Whether you’re planning a quick visit or a more extended stay, here’s an overview of Barcelona’s most exciting neighborhoods.
Barcelone est une ville d'une superficie de 39 miles carrés, avec dix districts administratifs et d'innombrables quartiers. L'un des avantages de visiter Barcelone est d'apprendre à connaître les personnalités distinctives de chacune de ces zones étonnamment diverses.
Make sure to pick up a free city map before you jump on the metro. Without other information, it’s challenging to find your way around.
For educational purposes, there are ten districts in Barcelona: Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Sants–Montjuic, Les Corts, Sarria-Sant Gervasi, Gracia Horta-Guinardo, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu, and Sant Marti.
We’ve put together this Barcelona neighborhoods guide to help you learn more about the city’s 10 wonder districts.
Barcelona Region – The Capital of Catalonia
The Barcelona region is the capital of Catalonia, one of 17 autonomous regions of Spain. As a cultural center, it hosts many historical monuments, architectural landmarks, and cultural events. The city also boasts world-famous architecture such as Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia and the largely reconstructed Camp Nou stadium.
The Barcelona metropolitan area has a population of 3,239,337 people as of 2012 and is the eighth-most populous urban area in Europe after London, Paris, Madrid, and Istanbul. The city has an area of 636 km2 (based on land area) and lies at the lip of the Rivers Llobregat and Besòs.
Barcelona Neighborhoods Guide: City’s 10 Districts Map
In the Barcelona neighborhood map, ten districts make up the city of Barcelona. Each of these districts is divided into neighborhoods-called Barri. You can find the oldest part of Barcelona in the Ciutat Vella district, while the Eixample district houses upscale residences, stores, and the works of Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona’s famous son. The central train station, Estacion de Sants, nestles in the Sants Montjuic district, and the main Barcelona airport is found to the West of Sants Montjuic.
1. Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella, la vieille ville de Barcelone, est un quartier à l'histoire vibrante. Le premier établissement remonte au 14e siècle avant Jésus-Christ. Dans ce quartier rempli d'antiquités, on peut voir des églises romanes et gothiques du Moyen Âge et de grands bâtiments des 18e et 19e siècles.
Ciutat Vella, in Catalan, translates as “Old City,” and comprises four smaller neighborhoods. Las Ramblas, the district’s major thoroughfare, stretches from Place de Catalunya to the Old Port (Port Vell). Barri Gotic is on the east side of Las Ramblas, whereas El Raval is on the west side.
Barri Gotic
The “Gothic Quarter” is a bewildering labyrinth of winding medieval lanes going back to Roman times. Many hidden plazas and landmarks reward those who choose to explore this neighborhood. Here you’ll find Barcelona’s magnificent gothic cathedral, as well as several museums, boutiques, restaurants, and nightclubs.
El Raval
The El Raval neighborhood is a lively area filled with nightlife, international restaurants, and street performers. You can also find low-budget hostels to meet other travelers. It’s a fun place to stay while you’re in Barcelona. El Raval is a favorite among tourists, and it offers a unique location for an overnight stay while you’re visiting the city. You can find Barcelona’s most famous market, La Boqueria, here.
El Raval has a history of being the location of Barcelona’s markets, and even further back, the Romans set up market stalls here. El Raval also has a long history of housing artists and performers because of its proximity to Las Ramblas, the main drag in Barcelona.
Barceloneta
Fishers initially populated this region, and the neighborhood has kept the ambiance of a beach community up to this day. Barcelona’s Barceloneta neighborhood is home to one of the city’s busiest beaches and some of the most incredible seafood restaurants. The coastline comes alive at night with sounds of cheerful people enjoying their time at the beachside bars.
La Ribera / El Born
La Ribera (the coast) was renowned as Barcelona’s most prosperous area throughout the Middle Ages. The tiny alleyways are lined with elegant medieval buildings. This neighborhood is also home to the Picasso Museum, which exhibits the artist’s early years in Barcelona.
Today, the region nearest to the sea continues to be prosperous and vibrant. El Born is one of the complete neighborhoods in Barcelona, particularly along the major avenue, “Passeig del Born,” which has led the area along the beachfront being called “El Born.” There are galleries, antique shops, boutiques, bookstores, restaurants, and tapas bars. Some of these stores are open late for people who enjoy browsing at night.
2. Eixample
Eixample (the Extension) is an upscale residential area home to some of Barcelona’s most costly stores, hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs in the city’s most populous neighborhood.
Its distinctive features include a grid-like street layout, and Art Nouveau (Modernista) architecture spread throughout the area. Besides the Sagrada Familia Church, located east of the city center, the Passeig de Gràcia has Antoni Gaudi’s most famous architectural creations.
3. Sants-Montjuic
Ce quartier comprend le quartier résidentiel paisible et central de Poble Sec, la gare internationale centrale, Estacio Sants, et la banlieue de Montjuic.
Montjuic
This hilltop Barcelona neighborhood is home to Barcelona’s largest collection of parks and gardens, as well as most of the facilities used for the 1992 Olympic Games, five museums, the Poble Espanyol (a village showcasing various Spanish architectural styles), and the Castell de Montjuic, a 17th-century French fortress. You can easily access the hilltop via bus, funicular, or cable car from the port.
