Barri Gòtic stop
It is an essential stop to contemplate the city’s oldest monuments and travel back through history. A stroll through the Gothic Quarter takes you from the Roman city of Barcino to the cosmopolitan, 21st-century city that is today’s Barcelona via the splendour of the Middle Ages and Catalan Gothic art that gave the area its name.
The soul of Barcelona
The Barri Gòtic stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic is located on Via Laietana, which was opened in the 1930s to connect the Eixample district to the sea.
The Gothic Quarter is the historic nucleus of Barcelona, where you can see sections of the Roman wall that surrounded Barcino and columns of a temple dedicated to Augustus that was built more than 2,000 years ago on the summit of Mount Tàber. Very close by are the Jewish Quarter and Plaça de Sant Jaume, which is still home to government bodies.
But as its name indicates, the district is home to important civil and religious Gothic buildings, like the Cathedral and the sumptuous Monumental Complex in Plaça del Rei formed by the Count of Barcelona’s throne room, a chapel, a lookout point and a Gothic palace that was moved stone by stone from Via Laietana to Barcelona City History Museum.
The architectural complex that was the Count’s residence is also home to the Frederic Marès Museum, where you can access the old orchard garden of Barcelona’s ruler. Other Gothic buildings include the Església de Santa Maria del Pi (Church of Saint Mary of the Pine), which forms, with the two squares that surround it, one of the district’s most charming spots, and the Basílica dels Sants Just i Pastor (Basilica of Saints Justus and Pastor), which was built over a Romanesque church and is considered to be the city’s oldest.
The 19th century is also represented by the porticoed Plaça Reial, which was built on land liberated by the Spanish confiscation in 1835 and decorated with streetlights designed by Gaudí, and Carrer de Ferran which was built to connect La Rambla to Ciutadella Park and was one of the main commercial streets of that period.
What to see
Picasso MuseumMore than 4,000 works exhibited in five Gothic architecture palaces show the painter’s formative period and his close relationship with Barcelona.
Barcelona CathedralEight centuries of history are contained in the stones of a great Gothic cathedral with an interior full of secrets waiting to be discovered. It is home to relics of Saint Eulalia, Barcelona’s patron saint, and one of Catalan Gothic’s most beautiful cloisters.
ShoppingIn Barcelona’s shopping areas you can find traditional establishments alongside designer and luxury boutiques, craft shops and gourmet product stores. Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya and Avinguda Diagonal, the Old Town and Gràcia offer some of the best shopping areas.
Plaça del Rei Monumental SitePlaça del Rei, the centre of power in medieval Barcelona, is home to some of the city’s most important civil Gothic buildings.
MUHBA – Barcelona City History MuseumIn addition to its main site in the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona City History Museum (MUHBA) has heritage centres distributed throughout the city.
Plaça de Sant JaumeLocated at the crossroads of the Cardo Maximus and Decumanus Maximus, the main streets of Roman Barcelona, Plaça de Sant Jaume is home to the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council.
Columns of the Temple of AugustusA courtyard of a medieval building hides the remains of Barcino, the Roman settlement that gave rise to the current city of Barcelona.
Plaça ReialJust off La Rambla is one of the city’s few porticoed squares, which still conserves the elegance and liveliness of the 19th century.
MEAM – European Museum of Modern ArtAn 18th-century palace with a Modernista portal is home to figurative and realist works from the 21st century.
Museum of World Cultures of BarcelonaTwo medieval palaces on Carrer de Montcada are home to a museum that disseminates knowledge of other cultures.
Carrer de MontcadaIts Gothic, Catalan Renaissance and even baroque palaces make this street the city’s most important civil architecture site.
Gothic QuarterThe Roman settlement that is the origin of the modern city, Barcino, is Barcelona’s most historic district.
Jewish QuarterThe Jewish Quarter of medieval Barcelona is home to one of Europe’s oldest synagogues, which has been restored and opened to the public. From the 9th century to the 14th century Barcelona had a large Jewish community that is thought to have numbered around 4,000 people.
Basílica dels Sants Màrtirs Just i PastorWhile from the outside it appears to be a simple Gothic church, inside it is full of surprises and offers unbeatable views of the city centre.
Palau Requesens – Reial Acadèmia de les Bones LletresBuilt over part of Barcelona’s old Roman wall, this building is one of the city’s best-preserved Gothic palaces. Palau Requesens, in the Gothic Quarter, was the largest private palace in medieval Barcelona and is now home to the Barcelona Academy of Literature.
Plaça del Pi – Plaça Sant Josep Oriol – Basílica de Santa Maria del PiA Gothic basilica and the two picturesque squares that surround it form one of the most enchanting corners of the Gothic Quarter. The old cemeteries that surrounded the 14th-century church are now small squares where painters and artisans exhibit their works.
Roman WallBarcelona has preserved towers, gates and fragments of the city walls that the Romans erected in the 3rd century to ward off invaders.
Palau Castell de PonsIn the Gothic Quarter you can find an imposing Neoclassical palace with wrought iron balconies and wide exposed brick arches on the ground floor premises.
Palau CastanyerA Neoclassical palace with a distinguished courtyard and a raised garden. If you follow the Carrer de la Portaferrissa shopping street to its end, you will reach Carrer dels Boters, which is home to a number of interesting buildings, including Palau Castanyer.
Palau MaldàA large residential building with a stone facade bore witness to the writing of one of the most popular diaries written in Catalan. Palau Maldà, the home of barons in the 17th century, is now home to Barcelona’s oldest shopping centre.
Plaça de Sant Felip NeriVisitors are moved by this square hidden among the streets of the Gothic Quarter due to its serene beauty and its tragic history. Plaça de Sant Felip Neri is a jewel that is well worth the effort of finding.
Carrer de FerranThe only straight street that connects La Rambla to Plaça de Sant Jaume is one of the Gothic Quarter’s main shopping streets. Designed in 1824 to link the main arteries of medieval Barcelona, Carrer de Ferran transformed the urban layout of the city.
Passatge de SertHidden in the Sant Pere district, this passage goes unnoticed by many visitors, making it one of Barcelona’s best-kept secrets. Passatge de Sert was the path that ran through one of Barcelona’s largest textile factories, which was owned by the Sert family.
Frederic Marès MuseumA medieval royal palace is home to the works and collection of a sculptor who was passionate about art from the Romanesque period to the 19th century.
Casa de la SedaA house with more than 300 years of history bears witness to the importance of Barcelona’s professional guilds in the 18th century.
Gaudí Exhibition Center – Diocese MuseumA Gothic building with a Catalan Renaissance structure exhibits more than 3,000 works of religious art and tells the story of Gaudí.
Ganiveteria RocaPlaça del Pi is home to one of Barcelona’s oldest establishments, a knife shop that has preserved its Viennese-style windows.
Cereria SubiràCrossing the threshold takes you 200 years back in time to when the city’s oldest candle maker was established in the centre of Barcelona. Cereria Subirà, an emblematic Barcelona business, has preserved its original lavish decoration.
Can CulleretesA restaurant with a Modernista atmosphere that has been serving meals for more than 200 years. Can Culleretes, which specialises in Catalan cuisine and products, is Barcelona’s oldest restaurant.