Gothic Quarter, El Born and El Raval (Ciutat Vella)
This is the medieval core of Barcelona, a knot of narrow streets around the cathedral. El Born has the Picasso Museum and the church of Santa Maria del Mar, and El Raval, across La Rambla, has the Boqueria market and the MACBA. Pickpockets work La Rambla and the metro, so keep bags zipped. The Aerobús to Plaça Catalunya takes around 35 minutes.
Best for: First visits and walking to the old city sights
Not for you if: You need quiet nights or a lift: buildings are old and the lanes stay noisy until late.
The Eixample and Sagrada Família
The 19th-century grid north of Plaça Catalunya holds most of Barcelona's modernista buildings. Casa Batlló and La Pedrera are on Passeig de Gràcia, which is also the main shopping street, and the Sagrada Família is further east. Book timed tickets for all three, especially in summer. Apartments here tend to be larger, in mansion blocks with lifts. Passeig de Gràcia station has trains direct from the airport.
Best for: Gaudí, wide streets and good metro links
Not for you if: You want lanes and old-town atmosphere: the Eixample is a grid of busy six-lane avenues.
Gràcia
Gràcia was a separate town until Barcelona swallowed it, and it still feels like one: low buildings, small squares such as Plaça del Sol and Plaça de la Virreina, and plenty of independent shops. Park Güell is uphill, with timed tickets. In mid-August the Festa Major de Gràcia fills the streets with decorations and late music for a week.
Best for: Longer stays, small squares and neighbourhood restaurants
Not for you if: You want to be close to the beach: the sea is a metro ride and a walk away.
Barceloneta and Poblenou (the beaches)
Barceloneta is the old fishermen's quarter of Barcelona, a grid of tight streets between the port and the sand, with seafood restaurants along Passeig Joan de Borbó. Poblenou, further up the coast, is a former industrial district with calmer beaches such as Bogatell and a long pedestrian rambla. The Ciutadella park and zoo are between the two.
Best for: Families who want the sea on the doorstep
Not for you if: You dislike crowds: Barceloneta beach is packed on summer weekends.
Poble-sec, Sant Antoni and Sants (west)
Poble-sec sits under Montjuïc, the hill with the Joan Miró Foundation, the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Olympic stadium. Carrer de Blai is lined with pintxos bars. Sant Antoni has a restored covered market and a Sunday book market. Sants is Barcelona's main station, with trains to the airport and high-speed trains to Girona, Madrid and France.
Best for: Montjuïc, tapas bars and easy train connections
Not for you if: You want postcard streets: around Sants station it is ordinary and residential.
Gavà (south, near the airport)
Gavà is a town south-west of Barcelona with a long, quiet sandy beach at Gavà Mar, which runs into Castelldefels. The airport is around 15 minutes by car, though aircraft noise is part of life here. Trains from Gavà station reach Barcelona Sants in around 20 minutes. For houses with gardens and pools near the city, see our Barcelona North Coast page.
Best for: A beach base close to El Prat, with Barcelona a train ride away
Not for you if: You want plenty of choice: we have very little outside Barcelona itself.
