Luxury and cheap short-stay apartments to rent in Barcelona, Spain

BARCELONA NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES - CIUTAT VELLA GUIDE

Plaza Real is a popular square just off the Ramblas. It was built between 1850 and 1860. The square is surrounded by beautiful buildings and palm trees which gives it an Arab like feeling. In the middle of the square there is a charming fountain where many people come together. The elegant lanterns, which can be found all over the Plaza Real square, are designed by Antonio Gaudi. Furthermore there are lots of cafés with a terrace and several night clubs. One of them is Club 13, a splendid little club in a cellar of one of the buildings.

On the other side of the Casc Antic you will find Plaza d'Antoni, a square located next to the Barcelona yachting port. On this square you can find the stately Barcelona general post office building. When you are there, be sure to take a look inside the building.

Mirador de Colom is a square that lies beside the Paseo de Colom. This Paseo ends up at the Statue of Columbus. Halfway through the Paseo de Colom you can find a small square, Plaza Duc de Mediconeli, filled with palm trees and a nice fountain. At the Mirador de Colom starts the historical avenue Las Ramblas.

The entrance to Maremagnum is also situated on the Mirador de Colom, it is a large complex that lies in Port Vell, with restaurants, terraces, shops, movie theatres, the Imax-cinema and one of Europe’s largest aquariums.

Las Ramblas is, besides the Sagrada Familia, the best known landmark in Barcelona. This world renowned strolling avenue goes down from Plaza de Catalunya all the way to the Columbus statue and is filled with newspaper kiosks, little shops, street performers, etc. Close to La Ramblas lies the Palau Guell, a definite masterwork from Gaudi with many special details inside, and you can find the not to miss La Boqueria fresh market where Barcelona’s best chefs buy their products on a daily basis.

At the beginning, or the end, of Las Ramblas, lies Plaza de Catalunya. This large square is Barcelona’s central square. In the middle lies a large hardened circle, which is surrounded by trees, plants and beautiful fountains. Around the square there are some large department stores, like El Corte Ingles.

Just below Plaza de Catalunya and turning left on the Ramblas you will find Plaza Vila de Madrid, a good place to rest in the grass and to enjoy the sun while looking at the surrounding buildings. At this square they created a wave effect in the grass by placing rusted metal plates, an interesting example of creative landscaping. For people who love art there is the Museum of Salvador Dalí, which is located in the street next to the old cathedral. The entrance fee costs around €8,00. The street, which leads tot the museum of Salvador Dali, is filled with shops.

In the heart of Casc Antic lies the Cathedral de la Santa Creu. This is one of the most beautiful churches in Barcelona. When you are at the cathedral you must take a look inside. It is free to enter but it is not permitted to wear little clothing. On both sides of the church there are 28 decorated side chapels and on one side hangs a splendid organ. In the middle, the chancel banks are situated. On the right side of the church there is an entrance to the interior courtyard, where swans swim around in a pond. The museum of Frederic Mares is situated in a beautiful building next to the cathedral.

In the surroundings of the cathedral lie numerous of other old buildings. As well as in front of the cathedral as behind the cathedral lies a square. The one behind the cathedral is called Plaza Sant Jaume which borders to the Palau de la Generalitat. A little further away, behind some buildings, lies Plaza Sant Just. The 13th century basilica called Sant Just i Pastor, is situated on this square. It is a very old little church that is open for public. It is nice to see basilica from the inside.

El Raval, which includes barrio Xino, is a district were many different nationalities live together. The bottom part of El Raval, near the port, has changed tremendously over the past decade, coming from a dangerous area where street prostitution was a daily practice, both the local government and the neighborhood residents have worked hard to make El Raval a safer neighborhood.

One of the key changes was the creation of Rambla del Raval, which is a stretched strolling avenue similar to its larger bother Las Ramblas. The Rambla del Raval is surrounded by lots of bars and terraces. In one of the lanes near Ramblas Raval an old school and a library are situated with a beautiful interior courtyard.

In the centre of Raval stands the beautiful modern building of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona or MACBA in short. This building is designed by an American architect, Richard Meier, and opened up for public in 1995. The museum shows many different Catalan and foreign art works, paintings and constructions from several eras.

Beside the museum stands the 18th century old poor house, Casa de la Caritat. Today the Centre de la Cultura is situated in this building. The interior courtyard is a mixture of modern and old architecture, which is very special to see. Near the Centre de la Cultura lies Plaza de Castella, a nice little square that exists of two parts covered with grass. In El Raval you can also find a secular little church, named Sant Pau del Camp, which is surrounded by a wall but is accessible for everyone.

From El Raval you can easily return to La Ramblas. The Mercat de la Boqueria is also located is this area. In this old market there is a large variety of fruit, meat, fish, vegetables, nuts and in the morning there is fresh fish.

The popular area of El Born lies besides the Parc de la Ciutadella. On Plaza Commerc an old fresh market is situated, where old remains of a Roman settlement were found during the restoration process.

Well-known in El Born is the Picasso Museum. The museum contains more than one thousand works of this incredible artist. The museum lies in of the narrow lanes, but it is good to find. Across the street, the textile museum is situated. This museum is also worth a visit.

Plaza Sant Pere is a small old square on which The Iglesia de Sant Pere is situated. There are also a few bars with a terrace.

One of the most beautiful buildings in El Born is the Palau de la Musica Catalunya. This music palate was built in 1908 by the catalan architect Domenèch i Montaner. The main concert hall seats more than 2000 people. Palau de la Musica Catalunya is the only concert hall in Europe that uses natural light. The beautiful stained glass ceiling is certainly worth a visit.

In la Ribera the following things are worth visiting; The Arc de Triomf which served as a main entrance during the world’s fair in 1888 in park de la Cuitadella. It has been designed by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas. At the foot of the Arc the Triomf lies Paseo Lluis Companys, an alley with beautiful palm trees and elegant lanterns. On the side of this alley lies the courtroom which stately building rises between the palm trees.

The alley ends in on the real entrance of Parc de la Ciutadella. This is one of the most beautiful parks in Barcelona. The park contains a fountain, a boating lake and the Zoo of Barcelona. Plaza de Santa Maria is a authentic square in La Ribera and it has some very nice little restaurants with a terrace. The Iglesia de Santa Maria del Mar is situated on this square, a beautiful old church. From the inside you can see the building constructions, but furthermore the church is very empty. During the civil war all the chancel - and church furniture was burned.