Montjuïc is a Barcelona Neighborhood from which the present vista from Montjuïc Castle extends. Officially it makes up one of the ten districts in Barcelona; in fact, it is located outside the city boundaries in the municipality of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
En rapport : Montagne de Montjuic, Montjuïc Castle Segway Tour
4. Les Corts
Les Corts is an administrative district in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia. It’s at the western end of the city and stretches from the Passeig de Gràcia. This elegant wide avenue runs downhill toward Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça d’Espanya, to Meridiana Avenue, splitting it into two halves. Other districts on three sides bound Les Corts: Sants-Montjuic, Eixample, and La Barceloneta.
Barcelona’s financial district, Les Corts, is home to many fine hotels and restaurants, although it lacks notable landmarks for tourists. L’Illa, a massive retail mall on Diagonal, is another option to go to. In L’Illa, there are several restaurants, a supermarket, a small exposition center, and a plethora of clothing stores.
5. Sarria Sant Gervasi
Sarria Sant Gervasi est un quartier résidentiel de Barcelone qui a un air de ville grâce à ses ruelles étroites et ses belles demeures. Avec une vue plongeante sur la ville, la région montagneuse de Collserola est célèbre pour la course à pied, la marche et le vélo.
Les habitants de ce quartier sont aisés et appartiennent pour la plupart à la classe moyenne supérieure. Il compte peu d'étrangers d'origine africaine, mais de nombreux immigrés asiatiques y ont créé des entreprises. Le district dispose également de plusieurs établissements de soins de santé pour ses résidents.
6. Gracia
The Gràcia neighborhood is only one stop up from the top of Passeig de Gràcia, yet it feels like another universe. Gràcia was a separate town until the late 1800s, and today the community remains tightly knitted. People are pretty proud of their ancestry, and they don’t say they’re from Barcelona; they say Gràcia.
This Barcelona neighborhood is popular with artists and bohemian culture. It also boasts a large ethnic population and the city’s largest concentration of foreign eateries. Plaça de Sol is the most prominent part of the neighborhood; it’s also where people gather at night to drink and celebrate. Despite its fashionable aspect, Gràcia is a historic neighborhood with a large senior population, making for an intriguing and unusual combination – and great people-watching.
7. Horta Guinardo
Horta Guinardo est un quartier isolé qui s'est développé dans les années 1950. Ce quartier de Barcelone est célèbre pour ses tours d'habitation. Le quartier est bien relié au centre de Barcelone par le métro ou le bus.
8. Nou Barris
Nou Barris translates from Catalan to English as ‘Nine Neighborhoods,’ thus you can probably imagine how many neighborhoods comprise this district… In fact, fourteen. Five more have been added throughout time because of developments.
Today, it is one of Barcelona’s most traditional residential neighborhoods, with several parks and gardens, providing an authentic taste of the city’s culture.
9. Sant Andreu
Walking through Sant Andreu feels like you’ve been teleported to a charming Catalan village. This is the feeling you get when exploring around Plaça Mercadal, which is an Instagram-worthy spot. There’s also the Plaça Mercadal, where you can admire the neo-classical church of Sant Andreu del Palomar. Plus, you have the chance to witness the mosaic by Gaudi in Sant Pacià without having to queue.
Sant Andreu a une histoire industrielle. Ses anciennes usines ont été transformées en installations, en parcs et en centres d'art, créant un mélange intrigant de familles, d'habitants de longue date et de jeunes artistes et artisans. L'ancienne filature de coton Fabra I Coats a conservé une partie de son architecture d'origine, mais a été transformée en usine d'art et en lieu de création.
10. Sant Marti
Sant Mat est un quartier de Barcelone situé au nord de la Ciutat Vella. Il s'est développé à partir des anciennes régions industrielles de Poblenou, du quartier médiéval de Clot et de la banlieue de Sant Mart pour devenir un site de développement ambitieux à grande échelle.
C'est ainsi que sont nés plusieurs points de repère de l'architecture postmoderne, en particulier le long de la section nord de l'autoroute de l'Est. Avenida Diagonalqui a été en grande partie reconstruite au XXIe siècle. Sant Marti possède également plusieurs plages le long de la côte et quelques parcs et autres choses à découvrir.
El Poblenou
Le quartier embourgeoisé de New Village attire une communauté jeune d'artistes et de professionnels. La plupart des anciennes usines ont été transformées en galeries, magasins, studios et lofts. La Vila Olimpica (village olympique) se trouve dans ce quartier.
Ce quartier barcelonais d'habitations et de parcs, conçu par des architectes et des artistes mondialement connus, a été érigé pour les Jeux olympiques de 1992, puis les appartements ont été vendus comme résidences individuelles. En conséquence, la région est devenue extrêmement populaire, avec des appartements contemporains, des espaces verts, un front de mer, des complexes commerciaux, des cinémas, des restaurants, des bars et des discothèques.
Résultat final
Barcelone est une ville magnifique et diversifiée, pleine de vie. Elle dispose d'un excellent système de transport public, ce qui en fait l'une des meilleures villes pour les voyageurs du monde entier. Tout le monde devrait visiter cette ville impressionnante au moins une fois dans sa vie.
Nous espérons que ce guide vous a donné une idée des endroits où aller et des choses à faire lors de votre visite à Barcelone. De nombreux autres quartiers de la ville méritent d'être visités, alors ne manquez pas de les explorer tous !
