Maps and Listings
The barri of La Ribera is loosely defined as that part of the Old Town that is separated from the Barri Gòtic by Via Laietana. There is a beaten track to the door of its star museum, the Museu Picasso, but the area has many other attractions, including the modish Born area, so take the long way round to get there and enjoy discovering its many contrasts, from the busy commerce of the Sant Pere district to medieval merchants’ houses, from new social and urban developments to the most beautiful church in Barcelona.
A tapas menu del dia.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Ornate horse sculpture, Palau de la Música Catalana.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Palau de la Música Catalana 1 [map]
Address: Carrer Palau de la Música, 4–6; www.palaumusica.cat
Tel: 93-295 7200
Opening Hrs: guided tours daily 10am–3.30pm (Aug and Easter until 6pm)
Entrance fee: charge
Transport: Urquinaona
Like so many of the city’s barris, La Ribera is a richly woven texture of contrasts. Nothing is more representative of this than the Palau de la Música Catalana, an extravaganza of a concert hall designed by leading modernista architect Domènech i Montaner in 1908 (for more information, click here), and declared a World Heritage building by UNESCO. The only concert hall in Europe to be naturally lit, through its huge skylight decorated in magnificent stained glass, it must also be one of the most ornate and splendid. Renovations by leading Catalan architect Oscar Tusquets were completed in 2008, giving it a new space for chamber concerts, the Petit Palau, a rehearsal room and an elegant restaurant.
One of the best ways to visit it is to take a guided tour. They are popular, so it is worth booking in advance. Alternatively, pop in for a coffee or tapas in its foyer bar to sample the atmosphere and see plenty of modernista detail, or, even better, attend one of the concerts in its busy classical season, or during the International Jazz Festival (for more information, click here).
The stunning Palau de la Música Catalana.
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Characterful squares
Continue along Carrer Sant Pere Més Alt through the heart of today’s rag-trade district, the wholesale end of Catalonia’s once great textile industry. On weekdays it buzzes with activity, particularly around the 19th-century arcades, like the Passeig Sert, birthplace of painter Josep Maria Sert (1876–1945), where old warehouses have been converted into lofts.
The street emerges into the comparative tranquillity of Plaça Sant Pere 2 [map], site of a much-renovated 10th-century church, Sant Pere de les Puel.les, a former Benedictine monastery. In the middle of this triangular square is a modernista drinking fountain, designed by Pere Falqués, famed for his benches-cum-lamp-posts on Passeig de Gràcia.
Follow Basses Sant Pere down past a vintage shop and local bars, keeping a firm grip on your rucksack and camera, to Plaça Sant Agustí Vell 3 [map]. Signs of urban cleansing are evident, but new social housing and created plaças have not wiped out local colour altogether. There are several terrace bars in this square, but do not miss Mundial, a 1950s time warp, famed for its seafood tapas (for more information, click here).
From here, one option is to take Carrer Carders, where Halal butchers mingle with trendy boutiques, to the delightful Romanesque chapel of Marcús 4 [map], where post horses were blessed on the main route out, being just beyond the city walls and the Portal Major. Turn left into Montcada for the Museu Picasso (for more information, click here). Alternatively, take one of the narrow alleys to the right, leading to the magnificent Santa Caterina market.
Another option from Plaça Sant Agustí Vell is to meander down Tantarantana, to the former Convent de Sant Agustí 5 [map] at Comerç, 36. Now a civic centre, you can wander through its beautiful 14th-century cloisters. It also houses the Museu de la Xocolata (Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 10am–3pm; charge), which may interest children and chocolate-lovers, and the Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona, which often has fascinating photographic exhibitions on the history of the city (Mon–Sat 10am–7pm; free).
The Palau de la Música Catalana’s interior.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Assaonadors and Princesa
Just before Princesa, turn right into Assaonadors, which immediately on the right opens into a long plaça, Allada-Vermell, a typical Barcelona ‘hard’ square. Created by the demolition of a row of housing, it brings light and space into the dense barri, providing a recreation area, several bars good for snacks (including a pub) and a weekend craft market.
