Urbany Blog

The Gothic Quarter is the heart of the historical part of Barcelona, located between La Rambla and Via Laietana and between Plaça Catalunya and the seafront. In its labyrinth of narrow streets, most of them closed to regular traffic, you will see many Medieval buildings and some Roman ones. Before starting make sure to get a map so you won’t get lost.
Coming from the Barcelona Urbany Hostel, you can get off the metro at Plaça Catalunya. The square is the very centre of the city although aesthetically it has nothing particularly interesting. It is surrounded by offices, banks and shopping centres and you will find most of the transport services here.
To start the tour, take La Rambla, an icon of Barcelona. This street, worldwide famous, is always busy, of both tourists and locals, but it is also a big target for pick pocketing, so that it is necessary to be careful with your bag and your camera!
Along La Rambla you will find stands of newspapers, domestic animals and flowers. The street is also stage for many artists and human statues who perform everyday and give the place a picturesque area.
At number 51-59 you will find the Gran Teatre del Liceu, especially known for the opera and since long time ago meeting point for the city aristocracy and bourgeoisie.
Keep walking on La Rambla, a couple of blocks away, you will enter in Plaça Reial. This square is especially busy at nights for the large number of clubs, bars and restaurants there are in it. However even at daytime it is worth a visit for its palm-trees, the fountain and the Gaudí lanterns.

Take the little street on your left and get on Carrer Ferran. Following this street on your right you will arrive in a big square, Plaça Sant Jaume, the political centre of the city, where there are the Generalitat de Catalunya (the region govern) and the Ayutamiento (the city council).

Keep walking on the same street until you arrive to Via Laietana; here turn on your left and you will get to the main ruins of Roman Walls, very well conserved. Now you can go back to Plaça de l’Àngel and take the little street called Baixada Llebreteria and then the first on your right, called Carrer Veguer. On your right you will find the Museo de Historia de la Ciudad, where it is possible to see the whole history of Barcelona, since the Roman time to nowadays. Following this narrow street you will get in Plaça del Rey, a very picturesque little square, often stage of concerts and shows.
Now take Carrer de la Pietat and get lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets behind the Cathedral, where there are always artists playing some classical or ambient music. At night this area is very well illuminated and the atmosphere gets very impressing bringing you back in time. You will arrive in Carrer del Bisbe, which is always very crowded and here take the little alley just after the square, which brings to Plaça St. Felip Neri. This square is like a spot of quietness in the mess of the centre and it has been built above the ancient Medieval cemetery. On the façade of the church it is possible to see some sign of bullets, left during the Spanish Civil War. In this same square was also shot one scene of the film Perfume: The story of a murderer, surely for its ancient atmosphere.

Now take the alley just in front of the church and turn right into the first street. You will get in Carrer dels Banys Nous and if you are in the mood for a short break tasting the best hot chocolate with cream of Barcelona get into the bar called La Granja. It won’t disappoint you!
From here take Carrer Ave Maria and you will get in Plaça del Pi, called after the very ancient pine in the middle of the square (“pi” in Catalan). Here on weekends there is often a homemade products market, where you can find cheese, honey, herbs, bread, etc. Just next to it there is a second little square, also very nice where you can have some tapas or just a coffee open-air.
From here you can take Carrer del Pi and get into Carrer de Portaferrissa: a very crowded shopping street. Follow it on your right and get into Plaça Nova and the Avinguda de la Catedral. From here you can get a good view of the main façade of the Cathedral, which unfortunately is under reconstructions since more than 3 years. The big square is often used for festivals, concerts and fairs.
Now get back to Plaça Nova and from here take Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel. Where it crosses Portaferrissa, you will see a peculiar fountain, which was actually a trough, from the time when there were horse-carriages.
Following the street, on your right you will find Carrer de Montsió, where at number 3 there is the caffee Els 4 Gats. This has been created on the basis of the French restaurant Le Chat Noir and has been the favourite meeting point for artists such as Picasso, Gaudí, Rusiñol and Casas during the first years of Modernism. Nowadays you can still feel the bohemian and intellectual atmosphere inside and it is a good option to taste some Catalan meal.
And finally it’s time to relax. At the end of the street you will find Plaça Urquinaona, where you can get the red line of the metro to go back to the hostel.

Enjoy you visit!