Cycle Tour Barcelona-Busdorf

Ciutat Vella (Catalan for Old city) is, as its name suggests, the oldest part of Barcelona . Centred along the Las Ramblas boulevard, it includes Barcelona's old port as well as parts built from the early Middle Ages to mid-19th century. Ciutat Vella is where the nightlife, as well as the tourist traffic in Barcelona is centred.

If you are looking for the famous Gaudi creations, they are not here - except for Palau Güell - head over to Eixample and Gracia to see them.

Understand

The district is divided in four quarters:

• Barceloneta or Little Barcelona was built after King Felipe V ordered the construction of a new fortress (La Ciutadella, nowadays a park) in order to control and punish the city of Barcelona, that fought against him during the war of Spanish Succession. The fortress was planned very close to the city so that a tenth of it was demolished, and the people who lived in this part had no compensation and as a bigger punishment were obliged to demolish their own houses. The people from the demolished part of Barcelona had to move, so a new quarter was planned by the French military. Therefore, the streets are straight and with a square shape. There are still some houses from this period, easy to recognize because they are much lower than the others and have a simple neoclassical decoration. Historically a fisherman's quarter, Barceloneta was traditionally a poor quarter, with dark and narrow streets, but since the 1992 Olympics significant gentrification has taken place. Most noticeably along the seafront. There are now delis serving upscale foodstuffs and high rise office buildings going up.
• Barri Gòtic is the oldest part of the old town. It literally has its foundations in Roman times as it was built upon the old settlement of Barcino. It's quite easy to see these portions of the Roman wall through this area and for those looking to see more, you can visit the City History museum which takes you below ground to tour the 2,000 year-old foundations. Fully pedestrian, this area is quite popular for visitors to see the history of the city. While not as active in boutique shops as La Ribera next door, it boasts its fair share of night life and shops. Most people walk through here to view the quite stunning architecture with the ancient building leaning this way and that on their centuries-old foundations. It is also the location of the Barcelona Cathedral which is a focal point of the city.
• La Ribera is a large section of the old town that encompasses everything between Arc de Triomf and Via Laietana. It is often mistakenly called the El Born after the large, 19th century market that sits in the area below Carrer de la Princesa. In reality, Born is a sub neighborhood of La Ribera much like the area around the upper, Santa Catarina market. Regardless of whether you go to the upper or lower sections, it is a very happening neighborhood with lots to do an see. By day, there are many small shops and local designers. By night, there is a thriving bar and restaurant scene. It's easily reachable on foot and contains no end of old buildings, many of which date back to the 15th century. It's easy to see the thriving, commercial past of the neighborhood with colorful names such as (in English): "the street of jars", "the street of the silver smiths", and so on.
• El Raval is the neighborhood of the old town just to the west of Las Ramblas. Historically, it's had an incredibly seedy reputation, being a den of prostitution, drugs, and general crime. This changed on a tremendous scale right before the 1992 Olympics when the city government demolished tremendous amounts of old buildings to construct new ones as well as to open up the neighborhood to more natural light given that historically, it was known to be quite dark. This move was quite controversial as it displaced thousands of people, but for better or worse, it did change the neighborhood. These days, it's a vibrant place for nightlife and while still very much an immigrant neighborhood, it's home to no end of bars and restaurants. While not as historically significant as say, Barri Gòtic or La Ribera, but gradually more civic structures are sprouting in the area, such as the Filmoteca.

