The Old Town of Barcelona

Today I decided, that before I start sharing my experiences as a tour guide, it'd be a good idea to share with you what are the areas in Barcelona that are most important for sightseeing.

After all, I'll be talking about them constantly, and unless you have already been to Barcelona, you might not really know what I am talking about... So let me introduce you the city! Let’s start with the oldest part of it!

I believe that the best way to start visiting Barcelona is to start from its origins. Barcelona was founded by the Romans 2000 years ago, and it can still pretty much see what they were located because most of the Roman walls are still visible from the streets. If you have to the Gothic Quarter, you will be able to see them very near the Cathedral. There are also some arches left from the aqueduct, and 4 columns of the Roman temple, amongst many other interesting ruins that are a little bit more hidden and difficult to find.

It is precisely in that area where during the middle ages Barcelona at least its first period of splendor the Gothic times. In the area called Gothic Quarter you will be able to find some fine monuments and churches from this time, along with many buildings that where refurbished in the late 1800s with the goal to give a homogeneous medieval look to the neighborhood. The area is quite atmospheric, and I love walking around it! Plus if you are interested in the Jewish local history, the old Call (Medieval Jewish Section) is located in the area, too.

Only 5 minutes walk from the Cathedral that is a famous pedestrian street called La Rambla. It is a good idea to walk it downhill, starting in Placa Catalunya and ending by the port. You pass newspapers stands, a flower market, a colorful mosaic by Miro (that most people don’t even notice unless they are looking to the pavement), and towards the end of the Boulevard, you will also find artists making portraits like in Montmartre in Paris, mimes doing their performances, and crafts market in the weekends.

The famous Boqueria market located right in the heart of La Rambla deserves a paragraph of its own it is a magnificent food market with the largest variety of produce you could ever imagine! A foodie’s paradise.

While the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla make the center of the Old Town, to the east of it spreads the Born district (too many, the SOHO of Barcelona). It is a handsome area of medieval alleys, dominated by the elegant church of Santa Maria del Mar. The Picasso Museum is located very close to it, as it is the newly renovated Mercat del Born, with a really interesting ruins from what the city was in the 1700s. Great tapas places, and trendy shopping.

Finally, to the west of La Rambla you will find the Raval district, the most decadent part of the Old Town. While the northern part of it was quite successfully refurbished for the Olympic Games with the construction of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) and some clever urban interventions, the south of it continues to be an area that can be fully trusted, as the city council hasn’t been too successful at solving the social problems of the neighborhood. Nevertheless, if you are a bit adventurous and appreciate cultural diversity, you might like to hang out around it and discover the fun vintage secondhand shops and vibrant bars and cafés, next to Pakistan bakeries and Halal butchers.


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