Continue along Assaonadors, taking the first left which leads into Princesa. The Parc de la Ciutadella (for more information, click here) is at the end of the road, but turn right towards the city centre again. It is a busy, narrow street full of lorries unloading goods and taxis unloading tourists by Montcada. On the corner before turning into Montcada you might be tempted by Brunells pastisseria (for more information, click here).
Eat
For sweet treats, sample the wonderfully rich hot chocolate in the Museu de la Xocolata or visit Brunells pastisseria on the corner of Montcada and Princesa. If you are not tempted by the pastisseria’s meringue-like roque de Montserrat, inspired by the sacred mountain, there are plenty of other cakes and pastries to choose from.
Street of Palaces
The local authorities started renovating the neglected medieval palaces lining Montcada in 1957. Named after members of a noble medieval family who died during the conquest of Mallorca (1229), it was the city’s most elegant district from the 12th to the 18th century. It linked the waterfront with the commercial areas, when Catalonia’s overseas trading was at its height. The merchants’ palaces reflect this former prosperity.
Admiring artworks in the Museu Picasso.
Ronald Stallard/Museu Picasso
Museu Picasso 6 [map]
Address: Montcada, 15–23; www.museupicasso.bcn.cat
Tel: 93-256 3000
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sun (including public holidays) 10am–7.30pm
Entrance fee: charge; free Sun from 3pm
Transport: Jaume I
The Museu Picasso opened in 1963 and now occupies five palaces: Palau Berenguer d’Aguilar, Baró de Castellet, Meca, Casa Mauri and Finestres. The last two, opened in 1999, are for temporary exhibitions; the main entrance is through the 14th-century Meca palace. Take time to enjoy the buildings as you visit the exhibitions. The Palau Berenguer d’Aguilar has a beautiful courtyard, with a surrounding first-floor gallery and pointed archways resting on slender columns, designed by Marc Safont, best known for the inner patio of the Generalitat building (for more information, click here).
Picasso in Barcelona
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga in southern Spain in 1881. His family moved to Barcelona in 1895, where his father took up the post of painting professor at La Llotja School of Art. The story goes that a brothel in this street inspired the title (and content) of Picasso’s landmark painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1906–7). Picasso’s precocious genius is legendary: aged just 14, he entered his father’s school, completing the month-long entrance exams in a single day. He repeated this feat two years later at the Royal Academy in Madrid before abandoning his studies and setting out for Paris. He never again lived in Barcelona, but donated a considerable number of his works to the museum here.
The museum has the most complete collection of Picasso’s early works, including sketches in school books and a masterly portrait of his mother, created when he was only 16 years old. The Blue Period (1901–4) is also well represented, as are his ceramics. It is an absorbing collection, although there are only a few of Picasso’s later works, including the fascinating studies of Las Meninas dating from the 1950s.
Shop
The Museu Picasso shop has multilingual tomes on this seminal artist, plus every imaginable gift, from mugs to iconic striped T-shirts.
Opposite is another noble Gothic palace, the Marquès de Llió, which until recently housed the Textile Museum and then the Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHUB). The DHUB Montcada and DHUB Pedralbes, which had the Textile, Graphic, Ceramic and Decorative Arts collections, have now moved to the much-vaunted Design Museum, in Glòries, due to open in early 2014 (for more information, click here).
Adjoining it is the Palau Nadal, where the Museu Barbier-Mueller d’Art Precolombí is to be replaced by the Museu de Cultures del Món 7 [map], due to open in June 2014. It comprises over 2,000 anthropological pieces from the private Folch collection gathered over many years, mostly from the Far East, Africa, Central America, the Andes and Oceania. Temporary exhibitions will also be held here.
On Carrer Montcada.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
Shops and galleries
Continuing down Montcada you come to the Palau Cervelló, at No. 25, and opposite is the Palau Dalmases, where at a price you can sip a cocktail and hear live opera or flamenco. Bijou shops and fashion boutiques are multiplying here, replacing the traditional local shops.