See

La Ribera

• ⊙Palau de la Música Catalana, C/Sant Pere més Alt 13, ☎ +34 932 957200. Modernist design by Lluís Domènech i Montaner is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a masterpiece of Catalan's modernist architecture. This auditorium designed by Ramon Muntaner is the most important Modernist example in Ciutat Vella. It was the headquarters of the Orfeó Català, the oldest Catalan choir. The most beautiful part is the stalls with its fine detailing, although all the building is impressive. There are plenty of allegories about music and Catalonia, since the Orfeó Català is strongly bounded with the Catalan Renaixença, the romantic movement that tried to recuperate the Catalan history, language and traditions. It is also the best place in Barcelona to listen to symphonic music. (updated Jul 2017)
• ⊙Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, Plaça de Santa Maria (near the Picasso Museum). One of the most representative examples of Catalan Gothic architecture, it features a sombre but beautiful interior. The upsweeping verticality and lightness of the interior are especially surprising considering the blocky exterior surfaces. Built between 1329 and 1383, it was once was home to a Christian cult in the late 3rd century. The church is dedicated to Saint Mary of the Sea, since the quarter was dedicated to the jobs related to the sea, from sailors to harbor works, commerce, even coin exchange. The inside was burned during the civil war, but it is still very interesting. Next to the church, you can see a monument, called Fossar de les Moreres, which is the place where many fighters where buried after the Barcelona defeat in 1714, so it is an important monument for Catalan nationalism.  
• ⊙Carrer Montcada (near Carrer Princesa, in the Born quarter). This street has the biggest collection of Gothic houses in Barcelona. In amongst these houses is the Picasso Museum, which is definitely worth a visit. There are also smaller museums along the street, and many tapas restaurants though they may be more expensive on this street.  
• ⊙Passeig del Born. This avenue goes from the Santa Maria del Mar church to the Born market and is where the legendary jousting matches of the Middle Ages took place, as well as numerous fairs and marches. This is also where men were knighted. It is a really old street, very wide for the time.Don Quijote de la Mancha, the famous Cervantes character, had a contest in this place.  
• ⊙Mercat del Born. This market was the central market for Barcelona until 1973 and its closing marked the beginning of the neighborhood's decline before its current resurgence. While undergoing renovations, whole streets and homes that had been demolished by Phillipe V's orders were discovered and archaeologists who worked to transform the market in to a new cultural center and history museum. Entrance and street level is free, but to visit the ruins requires paying for a ticket. free.  

Museums

• ⊙Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso), Montcada, 15-23, ☎ +34 932 563000. Su-Tu 10:00-20:00, closes strictly on time, visitors are asked to exit 10 minutes before closing time. Has a lot of art from his first period, before the cubism, but almost none of his most famous works. Pictures are described only in Spanish, but overview texts for each period are available in English. Luggage over 30x30cm needs to be left at the checkroom and there's no liability for lost valuables. Adults €12, discount for students having student ID, free on the first Sunday each month, free every Thursday evening from 18:00 to 21:30. Temporary exhibition (without the museum) €6.50. (updated Oct 2016)

