Housed in a historic building, The Cinema Museum holds Spain’s first and most significant collection of cinematic history, thanks to the visionary Tomàs Mallol. Acquired by the city in 1994, his private collection forms the core of this public museum. It traces over 400 years of visual storytelling through 25,000 artefacts — from magic lanterns and zoetropes to early cameras and projectors — making it one of Europe’s most comprehensive archives on pre-cinema and early film. Beyond the permanent exhibition, the museum hosts temporary shows, educational workshops, and a specialised library. While some displays are labelled primarily in Catalan and Spanish, introductory materials are available in English, French and German.

Back in 2013, Nantes became the first French city to earn the title of European Green Capital—a recognition of its long-standing efforts in sustainable urban planning. And it didn’t stop there. From car-free zones and electric trams to public parks, bike paths, and nature reserves along the Loire, the city continues to invest in green living. It’s a place where environmental goals actually shape how the city feels and works today.

The Arab Baths are a striking example of 12th-century Romanesque architecture, inspired by Roman and Islamic bathhouse traditions rather than built by them. Designed during a period of Christian rule, they served as public baths for Girona’s diverse medieval community, blending functional elements from Roman thermae, Muslim hammams, and Jewish purification rituals. The centrepiece is the apodyterium (changing room), a sublime octagonal space crowned by a dome and supported by slender columns, where a central pool reflects light from above. Other rooms — the frigidarium (cold bath), tepidarium (warm room) and furnace-heated caldarium (sauna) — showcase sophisticated hydraulic engineering. Despite damage during sieges and later use by Capuchin nuns, the baths were meticulously restored in the 20th century. Today, they offer a quiet glimpse into medieval daily life and the cross-cultural exchanges that defined the era.

Girona’s El Call is one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters, a labyrinth of narrow, steep alleys centred around Carrer de la Força. At its heart lies the Museum of Jewish History, housed in a building that once held a 15th-century synagogue and now vividly recounts the story of Catalonia’s Jewish communities. Exhibits trace their profound contributions to medicine, astronomy and philosophy, while also confronting darker chapters like the Inquisition and the 1492 expulsion. Highlights include an 11th-century miqvé (ritual bath), funerary slabs with Hebrew inscriptions, and the original expulsion edict. Detailed multilingual panels guide visitors through themes of daily life, rituals, and cultural exchange. Beyond the museum, the quarter itself whispers with history. Wander its cobbled lanes to sense the resilience of a community that shaped Girona for centuries.