La Barceloneta
The streets of the fishermen, the seafaring neighborhood of the city.
La Barceloneta, which was the home of fishermen, has become a major tourist attraction. Its narrow streets were built in 1753 on a triangular extension of land that juts into the sea.
Until the mid-18th century, La Barceloneta was a practically uninhabited area. The first houses, residences of fishermen, and recreational places for the city's inhabitants were built in 1754. Today, its main attractions are the beaches, its narrow alleys, and the seafaring atmosphere full of bars and restaurants.
Barcelona Bus Turístic, on the Hola Barcelona app
Your app for visiting the city with the Barcelona Bus Turístic: routes, stops and the most iconic places. A comfortable way to carry your tickets too!
What you will find on a walk through La Barceloneta
Walking along the coast, you will discover the beaches of La Barceloneta and Sant Sebastià. In addition to the beaches, La Barceloneta attracts with its charisma, its 18th-century houses, its gastronomy, and its street life. It is a traditionally seafaring neighborhood, built to solve the housing problems of the area. Due to its proximity to the sea, many fishermen, sailors, and port workers settled there, which gave rise to a gastronomic offer focused on fish and seafood. Highlights include the Museum of Catalan History and the Clock Tower, the oldest building in the area, erected in 1772 as a port lighthouse.
Today, the end of the neighborhood's coastline has become an exclusive leisure area for some and a sports area for others: an authentic outdoor gym, reflecting the diversity and dynamism of the city. La Barceloneta breathes joy and color, its life is felt on the street.
Restaurants and paellas in La Barceloneta
Some of the tastiest rice dishes in Barcelona are found in the restaurants of La Barceloneta. And if you are not a fan of fish or paella, don't worry, there are options for all tastes and budgets.
The most popular tapa in the old seafaring area of Barcelona is the bomba de la Barceloneta: a potato croquette filled with minced meat, fried and covered with aioli and the famous Catalan brava sauce. This recipe has become a gastronomic icon of the Ciudad Condal.
You will find gastronomic options along the Joan de Borbó promenade and the seafront, as well as in the alleys and squares, from high-end restaurants to tapas bars and small food stalls.
How do you get to la Barceloneta?
On the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic hop off at the Museu d’Història de Catalunya stop to explore la Barceloneta by following passeig de Joan de Borbó.
For the curious
- On the beach of La Barceloneta, you will find the sculpture "Els Cubs," built during the neighborhood's renovation for the 1992 Olympic Games. Its real name is "L'Estel Ferit," by the artist Rebecca Horn, who wanted to immortalize the precarious but charming shacks of pre-Olympic Barceloneta. La Barceloneta? The Red Route of the Barcelona Bus Turístic has a stop at the Museum of Catalan History, from where you can explore La Barceloneta by following the Joan de Borbó promenade.
- On Calle Sant Carles, one of the few original houses of La Barceloneta is preserved, restored as an interpretation center of 18th-century Barcelona.
- The first bullring in Barcelona —now demolished— was built there, along with the first spas and the first sports centers.