On the right, just before the Passeig del Born, is Sombrerers, named, like many in the area, after the medieval guilds (in this case, ‘the hatters’). Follow its shade, with the towering edifice of Santa Maria del Mar on the left, past Casa Gispert, an exquisite grocery specialising in nuts, to reach the Plaça Santa Maria, once the church’s graveyard. The Gothic fountain is one of the oldest in the city, dating from 1402.
Eat
For refreshments on Montcada, pop into the marble-and-tile haven Xampanyet (No. 22) for a glass of sparkling wine and some anchovies. On Placeta Montcada, with its fine palm tree, is the authentic Basque bar Euskal Etxea. You must arrive at aperitif time (around 1pm or 8pm) to catch the best pintxos, otherwise opt for a full meal in the restaurant.
Inside the beautiful Santa Maria del Mar.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Santa Maria del Mar 8 [map]
Address: Plaça Santa Maria
Tel: 93-310 2390
Opening Hrs: Mon–Sat 9am–1.30pm and 4.30–8.30pm, Sun 10am–1.30pm and 5–8.30pm
Entrance fee: free
Transport: Jaume I
On reaching the square, stand back and take in the Gothic facade of the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar, considered by many – and justly so – to be the city’s most beautiful church.
The church was built relatively quickly, between 1329 and 1384, resulting in a purity of style which ranks it as the most perfect example of Gothic church architecture in Catalonia. All the local corporations collaborated in the building, and it became a symbol of the economic and political power of Catalonia during this period.
Main features
The facade exhibits all the characteristics of the Catalan Gothic style: ‘prevalence of horizontal lines; flat terraced roofing; wide open spaces; strong buttresses and octagonal towers ending in terraces’, according to Alexandre Cirici, the Catalan art historian. It is a much more down-to-earth style than northern European Gothic, lacking the decorative filigree and pointed spires of the latter.
Tip
Santa Maria del Mar is a popular venue for concerts (as well as for fashionable weddings), so check local listings for a recommended opportunity to sit back and enjoy this sacred corner of Barcelona.
The façade of Santa Maria del Mar.
Fotolia
The rose window is 15th-century, the original having been lost in the earthquake of 1428. The interior is breathtaking in its elegance. The church is built in what is known as the ‘salon’ design, with three lofty and almost identical naves, which contribute to the sense of space.
Ironically, the drama of more recent history has contributed to this purity: fire during the Civil War destroyed a great deal of the interior, which left it free of over-ornate decoration. The octagonal columns are 13 metres (43ft) apart, a distance no other medieval structure was able to achieve.
Leave through the side door of the church to see the Plaça Fossar de les Moreres 9 [map], a memorial to the fallen in the 1714 siege of Barcelona (for more information, click here), who are buried here in the former cemetery. Designed in 1986 by Carme Fiol, one of the leading architects in Barcelona’s urban space programme, it is a venue for Catalan nationalists to meet on 11 September, La Diada, the day Barcelona fell and the Catalan national holiday.
Shop
Just off Plaça Santa Maria is a shop selling the most creative botifarras (sausages) imaginable, while in nearby Agullers is an excellent wine shop, Vila Viniteca, which has a wide selection of Catalan and Spanish wines.
The Old Commercial District
Take d’Espaseria from this side of the church to Consolat del Mar. On one side is La Llotja ) [map], the former stock exchange (now in Passeig de Gràcia). Its core is from the 14th century, but the outer shell was completed in 1802. Part of the Acadèmia de Bellas Artes, where Picasso, Gaudí and Miró studied, is still on an upper floor.
The main facade of La Llotja looks over Pla del Palau ! [map], where a royal palace once stood. Now devoted mostly to restaurants, it was the political centre of town for a period during the 18th and 19th centuries under the dominant viceroy. There are several good restaurants to choose from and a small playground in the square.
Keeping on the same pavement, walk through to Plaça de les Olles (Square of the Cooking Pots), a charming little square with pleasant terrace cafés. One ordinary-looking bar is in fact one of the city’s best places to eat, Cal Pep (for more information, click here). In the far corner turn into Vidrieria, another street named after a medieval guild (‘the glaziers’, for more information, click here), to reach the hub of the Born.
