The different districts of Barcelona
Barcelona is a city with many different faces. What I like most are the numerous districts, each owning specific features which make them unique and disposing of quite a number of nice Barcelona apartments where you can spend your holiday..
First, the Plaça Catalunya, the big square at the heart of the city and a meeting point for everybody! From the Plaça starts the famous and popular La Rambla, a pedestrian street which runs way down to the Port Vell and the Monument of Colombus. This is an amazing street, full of colours, bars, stalls, mimes and overcrowed in the summer, unfortunately... Every time I go there, I can feel the soul and all the power of this beautiful city. La Rambla seperates two districts : when you face the port, El Raval district is on the right and El Barrio Gotico is on the left.
El Raval is a vibrant neighbourhood mixing many different types of population. Some of the streets ? particularly in the Lower Raval - have become immigrants ghettos and that's why it's said not to be a safe place. But the Upper Raval hosts today a lot of late night-bars, restaurants or galleries which make this place more friendly.
The Barrio Gotico is said to be the best preserved medieval quarter in Europe. The most pleasant , to my mind, is to wander through all these small, intricate, picturesque streets which drive you to lovely squares and monuments. I like to get lost in these streets, just lounging around and appreciate the beauty of the architecture.
If you cross the Via Leitana, you arrive in El Born district. Its particularity is to combine historical treasures and a really cool and fashionable ambiance. It's a good neighbourhood to go to eat or have a drink.
If you go then way to the sea, you'll arrive on the Port Vell, the Old Port. But it doesn't look old at all, with the palm-fringed stroll, the state-of-the-art shopping mall incluiding shops and restaurants, the IMAX cinema and the renovated aquarium of Barcelona!
In general, from here, I continue the stroll along the port to the district of La Barceloneta.The 'Little Barcelona' was used to be a fishermen area and even if most of the tourists come here to stay or to eat, you can still feel the warm atmosphere at the heart of the small streets. The stroll drives me then to Vila Olimpica, which was built for the Olympic Games of 1992. This is a spacious and comfortable place but the liveliest part is the olympic port, with luxurious hotels, a Casino, a lot of bars, restaurants and clubs.
On the other side of Barcelona is a fascinating big place : Montjuic, located on a hill. Here you can find huge gardens and green spaces, as well as museums, galleries, the 'Spanish Village' - built for the World Fair of 1929 and representing the architectures of all the Spanish regions - and finally tons of sport facilities. What I like in this place is the green places, it's really peaceful and you have an impressive view over Barcelona.
North way from Plaça Catalunya, we can find the distric of L'Eixample (Esquerra and Dreta : Left and Right). It was built in the late 19th century and means 'enlargement'. Well, you can see it when you walk through the streets, all built parallel and perpendicular! To see it clearly , just buy a post card, it's surprising! For me it is the most elegant and bourgeois district.
Finally, the last district I want to talk about is Gracia, a pieceful and pleasant area, the haunt of Barcelona's bohemians. This is the district of quiet squares, artistic and design shops, small cinemas and restaurants.
For sure, you need some time to discover the secret of each district of Barcelona. If you are coming to Barcelona for a few days, it's then strategic to find the best place to stay. And by the way, here you can find a Barcelona apartment which could be suitable.