and monuments.Īnd, while to any Barcelonan, Plaça Catalunya (plaça=square) is considered to be 'the centre' (or, as you say, downtown), the truth is that you'll find lively areas in many of the neighbourhoods -and there are 73 of them.

This fact, and here lays the difference with many other great capitals, created a city with many 'downtowns' as each town and village absorbed, now neighbourhoods, had already existed for centuries and had their own town squares, main streets, shops, theatres, restaurants. This rapid growth brought as well the connection of the city with the other towns and villages of the plain, which, between 18, were gradually 'absorbed' into the modern Barcelona and became neighbourhoods of the city. This plan conceived the decongestion of the city by rapid urbanisation of the surrounding fields north of the city and hence today's district of l'Eixample was created ('eixample' means 'widening' in Catalan, the local language). In time, when the walls were started to be torn down in 1854 (and until 1881), the city organized a contest for the planning of the enlargement of the city and the Plan Cerdà was commissioned. In retribution, the Spanish did not allow the city to tear down its walls to grow until the mid-1800s so in the meantime, while Barcelona was growing overpopulated, the towns and villages around started to receive many citizens that could not afford to live in the crowded city. In the early 1700s Catalonia, led by its capital Barcelona, fought the last war, one of several, against the Spanish(Castillians). Outside the walls, within the plain of Barcelona, other settlements were established, many of which grew into villages and towns: Sarrià, Poblenou, Gràcia, Horta. Like many other European cities, Barcelona has had also several walls over time for protection against attacks. Barcelona was officially founded as a Roman settlement around 225BC in today's El Gotic neighbourhood, located in the district of Ciutat Vella (Old City) and for the following 1500 years it grew moderately, enlarging towards today's neighbourhoods of El Raval, Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i La Ribera and La Barceloneta. The typical downtown+suburbs formula doesn't quite apply here. Cerveseria Catalana (Mallorca, 236 Tel: 932-160-368) - Very good tapas place.Īs NYers you'll feel at home in many aspects here in BCN: walking and strolling, the diversity, using public transportation, the wide range of cultural offer, the restaurants.įirstly to mention, for a bit of a background, that the city of Barcelona has become to what it is today in a different way than many other cities. La Rita (Arago, 279 Tel: 934-872-376) - An attractive restaurant with an inexpensive menu of the day. 934-532-338) - A small family run restaurant with a very good tasting menu.ģ. El Nacional ( Passeig de Gracia, 24 Tel: 935-185-053) - A big building with a very beautiful and original interior design, with 5 restaurants and one long bar. Other must see sights: La Pedrera (Casa Mila), Casa Batllo, Palau Guell, Torre Bellesguard, Cathedral, Sant Pau Art Noveau Site.ġ.

Prebook the Sagrada Familia Basilica, the Palau de la Musica Catalana, Park Guell and the Picasso Museum. The most important sights are the Modernist sites, which are the Gaudi sites and the Lluis Domenech sites. A good place to stay is the Eixample, the modern barrio of the city built in the 19th and 20th centuries, with a square grid of streets. Use to screen hotels or apartments in Downtown Barcelona. Downtown Barcelona is the Plaza de Catalunya.

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