Medieval Guilds
Many of the streets in the barri of La Ribera are named after trades, a throwback to the medieval boom when guilds were formed to look after the interests of craftsmen. At their height between the 13th and 15th centuries, there were 135 gremis (guilds), and 52 streets still carry their names. Watch out for Sombrerers (hatters), Flassaders (blanket weavers), Mirallers (mirror makers), Argenteria (silversmiths), Assaonadors (tanners), Agullers (needlemakers) and Semoleres (pasta makers). The Museu del Calçat in Plaça Sant Felip Neri (for more information, click here) is housed in the guildhall of the shoemakers, the first guild to be formed and the last to be disbanded in the 20th century, when the Civil War broke out.
The rejuvenated area in and around the Passeig del Born is full of boutiques, speciality food shops, restaurants and bars.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
Passeig del Born @ [map]
Glass and tin fairs used to be held in the Passeig del Born, as well as jousts and tournaments from the 13th to the 17th century. Take time to wander along this boulevard and its adjoining streets, where the quirky bars, shops and art galleries change hands and style with remarkable frequency, but where a few stalwarts remain. At the end, in Plaça Comercial, there are several good cafés and restaurants.
Outdoor cafés in La Ribera.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
El Born Centre Cultural £ [map]
Address: Plaça Comercial, www.elborncentrecultural.cat
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sun 10am–8pm
Entrance fee: charge for exhibitions but not for public space. Free Sun after 3pm
Transport: Jaume I/Barceloneta
The magnificent wrought-iron Mercat del Born, designed by Fontseré and Cornet in 1873, was Barcelona’s central wholesale fruit and vegetable market from 1876 until 1971. After years of indecision about its future, it was relaunched as the Born Centre Cultural on 11 September 2013, symbolically marking the beginning of a year commemorating the 300th anniversary of the siege in 1714 when Barcelona fell to the Spanish troops (see box, page page 282). The remains of houses demolished to build the citadel, found while renovating the building, are now on permanent display, along with other exhibitions explaining the history of the area in 1700 as well as the siege, a significant moment in the history of Catalonia. The Born CC embodies emotionally charged political issues for the growing movement for Catalan independence.
Parc de la Ciutadella $ [map]
Address: Passeig de Pujades/Passeig de Picasso
Opening Hrs: summer daily 8am–9pm, winter 8am–8pm
Entrance fee: free
Transport: Jaume I/Arc de Triomf
A walkway through the Born CC leads to Barcelona’s oldest and most visited park, the Parc de la Ciutadella, which is also one of the city’s most attractive. It is easy to while away half a day here, simply walking in the fresher air, or enjoying some of the diverse activities on offer. Located between the Old Town and the new Vila Olímpica, it has two entrances on Passeig de Picasso.
However, one of the most interesting approaches, which also gives the park its historical perspective, is from the northern end of Passeig de Lluís Companys, next to the Arc de Triomf (easily reached by the metro of the same name, or by bus).
Arc de Triomf % [map]
This enormous red-brick arch served as the entrance to the 1888 World Exposition, which was held on the redeveloped land that was previously the site of the citadel of the occupying Spanish forces (for more information, click here). From the top of Passeig de Lluís Companys you can look up Passeig Sant Joan – a typical Eixample street with architectural echoes of Passeig de Gràcia, including some fine modernista houses – towards the Collserola range.
The Arc de Triomf, designed by Josep Vilaseca, includes sculptures by Josep Llimona, among others. It is easy to imagine visitors to the Exposition sweeping down this thoroughfare to the showground, past the magnificent streetlamps, the work of Pere Falqués, who designed the more famous ones in Passeig de Gràcia. Today’s palms are some of the most attractive of the many species growing in the city.
In front of the monumental Palau de la Justicia (Law Courts), old men play petanca (a southern European form of bowls), while cyclists vie for space with dog-walkers and retired couples who sit on pieces of cardboard playing card games. At the end is the main entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella.
