{"id":82039,"date":"2016-11-22T11:52:32","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T10:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=82039"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:45:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T11:45:15","slug":"ciutat-vella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/ciutat-vella\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the district of Ciutat Vella"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/sagrada-familia-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">La Sagrada Fam\u00edlia<\/a><\/strong> is the emblem of Modernist Barcelona, then the<strong> Ciutat Vella <\/strong>or &#8216;Old Town&#8217; of Barcelona is still the heart of the ancient city\u00a0and its main tourist hub. Here you can wander back in time through medieval alleyways, visit world-class museums and art galleries, dine in style and stroll along the main tourist thoroughfare of La Rambla to the sea front. Here is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ShBarcelona&#8217;s<\/a><\/strong> guide to the best of <strong>Barcelona&#8217;s old town<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/long-term-rental\" class=\"broken_link\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-104357 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/en-3.jpg\" alt=\"monthly apartment rental in barcelona\" width=\"850\" height=\"182\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/ciutat-vella\/#History_of_the_area\" title=\"History of the area\">History of the area<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/ciutat-vella\/#Highlights_of_the_area\" title=\"Highlights of the area\">Highlights of the area<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"History_of_the_area\"><\/span>History of the area<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_82079\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82079\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82079\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/La-Ribera-300x218.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: SantiMB.Photos via Visualhunt.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"218\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by SantiMB.Photos via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Today the <strong>Ciutat Vella<\/strong> comprises the barris (neighbourhoods) of <strong>El Gotic, La Ribera, El Raval<\/strong> and<strong> Barceloneta<\/strong>. The district was bounded by fortified medieval walls until the late 19th century\u00a0when they were knocked down to allow the creation of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/discover-eixample\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Eixample<\/strong><\/a> district, which would accommodate the city&#8217;s burgeoning population. The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/an-introduction-to-roman-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roman city of Barcino<\/a><\/strong> lies beneath the Gothic quarter, and on top of this, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/medieval-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">medieval city<\/a><\/strong> developed. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/ruins-archaeology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Remains of Barcelona&#8217;s ancient past<\/a><\/strong> can be glimpsed throughout the area and with its excellent tapas bars and boutique shopping, the <strong>Old Town<\/strong>\u00a0represents both an old and modern part of the city.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Highlights_of_the_area\"><\/span>Highlights of the area<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The main difficulty in pointing out the highlights of the area is that there are so many. However, if your time in Barcelona is limited, make sure you don&#8217;t miss the following:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>La Rambla<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You may have heard <strong>La Rambla\u00a0<\/strong>is the\u00a0tourist, souvenir stall and pickpocket central of the city, but it&#8217;s still Barcelona&#8217;s most iconic thoroughfare. <strong>La Rambla<\/strong> runs like a river from the Pla\u00e7a Catalunya down to the sea, where it extends into the Rambla del Mar thanks to a recently-built wooden walkway leading to the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/maremagnum.klepierre.es\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Maremagnum<\/a><\/strong> shopping center. Here you can indulge your shopping habit and find plenty of places to eat and drink. On the way down, don&#8217;t miss the Mercat de Sant Joseph (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.boqueria.info\/index.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">La Boqueria<\/a>) and the often-overlooked <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/mosaic-fresco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mir\u00f3 mosaic<\/a><\/strong> outside the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liceubarcelona.cat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Gran Teatre del Liceu<\/a>. There are many restaurants along the street but you&#8217;ll pay a high premium to sip beer from a big glass and sample mediocre tapas here. So save your pennies and your taste buds for <strong>Barceloneta!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/trip-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why You Should Consider an Off-Season trip to Barcelona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Barri Gotic<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_82078\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82078\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82078\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/CathedralBCN-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: SantiMB.Photos via Visualhunt.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82078\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by SantiMB.Photos via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lying to the east of <strong>La Rambla<\/strong>, highlights of this area include the stunning <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.catedralbcn.org\/index.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Catalan Gothic Cathedral<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/frederic-mares\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Museu Frederic Mares<\/a><\/strong> and <strong>MUHBA Pla\u00e7a del Rei<\/strong>. The best time to visit is the evening\u00a0when the narrow winding alleyways are filled with guitar melodies, classical violin and even opera. The quality of street entertainment around this area is second-to-none.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>La Ribera<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This area is home to the<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palaumusica.cat\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Palau de La M\u00fasica Catalana<\/a><\/strong> and the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.museupicasso.bcn.cat\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Museu Picasso<\/a><\/strong>. You also can see what the area looked like before the siege of 1714 in the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/elbornculturaimemoria.barcelona.cat\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">El Born Centre de Cultura i Mem\u00f2ria<\/a><\/strong> where archaeological remains from this era have been well-preserved below the former market building. If you&#8217;re looking for excellent tapas, cups overflowing with cava and a lively local crowd, head to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/El-Xampanyet\/1427201254238228\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">El Xampanyet<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211;\u00a0but be prepared to wait for a table. Tourists and locals are welcomed with open arms. Another must-see in this area is the basilica of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.santamariadelmarbarcelona.org\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"broken_link\">Santa Maria del Mar<\/a>,<\/strong> a stunningly beautiful example of Catalan Gothic architecture.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Barceloneta<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_82106\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-82106\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-82106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Barceloneta-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: :IRONIC: via Visualhunt.com \/ CC BY-NC\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-82106\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by :IRONIC: via Visualhunt<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is a haven for seafood lovers\u00a0and those who love to sip cocktails at the seafront whilst watching the world go by. <strong>Barceloneta<\/strong> has long been the home of the city&#8217;s fishermen and it retains its own identity and charm to this day. Narrow streets with tall Italianate buildings, bustling squares and the smell of fish in the streets. Highlights include many excellent seafood restaurants\u00a0and the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.en.mhcat.cat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Museu d&#8217;Hist\u00f2ria de Catalunya<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/restaurants-barceloneta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Best restaurants in Barceloneta<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>El Raval<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>El Raval<\/strong> lies to the west of <strong>La Rambla<\/strong>. Home to a large Asian community, the streets are lined with Indian restaurants and spice shops. Its a great place to head if you&#8217;re a fan of Indian cuisine. Here you will also find the <a href=\"http:\/\/palauguell.cat\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>Palau G\u00fcell<\/strong> <\/a>(one of Gaud\u00ed&#8217;s early masterpieces) and Barcelona&#8217;s contemporary art museum, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.macba.cat\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">MACBA<\/a>.<\/strong> The <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmb.cat\/index.php?idm=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Museu Mar\u00edtim<\/a><\/strong> is located in the former royal shipyards\u00a0and is also well worth a visit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With so much to see in this area, a comfortable place to rest at the end of the day is a must, so check out <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ShBarcelona&#8217;s<\/a><\/strong> website for all of your accommodation needs.<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"82039\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 150px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">3<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If La Sagrada Fam\u00edlia is the emblem of Modernist Barcelona, then the Ciutat Vella or &#8216;Old Town&#8217; of Barcelona is still the heart of the ancient city\u00a0and its main tourist hub. Here you can wander back in time through medieval alleyways, visit world-class museums and art galleries, dine in style and stroll along the main [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":82077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4347],"tags":[3053,4318,4143,6844],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82039"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82039"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104970,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82039\/revisions\/104970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}