Barri Gòtic

• ⊙Palau Güell (Guell Palace ) , ☎ +34 934 725775, +34 934 725771. Tu-Su: Apr-Oct 10:00-20:00; Nov-Mar 10:00-17:30. Palace designed by Gaudí for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell. There is a basement and three levels of the palace to explore, the highest featuring a small exhibition. It is in a different style to Gaudi's apartment blocks La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, as well as being cheaper and less crowded than those sites. The rooftop of Palau Güell features the more standard Gaudi style chimneys, and views across El Raval. 12€ (audio guide included); tickets booth at 1 Nou de la Rambla closes 1h earlier; also online. (updated Oct 2015)
• ⊙Plaça Sant Jaume. This square has been the political hub since the Roman era. It has been witness to some of the most important events in recent Catalan history, such as the proclamation of the Catalan State in 1931. At one end, there is the Palace of the Generalitat (the one with two flags on the top, the government of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya) and on the other stands the City Hall (three flags). Both are Gothic buildings, although their fronts are newer (the Generalitat's is the best example of Barcelona's Renaissance art). But if you can go inside, both are very important civil Gothic buildings. The two buildings have guides.  
  • City hall: Visit hours are: Every Sunday, from 10:00 to 14:00. The entrance is free. The Saló de Cent, room where the artisans made the meetings is the most important part.
  • Palau de la Generalitat: The second and forth Sunday every month from 10:00 to 14:00. Free entrance. The Pati dels Tarongers, a Patio with orange trees and the main room are the most famous parts.
  • In the left part of the City Hall there's a tourist information point.
• ⊙Plaça Reial (next to La Rambla). This square is famous for the nightlife and the uniform architecture, and features fountains and palm trees. It was built during the 19th century on the site of a monastery, after the Mendizábal law expelled the monks. After some years Antoni Gaudí designed the streetlights which are still there. It has lots of activity during the day, thanks to the many terraces of the bars and restaurants.  
• ⊙Plaça del Rei (next to the Cathedral). This square has two important buildings, the Santa Àgata church, where the kings from the Aragon crown had baptism. Is possible to visit it. The other building has the Saló del Tinell, one of the best civil Gothic architecture examples. Is the place where the royal receptions where held, so is very wide with a wooden ceiling hold by the typical Catalan Gothic arches. It has also a tower from which you can have a good view of the old town. An entrance is needed to visit both.  
• ⊙Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia (Barcelona Cathedral), Capellans, 4, ☎ +93 3042255. The main Gothic church in Barcelona. The cloister is maybe the most interesting part.  
• ⊙Plaça Sant Felip Neri. One of the most romantic squares in Barcelona, it hides a dark history in that it was built over the city's old cemetery. Barcelona's most famous architect, Antonio Gaudi, was on his way to visit the church there when he was run over and killed in 1928. There is a baroque church (Sant Felip Neri), a 14th century palace and a fountain in the middle. To arrive, take the narrow street next to the cathedral cloister. The palace was moved from its original location in the street Via Laietana during the 1920s. If you look the front of the church, you can see some holes made by a civil war bomb. If you go out the square through the other street, you'll arrive to the street Baixada de Santa Eulàlia, where is said that the Barcelona's protector was tormented.  
• ⊙Plaça del Pi. This square next to La Rambla is one of the prettiest parts of the quarter. It has a pine tree in the middle (Pi mines pine tree), the church of Santa Maria del Pi, which is a very pretty Gothic church with a huge rose window. Many concerts are done here. The Pi square and its twin square, called Sant Josep Oriol, have several bars and artisans, painters, musicians are there to sell their products.  
• ⊙Carrer Petritxol. This narrow street, that starts in the Plaça del Pi has a very special atmosphere. It is famous because of its chocolate shops, where you can drink a hot chocolate since the 18th century. It has also very important art galleries (Sala Parés, the place where Picasso made a dedicated exposition for the first time). You can enter for free and see, if you are lucky, nice expositions. The street is decorated with flagstones that represent scenes of a modernist book called L'auca del senyor Esteve, by Santiago Rusiñol, which is a critic to the bourgeois society of that time and that he had to live. 
• ⊙Ancient synagogue (Sinagoga Major), Carrer Marlet. They open during the morning. It is the re-discovered synagogue from the Jewish quarter, called call. This building, not very spectacular, is important since it has been here since the roman era, and stayed as a synagogue until the Jewish exodus in the 15th century. The guide explains all the facts from the place in several languages. Free, you can leave donations.  

Museums

• ⊙Museu d'Història de la Ciutat de Barcelona. Includes access to underground Roman ruins and a complex of historic buildings in the center of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), and is a reasonably good historical museum.  
• ⊙Museu de l'Eròtica de Barcelona, La Rambla 96 (just in front of the market). Museum dedicated to erotic and sensual works. A huge tourist trap. The tour is not worth it, unless you wish to see old paintings of the Kama Sutra. The only interest is the huge phallus in the hallway, which makes for funny pictures.  
• ⊙Hemp Museum Gallery Barcelona, Carrer Ample 35 (left of the Correos central post office). Daily 10:00 to 23:00. This museum in the modernist Palau Mornau offers a unique permanent exhibition on the development of the cannabis plant as a versatile source for industrial, nutritional, medicinal, sacramental and recreational purposes.  