The Arc de Triomf is an imposing structure that was built as the entrance to the 1888 World Exposition.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Park life
Interesting buildings remain from its military past and from its glorious time as the Exposition showground, but the most remarkable aspect of the park is its refreshing tranquillity. It is a real city park, full of skateboards and footballs, prams and toddlers. There are bicycles made for six for hire, as well as rowing boats on the lake. On Sunday large families parade in their best outfits before lunch, and New Age drummers meet for jam sessions. Yet it is still peaceful. Constantly tended by municipal gardeners, it is verdant, scented and shady.
Ciutadella’s History
The name, La Ciutadella (which means citadel, or fortress), has its origins in the use to which Felipe V put this land. After the fall of Barcelona in 1714, following a siege by Franco-Spanish troops, he ordered the building of a fortress capable of housing 8,000 soldiers. To do this, 40 streets and 1,262 buildings were demolished. Remains discovered beneath the Mercat del Born can now be seen in the Born CC. Barceloneta was built to accommodate the evicted residents.
In 1869 General Prim ceded the land to the city for conversion into a public park. Josep Fontseré’s plan was approved in 1873 but it was not until 1888, the year of the World Exposition, that the park began to be a reality.
On the right as you enter is the Castell dels Tres Dragons (Castle of the Three Dragons), designed by Domènech i Montaner. It was intended to be the restaurant of the 1888 Exposition, though it never opened as such. However, it was one of the first modernista projects in Barcelona. Until 2010 it was the Zoological Museum, now moved to the Museu Blau in the Forum (for more information, click here).
The Hivernacle ^ [map]
Behind the building is the beautiful Hivernacle, an elegant modernista greenhouse now overgrown with tropical plants and sadly still awaiting restoration work. Beyond it is a more classical-looking structure built to be a museum in 1878, the first public one in the city. More recently it has been the Geology Museum, but the collection is now in the Museu Blau.
Boating in the Parc de Ciutadella.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
The Cascada & [map]
Cross over the inner road and follow signs to the Cascada, the monumental fountain and artificial lake designed by Fontseré in 1875; both the cascade and the lake were intended to camouflage a huge water deposit in the central section of the waterfall, which can be reached by two flanking, symmetrical stairways. Curiously, Gaudí worked on this project as a young architecture student. A landmark and meeting place, its esplanade is often used for concerts or fairs, and Swing dancers bop at weekends in the bandstand.
With your back to the Cascada, follow the boating lake round either way to the Plaça de Joan Fiveller, where there is a serene, oval formal garden designed by French landscape architect J.C.N. Forestier. The statue in the lake is a copy of El Desconsol (Desolation), one of Catalan sculptor Josep Llimona’s most highly regarded pieces. The original can be seen in the Museu Nacional in Montjuïc.
This square is bordered by the remnants of the citadel era: the Governor’s Palace, now a secondary school, the chapel and the arsenal.
This last is now where the Parlament de Catalunya * [map] sits, guarded by the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra.
The Cascada, a monumental fountain designed in 1875.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Parc Zoològic ( [map]
Address: Parc de la Ciutadella; www.zoobarcelona.cat
Tel: 93-225 6780
Opening Hrs: daily summer 10am–8pm, winter 10am–6pm
Entrance fee: charge
Transport: Barceloneta/Arc de Triomf, Ciutadella Vila Olímpica
Follow the paved road towards the park gates to the Parc Zoològic, or Zoo, founded in 1892. Its most famous inmate was Snowflake (Floquet de Neu), the only albino gorilla in captivity, who died amid much lamenting in 2003, and was succeeded by various non-albino descendants. Highlights include the Aquarama dolphin show (hourly at weekends).
Exiting from the zoo
From within the zoo the Wellington exit , [map] leads to the street of the same name and takes you to the Vila Olímpica and its beaches (for more information, click here). A tram runs from here to Plaça de les Glòries, with another route down to Diagonal Mar and the Fòrum site with its beach (for more information, click here). The metro is also close by, but for further exploration take Avinguda Icària into the Olympic Village, or head for the Hotel Arts (the right-hand skyscraper) passing through a small, modern park, Parc Cascades, above the Ronda Litoral, with a towering sculpture titled David i Goliat by Antoni Llena.
