It is located in northeast Spain in the centre of the region of Catalonia. The provincial capital is the city of Barcelona, which is also the capital of the region. It is the site of a series of architectural works by the artist and architect Antoni Gaudí, awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO. This distinction is shared with the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall and the Hospital de Sant Pau, also in the city of Barcelona. The province has a Mediterranean coastline, with numerous popular holiday resorts such as Sitges, Castelldefels, Sant Pol de Mar, Calella and Arenys de Mar.

There are three nature reserves in the interior. It also has several large cities such as Vic, Manresa, Granollers, Sabadell and Terrassa. Its gastronomic tradition features everything from world-class restaurants serving avant-garde cuisine to the most traditional dishes such as “pa amb tomàquet” (country bread with tomato and olive oil).