Barcelona/Barceloneta Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Barceloneta is a district of Barcelona.
Contents |
Understand
Barceloneta or Little Barcelona was built after the king Felipe V (Philip V) ordered the construction of a new fortress (La Ciutadella, nowadays a park)in order to control and punish the city of Barcelona, that fought against him during the War of Spanish Succession. The fortress was planned very close to the city so that a tenth of it was demolished, and the people who lived in this part had no compensation and as a bigger punishment were obliged to demolish their own houses.
The people from the demolished part of Barcelona had to move, so a new quarter was planned by the French military (Philip V was from France). Therefore, the streets are straight and with a square shape. There are still some houses from this period, easy to recognize because they are much lower than the others and have a simple neoclassical decoration.
Get In
You can arrive either walking from the city center (15 minutes in a nice walk around the harbour from Les Rambles) or by subway (L4 yellow line stoping at Barceloneta).
Eat
The Barceloneta is still the fishermen's quarter of Barcelona, because it's next to the port and the beach. It's the best place to go to eat seafood, such as paella or black rice, made only with fish and black-colored because of the squid-ink used to cook it.
Is also a very good place to eat tapas and take a walk during the summer nights.
- La Bombeta, Carrer de la Maquinista with Carrer del Mar. Good tapas and more substantial dishes. A great alternative to the tourist traps along the waterfront. No English menus, but very friendly.
- La Ría de Vigo, Carrer de Sevilla (in front of the beach). Paella & black rice.
- Les 7 portes - down at the harbor, this restaurant offers the best Catalan dishes around. It's especially famous for its Paella Parellada (rich man's paella, so called because they take the shells off)! Try it, it's not something you want to miss! The roast kid (goat) is also a great traditional Catalan dish. Prices are a little above average ($15 for the Paella for instance). Passeig Isabel II, 14, (near the harbor)
Stay safe
Barceloneta has always been a poor quarter, with dark and narrow streets. It's slowly being gentrified after the 1992 olympics. Most noticeably along the seafront(s). There are now delis serving upscale foodstuffs and high rise office buildings going up (circa 2005).
