Barcelona's Ciutat Vella

The Ciutat Vella district is the old town of Barcelona, and is split into four main barrios: El Gòtic, El Raval, La Barceloneta and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina, and La Ribera (Sant Pere, Santa Caterina, and La Ribera are classed as one barrio).

Translated Ciutat Vella means Old City, and it's often referred to as the Old Town. The Old Town is next to the sea and indeed Barceloneta is a beachside barrio and is famous for its seafood restaurants. The famous street La Rambla divides the Old Town in two as it cuts through the middle of the Old Town from the port to Plaza Catalunya.

Famous landmarks and tourist attractions on La Rambla are La Boqueria (otherwise known as El Mercat de Sant Josep), one of the best food markets in Spain and the opera house, Gran Teatre del Liceu.

The Ciutat Vella is made up of narrow streets of old buildings, and it has a lot of charm but also a lot of tourists. There are quieter areas away from the main throroughfare of La Rambla, but generally this is a noisy place to live being full of restaurants, bars and clubs, but the atmosphere is great.

El Raval

El Raval is the area to the left of La Rambla (if you have your back to the sea). It's also called China Town or in Catalan, Barri Xinès. It used to have a bad reputation but over the last few years, it has been developed and is now a popular area. Barcelona's MACBA - Museu d'Art Contemporani is in the centre of the Raval.

Barri Gòtic

The area to the right of La Rambla is called the Barri Gòtic. It's a beautiful area of the city and is home to some of it's most lovely old buidings such as the Cathedral, the government buildings in Plaza Jaume and Plaza Reial. The fasionable and lively area of El Born is also here. This area is always lively, busy and noisy. It's popular with young people and tourists and is packed with tapas bars, restaurants and trendy shops.

Barceloneta

Barceloneta was orginally the barrio where the fishermen and their families lived, and today it's still famous for its fish and seafood restaurants. It's tiny narrow streets run right down to the beach and Barceloneta's front faces out on to the old port of Barcelona. It's a busy, lively, noisy place but has the benefit of good reasonably priced restaurants and bars (if you stay away from tourist orientated restaurants that is).

Sant Pere, Santa Caterina, and La Ribera

This barrio, like the others in the Old Town has a medieval feel with its old buildings and narrow streets and was the first district to extend out beyond the old Roman city walls. Via Laietana is the main street that runs along the left of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera down to the sea.

The relatively new food market of Santa Caterina is a valuable asset to this area and you also have the benefits of being close to the lovely Parc de la Ciutadella and the beach.