If you’d like to complete your day with a swim on Somorrostro beach and dinner in the Olympic Port but don’t want to go through the zoo, there is another exit from the park on Pujades, behind the Cascade. Turn right and follow Wellington past the haunting brick structure, the Diposit de les Aigües, which once stored water on its roof. Part of this building has been impressively restored as the library of the nearby University Pompeu Fabra.
The Umbracle ⁄ [map]
If you prefer to do full justice to the Ciutadella, from the main entrance to the zoo head up towards the Arc de Triomf and on your left is the Umbracle. This beautiful arched building, with fine iron columns and wooden-slatted roof, was also designed by Fontseré. It offers much-needed shade for the more delicate species in the park. The dim light inside is reminiscent of a jungle.
The splendid interior of the Estació de França.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
Passeig de Picasso ¤ [map]
A small gate by the Umbracle leads out of the park to the Passeig de Picasso. The handsome arcaded apartment blocks here were designed by Fontseré as an integral part of his redevelopment plans. Some good bars and a bike-rental shop are located under the arches. Further up the road are the Aire de Barcelona Arab baths, perfect for weary limbs after an excess of sightseeing. A large modern sculpture in a transparent cube on the park boundary by Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies was designed as a homage to Picasso.
Opposite the park entrance is the broad street Marquès de l’Argentera. Spain’s first railway line was inaugurated here in 1848. The station, the Estació de França, was little more than a shack when it opened in 1929, yet was the largest in Europe. Renovated in 1992, it looks more like a grand hotel than a railway station.
Shopping
In recent years this neighbourhood has become seriously cool, so the medieval mansions rub shoulders with stylish boutiques. Whichever way you turn off the Passeig del Born you’ll find narrow alleyways studded with attractive shops, including some traditional ones.
Food
La Botifarreria de Santa María
Santa María, 4
Tel: 93-319 9123
Catalonia’s famed botifarras (country sausages) are almost a national dish, but you’ll never find such mouth-watering examples as in this shop next to the front door of Santa Maria del Mar. Join the queue to choose between wild mushrooms, apple with curry, squid or 100-percent vegetarian stuffing.
Casa Gispert
Sombrerers, 23
Like a museum piece, this beautiful traditional glass-fronted shop with much of its original shelving and equipment preserved has to be seen. Master roasters since 1851 of nuts and coffee, it also sells dried fruits, preserves, chocolates and more delicacies.
Olisoliva
Mercat Santa Caterina, stall 153–155
Tel: 93-268 1472
Among many enticing stalls in this attractive food market, this shop sells over 200 virgin olive oils as well as vinegars and special salts, beautifully packaged to make good gifts.
Vila Viniteca
Agullers, 7–9
From quite humble origins in the 1930s, this charming shop in medieval surroundings has become one of Spain’s leading wine distributors, offering a huge range of national and international wines. Be guided by the helpful personnel and check out the gourmet food section.
Shoes
Nu Sabates
Cotoners, 14
Exclusive handmade shoes for men and women in the softest leather and daring designs, mostly by Californian-based Cydwoq, but also Deux Souliers, from Catalan designer Nunu Solsona based in the Gràcia neighbourhood.
U-Casas
Espaseria, 4
The more casual, sporty side of Casas, who have branches all over town selling a range of good brands and elegant designs.
Women’s clothing
Anna Povo
Vidrieria,11
The only outlet of this local designer who makes simple but very stylish, feminine designs in subtle colours and natural fabrics, which are easy to wear yet striking.
Cortana
Flassaders, 41
The outlet store of Mallorcan Rosa Esteva’s ultra-feminine, slinky clothes is a great place to find a very smart outfit at a manageable price.
Miriam Ponsa
Princesa,14
This young designer is from a family involved in the famous Catalan textile industry in the 19th century. Her radical designs in earthy, natural colours and heavy cottons have won awards.