Dear “beginners”,
Are you new in Barcelona? Are you still looking for a room? Let us guess… You are looking for a room, but you don’t know anything about districts, services, public transports, etc. How do we know it? We have been through this several times.
In order to help our tenants, we have decided to pay more attention to this and dedicate a column of our blog to the districts of Barcelona, their offer and their strengths. We have already talked about some central neighbourhoods, such as El clot and the Barri Gòtic. Before going on with our tour of the districts, we have decided to provide you with an overview of all the main areas of Barcelona.
Why is this topic so important to us? Because the flat hunting is easier when you know where to look for. Furthermore, the location of your new home away from home is of paramount importance. If you find a room in the right neighbourhood, you go to the university or to work quicker, you can hang out easily, you have a huge amount of services and many tasty restaurants around you. The aim of our blog, as many of you already know, is to make your stay as easier as possible and a shared flat in a good location is the first step to keep it simple.
Did we go far enough? So, dear beginners, let’s start our journey on the streets of Barcelona…
The neighbourhoods
Before any list or description, we need to point out that we will provide you a brief description of the biggest neighbourhoods. There are many others beautiful areas that are worth a visit during your stay!
Barceloneta
This neighbourhood is one of the closest to the seaside. It is central and you can enjoy amazing sunsets from that location. Being central and on the seaside, it is always crowded; tourists and young people animate its streets and its several tasty restaurants. During the free time, you can sunbath, go running a bit, have a walk until the renovated Olympic area… In this area, you will never get bored!
Eixample
This one is right in the city centre and it is famous because it hosts the most popular Gaudi’s buildings, such as La Pedrera and Casa Battllò. The Passeig de Gràcia, a long avenue that crosses the entire district, divides this residential area in two sides. It is rather expensive, but there are many exclusive restaurants and nice bars that make this place the right one to spend a pleasant evening.
Gothic Quarter
This quarter is simply too pretty to describe! The Barri Gòtic is the medieval part of the Ciutat Vella and it is located in its exact city centre. It has a quite labyrinthine structure with many small streets and squares that characterize this part of Barcelona. You will find all the Barcelona main attractions all around you: La Rambla, the Mediterranean Sea, the monuments. If you want to discover more about this neighbourhood, have a look at our article “Barcelona: Barri Gòtic”.
Gràcia
This is our favourite neighbourhood: residential, calm, close to the city centre (you can reach it even by bike!). There are many restaurants, bars, clubs… in short, this is the area where you will spend the majority of your evenings with friends and flatmates. Our suggestion? Try to find your room here or in the closest neighbourhood, you will not regret it!
El Born
El Born is one of the most fashionable areas of Barcelona. Boutiques, shoe shops, restaurants, bars… Not enough? Museums, seaside, medieval streets… Well, we guess you are convinced now, isn’t it? Shopping and nature are both key words to describe this neighbourhood. Actually, there is the seaside and there is a green park, too. When it comes to the picnic, you are spoilt for choice!
El Raval
This multi-cultural area is the controversial part of Barcelona. In the past, it was the red-light part of Barcelona and only in 1988 it has been cleaned up. Since then, it is one of the cleanest, safest and modern areas of the city centre. Close to its trendy boutiques, there are studios, galleries and pretty bookshops. Museums? El Raval will never let you down thanks to the Museum of Modern Art and the CCCB, an exhibition centre. Are you ready to enjoy this neighbourhood? It will surprise you!
Sants-Montjuïc
A perfect residential area, a little bit farer from the city centre, but well-connected and cheaper. Those two aspects shouldn’t be underestimated, especially if you are a student and you are on a tight budget. Furthermore, the area is extremely pretty as you have the breath-taking Montjuïc just around the corner! The other strength of this neighbourhood are the connections. There are several metro stations and there is the train station, too (just in case you want to go away on a trip).
Have you enjoyed our journey on the streets of Barcelona? We did! We hope that it has been interesting and that, after these descriptions, you are more familiar with the city and its neighbourhoods. Well, you are not “beginners” anymore!
We are sure that this quick overview will help you during the search of the shared flat, too. By having clear all the areas of the city, it should be easier to understand which part suits you the most. As we have already pointed out several times, the location matters. Do not miss the chance to enjoy Barcelona!
It is time to say “goodbye”… See you soon with another article about this amazing city!