Oh, hello! I'm Patrick, a Tour Guide and YOUR Guide to Barcelona!
Whether it's your first time in Barcelona or you're practically Catalan by now, the Gothic Quarter is the place to start your trip. So that you don't miss out on all the secrets and details that make this area so special.
Despite the Gothic Quarter’s size, there’s SO much to do. But I’ve narrowed it down a bit to help you explore the oldest part of the city, without missing a beat.
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. Once you purchase it you will automatically get those updates!
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What is the Gothic Quarter?
The Gothic Quarter is the oldest part of Barcelona. What originally housed the Roman foundations of the city runs from Plaça Catalunya to the Old Port and between Las Ramblas and the Via Laietana. It was also the center of power where the Counts of Barcelona, and later Kings of Aragón sat during the Middle Ages and where both the City Hall and Catalan Government, (La Generalitat) are located today.
But what makes the Gothic Quarter so interesting are the changes made to the neighborhood from the late 19th century through much of the 20th, when, in an attempt to make the area more attractive, many buildings were remodeled, redesigned, or moved all together. This shift towards a more Gothic-style of architecture gave the neighborhood, formerlly known as The Area of the Cathedral, the name the Gothic Quarter.
I think the Gothic Quarter is the place to start your visit to Barcelona. Going back to the origins of the city and seeing the growth evolution let you understand everything else you will see in the city!
1. The Gothic Quarter is busy!
The Gothic Quarter is the most visited area of the city so you will often find a lot of people walking the tiny, winding streets, but there are ways to avoid that.
Go REALLY early, or REALLY late
Peak your hours are going to be mid morning until the afternoon, but evening tours have become more popular. So if you want to see the streets without all the tourists your best bet is early morning or later at night, ie before 10am and after 9pm. That’s if you want to see the streets empty.
Visit during winter
Obviusly coming during low season will give you a bit more space, but keep in mind with the Christmas markets in December, even the locals come visit this neighborhood. Evenings in a December are almost unwalkable in the Gothic Quarter!
Respect the locals
With all the tourism that comes to Barcelona this has become one of the most crowded areas of the city. Remember that people still live here and respect their privacy and hours. People have been known to dump water over their balconies if it gets too loud!
2. Is it safe?
The Gothic Quarter, 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 your site.
3. 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 the Gothic Quarter and Old City Tours start at 200€ for 2 hours!
Getting There
The Gothic Quarter is at the heart of the city. Depending on where you are coming from it is extremely accessible walking. There are also many bus lines that will bring you to Plaça Catalunya or the surrounding areas. I would recommend taking the metro.
🚇With the metro, you can get to the Gothic Quarter with three different lines: Red, Green, and Yellow.
14€ Entrance with access to the roof.
Even if you do no pay to enter the Cathedral, it is the key to understanding the Gothic Quarter and understanding the Catalan Gothic exterior from the Neo-Gothic façade.
Entrance is free you just have to find them. The columns are hidden on Paradís Street. I know a lot of people who have lived here their entire lives and never seen them.
Legend has it that if you walk under this bridge backwards and make eye contact with a skull that is engraved along the bottom, you will get good luck!
This is one of the most beautiful squares in Barcelona and with so much history. The church’s façade still wears the scars left over from the Civil War, and many mamovies and books have scenes in this plaza.
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Discover Barcelona's Jewish History in El Call (Jewish Quarter) 🕍
4€ Entrance which includes an explanation of the buildings history and the neighborhood. This was the largest of the synagogues in the Jewish Quarter and what makes it so interesting is its history and how it was relocated.
Free visits require a prior reservation. and spots are limited, check the website below for the available days.
Special Open Door days on April 23rd and September 11th, with some days around Christmas.
A large square right off La Rambla that is perfect to sit down and people watch! If I needed to send you a postcard, a sunny day in the Plaça Reial might best capture Barcelona!
You get entrance to the Royal Palace through thr History Musuem of Barcleona (it's the exit), but go you should definitely visit the courtyard behind the palace!
Connected right into the Royal Palace the Vicerroy’s Palace was the King’s representative in Barcelona and all of Catalonia. It’s a beautiful courtyard, worth checking out, and also houses the Crown of Aragon Archives; one of only two places in Spain with the Stamp of European Heritage.