Raval

• ⊙La Rambla. Often the first landmark that people identify with the city. It is the central and the most famous boulevard which cuts through the heart of the city centre and is a vibrant and lively promenade filled with Barcelona action at its best and worst. It stretches from the harbor to La Plaça Catalunya running through the Ciutat Vella like a spine. Come here to see the street performers jump out at unsuspecting tourists, enjoy the flower and pet stalls, or just sit back and watch all of Barcelona walk by. During the day, La Rambla is packed with tourists, at night, the locals come out, as well as many prostitutes. There, you can find newspaper and book stands, birds, flowers, musicians, street-performing artists that all contribute to create a lively and unique atmosphere. If you happen to be here after Barca win, you are in for a treat. A few blocks south of its north end, you will find La Boqueria, a very large, covered open air market.  
• ⊙Maritime Museum (Museu Maritime MMB), Av. de les Drassanes, 1 (from the Columbus sculpture to the right). 10:00-19:00. Housed in Drassanes, the Gothic shipyard of the city. During the 14th century, the Aragó Crown was the most important power in the Mediterranean Sea, and this was the main place where the ships where built. Nowadays it's the Maritime Museum, worth a visit for the architectonic structure, a still-standing part of the ancient medieval city wall (including a gate), and the reproduction of the royal galley of Don John of Austria, the Spanish flagship at the battle of Lepanto. If you do not want to go inside the museum, you can see a little bit looking inside thorough the big windows at the part in front of the sea. Free on the first Sa each month from 15:00.  
• ⊙Hospital de la Santa Creu, C/Hospital 56 (going down La Rambla, turn right at the Miró painting). This Gothic building was the old city hospital, before the modernist Hospital de Sant Pau was build in l'Eixample . Now the hospital has the National Library inside, and is a great example of civilian Gothic archictecture.  
• ⊙Sant Pau del Camp (Saint Paul of the Fields), C/Sant Pau 101 (going down La Rambla, following C/Sant Pau, which starts at the Miró painting). A rare example of Romanesque architecture, the prettiest in Barcelona. Its name reflects the fact that the church was once surrounded by green fields outside the city walls. Entrance to the cloister €2.  

Museums

• ⊙Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). The arts centre’s core theme is the city and urban culture.  
• ⊙Centre d'Art Santa Mònica (CASM), Rambla de Santa Mònica 7 (in the lower part of Ramblas), ☎ +34 933 162810. A contemporary art venue, showing solo exhibitions by national and international artists. Lots of other activities. Free.  
• ⊙Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona), Raval, Plaça dels Angels, 1, ☎ +34 934 120810. M-F 11:00-19:30, Sa 10:00-20:00, Su 10:00-15:00. €4.  

Barceloneta

• ⊙Aquàrium de Barcelona (Aquarium Barcelona) (at the Port Vell leisure center, next to the IMAX cinema). The second biggest aquarium in Europe. Watch thousands of fish, penguins and sharks in this interactive sea-life museum. Unlike Genoese Aquarium it has a long glass tube, where you can walk watching sharks and other fish swimming around. €20.  
• ⊙Parc Zoològic de Barcelona (in Parc de la Ciutadella). This zoo was famous for its albino gorilla Snowflake prior to his death. Today this zoo still has many other features including a science museum inside the zoo. €19.  
• ⊙Parc de la Ciutadella (at the end of Carrer Princesa). Barcelona's most central park, and includes a zoo, a lake and several museums. In fact, the park is so large, 74 acres, that the Catalan Parliament can be found in the center of the park. It is a great place to enjoy games, sports or to spend a leisurely afternoon. It was built at the final part of the 19th century in the place that formerly occupied the fortress (ciutadella) built after the defeat of 1714. This fortress was hated by the citizens, and when the middle age walls were demolished, so was most of the fortress. Some buildings where conserved, as such as the church, and the gunpowder magazine. The new park was used as the place to hold the 1888 international expo, and some of the older modernist buildings are there, such as the Zoology Museum, the greenhouse and, following the avenue Passeig de Sant Joan (towards the mountain), the Arc del Triomf, a modernist Arc de Triomphe.  
• ⊙Port Vell (walk down La Rambla until the monument to Columbus, the sea is just after it). The harbor was closed to the public until the 80s and received a complete makeover before the Olympics in 1992. Some old buildings related to the harbor still exist, such as the Tinglado near the Barceloneta quarter that is now a history museum. There are two main parts in the harbor: the Moll de la Fusta, which are the decks that touch the city, and the Maremagnum, a newly created amusement center/shopping mall, with an Aquarium, an IMAX cinema, discos, bars, restaurants. The clubs are situated on the top floor, which is accessed through the general shopping area via stairs and the like. Even out of season and on work nights you are sure to have a good time, as the clubs are always filled. It is located at the other side of the wooden bridge next to the Columbus monument.  

Museums

• ⊙Museum of the History of Catalonia (Museu d'Història de Catalunya (MHC)). Tu–Sat 10-19; Sun 10 - 14:30. A must in order to understand the troubled and sad history of the Catalans. €4,50. Free on the first Su each month. (updated Apr 2019