City Guide Barcelona

Interactive map Barcelona Region with airports and golf courses
Interactive Barcelona City Map

Montserrat Royal Basilica Half-Day Trip from Barcelona
Getaway to the Montserrat mountains on a half-day trip from Barcelona. You'll visit the Royal Basilica with its 12th-century carving of the Black Virgin and perhaps hear the children's choir sing. After driving through picturesque little villages ...
Can Bonastre's 2007 Maurel Wine receives Four Medals
The 2007 Maurel Wine of the Can Bonastre Wine Resort, an ARTEH Hotel in Masquefa, received this month four new international medals. During the London Wine Fair, it was awarded a Bronze Medal by the prestigious Decanter Magazine, in the Decanter ...
W Hotels to Unveil the New W Barcelona
Hotel Scheduled to Open this Fall - W Barcelona is designed by Barcelona-born and world-renowned architect Ricardo Bofill W Hotels Worldwide will mark its debut in Western Europe later this year with the opening of the new W Barcelona. An ...
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Barcelona's enviable position between the mountains and the sea ensures year-round outdoor fun. It is a city that is inconceivable until you get there, unbelievable while you walk its streets and unforgettable after you've gone - if you ever manage to tear yourself away.

Orientation

Barcelona's coastline runs roughly northeast to southwest and many streets are parallel or perpendicular to this. Two major hills - Montjuïc and Tibidabo - provide good landmarks for orientation. The focal point of town is La Rambla, a 1.25km (0.75mi) boulevard running northwest and slightly uphill from Port Vell (Old Harbour) to Plaça de Catalunya. The Plaça is the boundary between Ciutat Vella (Old Town) and the more recent additions further inland. L'Eixample, the city's 19th-century answer to overcrowding, stretches 1.5km (1mi) north, east and west of Plaça de Catalunya. Montjuïc begins about 700m (763yd) southwest of the southeastern end of La Rambla, and Tibidabo, with a landmark television tower and golden Christ statue, is 6km (4mi) northwest of the city.

The Ciutat Vella, a warren of narrow streets, centuries-old buildings and budget accommodation, spreads on both sides of La Rambla. Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) is at its heart, on the lower half of the eastern section of the boulevard. West is El Raval, where travellers need to be alert; its southern part forms a seedy red-light district called Barri Xinès (Chinese Quarter). Port Vell has an excellent modern aquarium and two marinas, and at its northeastern end is La Barceloneta, the old sailors' quarter. Beaches and a pedestrian promenade stretch northeast from there to Port Olímpic, a harbour built for the 1992 Olympics and now home to lively bars and restaurants.