For just 2€ you can climb the tower for good views of the Gothic Quarter. There is also a status of a pregnant Virgin Mary on the inside, something you don’t often see.
The church dedicated to one of the Patron saints of Barcelona. Entrance is her ally grew but they do offer tours of the interior as well. Definitely worth popping in to check it out while walking through the Gothic!
This place makes it easy, there are little for things to try from the menu. Stop in for quick plate of Pescadito Frito and a drink. I'm sure Pepe will treat you well. And click on the link to the video below, you might see someone you know...
This is THE modernist restaurant in Barcelona. A place when many of the bohemian generation, including Picasso himself frequented. In fact Picasso's first solo exhibit was here!
If you're looking for "Grandma's cooking" this is literally it. Try a Tortilla Española or if your brave the Callos (tripe), there un universally known as the best in Barcelona.
I really like this restaurant for a bit more of a formal, sit down dinner in the Gothic. Try the Menu del Dia during the week. Also a place to go for special holiday meals.
A lot of famous people have passed through the doors of the restaurant opened in 1835. Offers some traditonal catalan food, and its noticable rotisserie chickens spinning on the outside.
Honestly, I don't know if there is something you absolutely have to have here but it's one of my favorite corners of Barcleona sitting outside parts of the Roman wall.
A bit on the expensive end, but hidden just off of Las Ramblas you have a bar that has you enjoying a drink insdie a forest. The Forest of the Fairies is its name and its a fairytale land.
Just off La Rambla, you have about 30 beers on tap to choose from and a lot of them are from Barcleona, Catalonia, and Spain. Very little outside seating, but if you can grab on of the barrels its a nice spot to enjoy a brew.
I really like this place, feels very local and doesn't get too many tourists inside despite its location just behind the cathedral. It is small and the ceilings are low, but a nice place to grab a coffee.
If you're more of a tea drinker, this is the place to go. Located in the Jewish Quarter you have a nice interior setting, but also a terrace outside. Try the Chai Latte.
Two different dance areas. Upstairs is more techno and downstairs is hip hop! With the Plaza Reial there are also many more places to grab a drink around and end the night here.
Another late night dance bar in the Plaza Reial. The musical style seems to be more rock based. A perfect place to spend the night until early morning!
If there is one funny souvenir I recommend from Barcleona it's the Caganer. There are now quite a few of these shops around the Old City where you can get a caganer for your friends and family or keep one for yourself!
One sweet you need to try in Barcelona is the turron. There are a few shops around the Gothic Quarter to try some of the Vicens candy. Free samples when you visit, let you get an idea of one of the most popular sweets around Chrismtas time!
Most of the bigger store are going to be found along the Portal de l’Angel. So if you’re looking to take advantage of stores like Zara, H&M, Pull & Bear and more, this is the place to head over to.
Awesome cooking classes that take you to the market to buy local products before cooking them and enjoying lunch. Usually some paellas and other Catalan dishes!
Luis and his team have a really fun workshop where you can make you own espadrilles and design the look. There’s a special treat with each workshop as well!
Head over to this furniture store on Carrer de Banys Nous and walk straight to the back, you’ll notice it’s will start to smell of humidity and you’ll find yourself in the mikvahs (Jewish baths) from the Middle Ages!
Believe it or no the famous Ladies of Avinyò painting Picasso made at the beginning of the 20th century was inspired by his time in Barcelona. The pointing represents 5 ladies at a brohel in the Carrer Avinyò (nothing to do with Avinyon, France. This was the building, called Ca’ La Mercè back then! Another secret go around to the other side and you’ll find a graffiti piece representing the painting and a stone face in the wall letting you know this used to be a brothel…
The ruins of the old aqueducts leading into the Roman city, just in front of the Cathedral, look great but were actually built in 1958. Head back behind you to the Plaça Vuit del Març where you can see the remains of the original aqueducts we have in the city…
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Weather🌡️
Barcelona is a beautiful city, pretty much all year round. Outside of summer you might want to think about about having an extra layer on hand when walking around the Gothic Quarter, the narrow streets don’t let a lot of sunlight through most of the neighborhood and you will definitely notice a difference.
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Thank you again for purchasing this guide! I hope it uncovers all that makes the Gothic Quarter 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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