Oh, hello! I'm Patrick, a Tour Guide and YOUR Guide to Barcelona!
While you’re visiting Barcelona, one neighborhood you shouldn’t miss is La Barceloneta. It’s the neighborhood that runs along the coast and the old harbor and while most people do end up visiting it’s mostly to go to the beach. But the Barceloneta is so much more! So that you don’t miss out on all that this area has to offer, I’ve created this guide to help guide you through the neighborhood.
Here’s what you’ll find in this neighborhood city guide:
🏛️Top Sites
🥘 My picks for Restaurants and Bars
🍷 Top Drink Spots
🍻 Craft Beer Bars
🏨Where to Stay
🗺️Interactive Map to help you get around
📝My 🔝 Tips & Recommendations
🕵🏻♂️Neighborhood Secrets
**This guide will be continuously updated with more of the best about Barcelona. Onece you purchase it you will automatically get those updates!
THANK YOU for purchasing this Guide and supporting my content!
What is La Barceloneta?
The Barceloneta, literally means "little Barcelona". It the part of the city directly along the coast that runs from the Old Port down to the W Hotel. It really is separate from the rest of the city and before the Olympic Games actually was. Once you get there you will see it has a different vibe. And that’s because it was separated from the city for so many years.
After the Battle of Spanish Succession ended in 1714, the construction of the citadel forced the removal of almost half of the Born neighborhood. With no where to turn a new area was created along the beach giving the neighborhood its unique shape and layout that it still has today.
While the roots lay as a fishing village, the modernization ahead of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games changed the neighborhood forever as the shanty towns and industrial coast were turned into impressive beaches. La Barceloneta now brings in a lot of the tourism that visit Barcelona, especially during the summer months, but still maintains its neighborhood charm.
The beach is the reason most people head to the Barceloneta, but if you only hit the water you’re missing out in so much!
1. It’s La Bomba 💣
This is one of the few places that has its own tapa. You’ll find La Bomba all over the places and it’s a dish inspired by the bomb 💣. Meat, potato and fried with some garlic alioli and and spicy sauce on top. You’ll find it at almost every restaurant in their special way of preparing it.
2. There’s more than the Beach
So often when people think of La Barceloneta they think of the beach, and while it’s nice, locals don’t always go there. There’s a whole lot more to the area; good for starters, but also a very interesting history.
3. Respect the locals
Because of the beach this is one of the areas that gets the most amount of tourists, so you’ll also see a lot of signs to respect the neighborhood life. Enjoy yourselves, it’s an awesome place, but keep in mind there are still a lot of people who live here and are very proud of their neighborhood.
4. Is it safe?
The Barceloneta, like all of Barcelona, is safe but you need to be aware of your surroundings and belongings. Don’t leave phones or wallets on tables, or bags out of site. You especially should be aware of your things at the beach and never leave them alone. Pickpockets are all around!
5. Do a tour!
The Gothic Quarter is awesome and there is a lot to see, but the Gothic Quarter is also not all that meets the eye. Without a guide you’ll miss out on all the details that make the Gothic Quarter so special.
Private walking tours of La Barceloneta and Old City Tours start at 200€ for 2 hours!
Getting There
The Barceloneta feels a little ‘outside’ of the city when marking trips. The closest metros leave you on the outside. From there you’ll have to walk into the neighborhood.
🚇With the metro, you can get to La Barceloneta with the Yellow line.
I honestly wouldn’t recommend staying in La Barceloneta on you trip to Barcelona, it makes getting to the rest of the city a bit more difficult. But if you want to be close to the beach here is where you can stay in some very trendy hotels.
The Barceloneta is the most popular and also the most crowded. I always tell people to spread and and go further up the coast. I also didn’t want to make a list of all the beaches but other options are San Sebastián, Somorrosto, Bogatell, Nova Icaria, Mar Bella. You do find nicer beaches outside of the city, but being on the beach has so many advantages!
The bear of the Barceloneta is the Plaça de la Barceloneta where they have many celebrations during festivals and you will also find the church dedicated to the nieghborhoods Patron Saint. Don’t just go to the beach, check out the area as well.
Want to see dive into the history of Catalunya? The history museum has multiple floors going back thousands of years telling the history of the area. The roof top views are also nice to take advantage of!
Another local, neighborhood market where you won’t find the crowding of the Boqueria and can see how the locals shop. There are also some nice restaurants indside to sit down for a drink.
This is one thing ai think more people should do for some of the best views of Barcelona. I would start up from Montjuïc and take a trip across the harbor to end at La Barceloneta. Get your camera ready.
A cool way to explore the coast of Barcelona! Tides leave from the bottom of La Rambla 4 times a day a at just 10€ per trip. You’ll head up the coast to the end of Barcelona and back I. An hour. Just make sure you get the Puerto Y Litoral!
Im Al sways surprised with how many people go over to the Aquarium but there massive tank of fish is cool and, if you’re brave enough you can go swimming with the sharks 🦈
Here’s a little food tour we did in La Barceloneta. Watch the video it was a lot of fun to make! You’ll see in the most below there are so many amazing places to include on your own tapas crawl of the neighborhood!
Want a more intimate or private sailing experience along the coast? Check out the Sailing Experiecne wher you can even organize a subset cruise. You need to see Barcelona from the sea!
One of my favorites in the neighborhood! There are two spots side-by-side. I prefer the smaller one, but if you can’t get a table, head to the larger. Some menu favorites: buñuelos de bacalao (cod fritters), their batatas bravas, and anything else!
This is the spot where the original ‘Bomba’ is said to have been created, so ordering it here is an absolute must. The opening hours are a bit different here so you’ll want to go before lunch, any later you’ll find a huge line or the place closed.
This is one of the places that made me fall in love with Barcelona! A packed bar where you throw your napkins on the ground when you’re done. Order a bottle of the house casa and grab a sandwich, my go to now is the Negre i Blanc Gegant. It’s a bit different now after the pandemic, with limits on the capacity so long lines form.
This is the last restaurant in the video above! Wow! Great craft beer selection but the Paatas Bravas are what you need to try. The typical Barcelona-style bravas are great, but the black tuffle are incredible!!
If I think of an amazing bar, Elecricitat is one of the first that comes to mind. Order some vermouth here and whatever you think sounds good from the tapas menu.
This is a hip spot right off the boardwalk to the beach that has indoor and outdoor seating. A more modern kitchen that makes one of my favorites along the beach.
The vermouth on tap comes with the soda water added already. The small interior doesn’t lend to many people being inside, but it’s fun to enjoy a drink just on the outside. Best time to go is around noon.
This is the bakery in the neighborhood taking its name from the street it’s on. There are a few more places spreading around now, but check this one out if you’re in the neighborhood.
One of the best way to see La Barceloneta is by bike. An even better way is with an e-bike! Barcelona eBike Tours is the company I trust the most to help you explore up and down the beach!
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Details
Weather
A lot of people ask about swimming and going to the beach throughout the year. The beach is used through the year with all sorts of activities that don’t require going in the water. The high season for swimming is May to September but temperatures are usually nice enough in April and October to still take a dip.
Thank you again for purchasing this guide! I hope it uncovers all that makes La Barceloneta such an incredible part of the city. For more information about other neighborhoods and Barcelona as a whole, check out some of my other guides!
A Tour Guide and Content Creator living in Barcelona, Spain since 2010. I create videos about Barcelona to help get you better prepared for your next trip.
A post-graduate degree in Intellectual History of Barcelona and thousands of plates of Patatas Bravas have made me an expert on this amazing city. I’ll as easily geek-out about a Gothic arch as the latest craft brew or Barça signing.
Get in touch with me for:
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