Barcelona Weekend Break

Barcelona Tourist Districts

There are lots of different ways to explore Barcelona, but the best way is to pick out what you want to see (which you can do using the "Things to see in Barcelona" page) and then make a plan.

If however you want a general guide to the main tourist zones of the city, here is a summary of the three main zones or districts of tourist interest and what you can expect to find in each of them.

• The Ciutat Vella (old town and museum district)
• The seafront and beach area
• The Montjuic area (green belt park zone in the hills above the city

The Ciutat Vella district

The Ciutat Vella (meaning "old city") is pretty much at the heart of Barcelona and encompasses most of the old quarter including important tourists points like las Ramblas and the city's impressive Gothic and medieval districts.

Within the Ciutat Vella you will find many of Barcelona's museums and galleries along with important meeting points and squares like the "Placa de Cataluna" and the "Placa Reial".

This part of Barcelona is also plentiful when it comes to hotels and restaurants and it makes the perfect base from which to explore the city. If you like shopping, admiring old buildings, or having a coffee and people watching, then the Ciutat Vella zone will tick all of your boxes.

With history and heritage on its side, the Ciutat Vella district boasts important buildings like the spectacular Gaudi designed "Palau Guell", but the life of the city can more easily be summed up by a visit to the "Mercat de Sant Josep la Boqueria" (city market) that offers an unparalleled display of fruit and vegetables. This is a sight that few will see in their native city and it keeps tourist cameras clicking.

Within the Ciutat Vella

The Ciutat Vella quarter encompasses several smaller districts which make up its whole and these are the "Barri Gothic", "the Raval" (Chinese district), the Barri de Ribera", "the Barceloneta" and the "Parc de la Ciutadella".

All of these districts are interconnected and the important street of las Ramblas divides the Ciutat Vella in two and acts as the boundary between the Barri Gotic and the Raval hamlets.

The Barri Gotic district is of particular tourist interest as it holds not only the city cathedral and numerous important civic buildings, but also the Picasso museum and the "Placa Reial" (square).

With many old and interesting buildings this is a nice part of the town to wonder around and explore.

The "la Ribera" district is a further zone that has one foot in the past. With a strong medieval history, the remains of some fourteenth century buildings and the beautiful basilica of Saint Maria del Mar. This is another culturally and historically rich area.

The district of "el Raval" is perhaps the least appealing in the Ciutat Vella. It also goes by the name of "Barri Xino" (translating to Chinatown) and has a large and diverse immigrant community. It was once associated with gypsies and high crime levels, but today the area is safe and has a high police presence. It is the part of Barcelona in which you will find the best ethnic restaurants.

The Barceloneta district is comparatively new and was built just over two hundred years ago. It sits by the sea and has some good beaches and a varied selection of bars, cafes and restaurants, many specializing in Catalan cuisine. It is nice place to be on a hot sunny day and benefited considerably from the development resulting from the 1992 Olympic Games.

For more ideas on Things to see and do in the Gothic quarter, click this places to see in Barcelona link.

Barcelona's Seafront and beach area

Today Barcelona has one of the most modern and facility rich seafronts of any city in Europe. This part of the city is hugely popular with tourists during the day and at night time.

All the necessary ingredients for quality beaches and an attractive port have been around for decades, but the city's beach side areas saw little development up until the onset of planning for the 1992 Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games proved to be the catalyst for this part of the city to take off and become a major asset to Barcelona with several large, clean and well serviced beach areas, leisure marinas, a wealth of restaurants and bars and southern Europe's busiest cruise port. There are also plenty of shops and a nice extended promenade.

During summer daylight hours the beaches are always busy and, with the new and cleverly developed "Barceloneta" area, the city sees a large leisure complex with Europe's biggest aquarium and an IMAX cinema.

During the evening the restaurants and bars, which are atmospheric and busy throughout the day, take on a new ambience as this part of Barcelona becomes an eating and partying district. It is patrolled by police and safe at all times.

One of the big features of the seafront area, at least for those with a head for heights, is the cable car ride that travels across part of the bay area spanning Barceloneta to Montjuic Miramar. Taking this ride offers great views of the city and enables you to cross the town in a fast and unusual way.

The seafront zone of Barcelona is very modern with many buildings designed (for the Olympics) by internationally renown architects, but it manages to contrast pleasantly with the older parts of the city and it is an ideal location for a stroll or a relaxing break from sightseeing.

For more information about the Port Vell seafront area, click this Port Vell link.

The Montjuic area

The Montjuic mountain to the south of Barcelona is the location of a large urban park containing a near unlimited number of tourist attractions ranging from parts of the 1992 Olympic village to a number of important museums and galleries.

The Montjuic area overlooks the "basin" part of the city and, aside from the excellent panoramic views it offers of Barcelona, has some of the city's very best visitor spots. It can also be a good place to relax and escape the busy city below.

Montjuic has its own large and extensive park and the totally unique demonstration village of "Poble Espanol", created for the International exhibition at the beginning of the twentieth century and representing a range of Spanish architectural building styles.

Close to one of the park's museums is the fountain of Montjuic which has a fantastic night time light show which has led to it being called "the magic fountain".

The park also has many sculptures and works of art and there is a museum celebrating the work of famous artist Joan Miro as well as the massive museum of Catalonian art.

For more on Montjuic, click this Montjuic park link.