Barcelona has several fantastic neighbourhoods, but the oldest, with maybe most beautiful for it’s architecture and history is the gothic quarter, or “Barri Gotic”. Barcelona was structured by the Romans atop the hill Mont Taber and was originally called Barcino. Las Ramblas, which runs through the old city, used to be a river, and the district which is now the Raval used to be countryside. Indeed the oldest church in Barcelona is in El Raval, Sant Pau del Camp (Saint Paul of the countryside).
Half way along the river that is now Ramblas, stood the old city gates – made from Iron and with the watering troughs for the thirsty horses. This can still be seen today at Calle Portaferrissa (literally “Iron door”) one of the city’s main shopping streets. You can also get there with Bus Touristique Barcelone
The Gothic Quarter has some fantastic examples of Gothic architecture including the Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral, The Palau de la Generalitat with it’s remarkable chapel of Sant Jordi, and of course the city’s main cathedral.
Many walking tours will take you along the old streets of the gothic quarter, where Roman ruins sit alongside brand new shops and some of the best and oldest restaurants in Barcelona. No visit to the gothic Neighborhood is complete without a tour into the Plaça Reial, with it’s palm trees and fountain, as well as some of the first works to be comissioned by the legendary Antonin Gaudi – the lamp posts. This is a favourite spot by any time of day or night to people watch and has an old antiques market on a Sunday, too, with coin collectors, stamps and other like collectables making you feel like you’re back in the time of the “shadow of the wind”. Don’t hesitate come in Barcelona and do a Visites guidées Barcelone.
