrassa and Sabadell. (...) more....