- Address
- La Rambla 91
- Hours
- Monday–Saturday 8:00–20:30; closed Sunday
- Time on site
- 30 min
This is the city’s first municipal market, opened in 1840 on the site of a destroyed convent, that of Sant Josep. That is its official name, written on the entrance arch. The fishmongers moved in for good only in 1911.
The city wants to make it a residents’ market again. The regulations being drafted require at least half of each stall to sell fresh produce. Takeaway portions designed for visitors are giving ground; over 90% of traders approved the plan.
What to look for
- The iron and glass arch on La Rambla, with its fan-shaped stained glass.
- The stalls at the back, towards Plaça de la Gardunya: more produce, fewer fruit juices.
What most people miss
Organised groups of more than fifteen people may not enter on Fridays and Saturdays from April to October. The rule has existed for eight years: the market protects itself from its own fame.
The guide’s view
Come before 10:00, when Barcelonans do their shopping. Buy something: it is the best way to be treated as a customer.
3 min · 200 m. Go back out onto La Rambla, then take Carrer de l’Hospital, on the right as you face the market; the hospital entrance is at number 56.
- Address
- Carrer de l’Hospital 56; the courtyard runs through to Carrer del Carme
- Practical
- Courtyard and Rubió i Lluch gardens open freely during the day; anatomy theatre by guided tour only
- Time on site
- 20 min
In 1401 Barcelona merged its six hospitals into one, outside the walls, in the suburb that would become the Raval. The great wards, roofed with very high timber trusses, have since housed the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
The hospital cared for the poor for over five centuries, until it moved to the Sant Pau pavilions in 1929. Antoni Gaudí died here on 10 June 1926, first in the common ward, then in a private room. Knocked down by a tram on 7 June, he had at first been taken for a pauper.
Next door, the former College of Surgery, built in 1762–1763 to plans by Ventura Rodríguez, keeps its anatomy theatre. A dome, tiered benches, and at the centre a marble dissecting table, one of the few preserved in Europe.
What to look for
- The orange trees in the courtyard, and the stone cross at its centre.
- The pointed arches of the gallery, on two levels.
- The ceramic tiles in the hall of the Casa de Convalescència, now home to the Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
The guide’s view
Cross the courtyard from one street to the other: it is the residents’ shortcut. The anatomy theatre can only be seen on a guided tour, booked through the Acadèmia.
8 min · 450 m. Leave the courtyard by Carrer del Carme, then turn left into Carrer dels Àngels as far as the square.
- Address
- Plaça dels Àngels 1
- Hours
- Monday, Wednesday–Friday 11:00–19:30; Saturday 10:00–20:00; Sunday 10:00–15:00; closed Tuesday
- Price
- €13.50 online, €15 on site; free on the first Sunday of the month and, according to Barcelona Urbana, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 18:00 (to be confirmed on macba.cat)
- Time on site
- 1 hr 30
A white building by the American Richard Meier, opened on 28 November 1995. Behind its great glass wall, ramps rise from floor to floor. You see the square from the galleries, and the galleries from the square.
The city’s wager was to draw the public and galleries into a run-down district. It changed the upper Raval, at the cost, say its critics, of rising rents. The new building opposite has been taken to court by the Raval residents’ network. They object that it takes up part of the square.
Facing the museum, the 15th-century Gothic chapel of the Àngels convent serves as an exhibition space, free of charge.
What to look for
- The ramps behind the glass, cutting the façade on a diagonal.
- The square, one of the best-known skating spots in the world.
What most people miss
The Capella dels Àngels, across the square, is a bare Gothic nave. The museum shows installations and videos there, with no ticket needed.
The guide’s view
If you have only an hour, take the ramps up to the top level and come back down through the permanent collection.
2 min · 100 m north-west, along Carrer de Montalegre.
- Address
- Carrer de Montalegre 5
- Hours
- Tuesday–Sunday and public holidays 10:00–20:00; closed Monday
- Price
- One exhibition €8 online, €10 on site; two exhibitions €8; free on Sunday from 15:00 to 20:00, by reservation
- Time on site
- 10 min for the courtyard, 1 hr 30 with an exhibition
The former Casa de la Misericòrdia took in orphans and paupers. The poorhouse has become a centre for exhibitions and debates on the city and contemporary culture.
In the courtyard, the Pati de les Dones, a glass wing replaces one of the sides. Its top folds inwards like a mirror. From the courtyard you see the rooftops of the Raval in it and, on a clear day, the sea.
What to look for
- The mirror at the top of the glass wing, seen from the centre of the courtyard.
- The three stone wings of the old poorhouse that close the courtyard.
The guide’s view
Go into the courtyard even without a ticket. Sunday afternoon is free, but you must book.
13 min · 750 m south along Carrer de Joaquín Costa to Carrer de l’Hospital. The Rambla del Raval opens opposite.
- Address
- Rambla del Raval, opposite Plaça de Vázquez Montalbán
- Time on site
- 15 min, longer on a terrace
There was no square here. To “air” the densest district in the city, the council demolished five blocks and twenty-nine buildings, and rehoused their residents. Mayor Joan Clos opened the rambla on 21 September 2000.
Fernando Botero’s fat bronze cat was bought by the city in 1987. It wandered from the Ciutadella to the Olympic pools before arriving here on 28 March 2003. Botero reportedly wanted it in front of the MACBA; it was moved to the middle of the walkway in 2019.
What to look for
- The cat, its whiskers and raised tail, at a child’s height.
- The palm trees and terraces, where five blocks of buildings once stood.
A rambla that divides
For urban planners, the scheme opened the lower Raval to the sun. For some residents, it mainly opened the way to hotels and rising rents. Both readings have been argued for twenty-five years.
The guide’s view
Take a break on a bench near the cat, and watch the people. It is one of the few squares in Barcelona where all the district’s origins truly meet.
6 min · 350 m south to Carrer de Sant Pau, then right to the church.
- Address
- Carrer de Sant Pau 101
- Hours
- Monday–Saturday 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:40; on Sunday, guided tour only on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 12:45 (€10); closed on public holidays
- Price
- €6; free for under-12s
- Time on site
- 30 min
Saint Paul of the Fields: the monastery then stood outside the city, among the fields. The tombstone of Count Guifré Borrell, who died in 911, kept in the church, suggests the community existed by the early 10th century.
The present church dates mostly from the 11th and 12th centuries, after the sack of Barcelona by the caliph of Córdoba in 985. The 13th-century cloister rests on paired colonnettes. Its three- and five-lobed arches give their shape to the frames of the drawings on this page.
What to look for
- The Romanesque portal on the façade, and its archivolts.
- The lobed arches of the cloister and their capitals, often damaged and worn.
- Guifré Borrell’s tombstone, inside the church.
What most people miss
The cloister is tiny: a few steps across. It is its small size, amid the apartment blocks, that makes its effect.
The guide’s view
Come on a weekday before 17:40. On Sunday the church is used for worship and can be visited only with the guide, twice a month.
6 min · 350 m. Retrace your steps along Carrer de Sant Pau; the Filmoteca is on the left, past the Rambla del Raval.
- Address
- Plaça de Salvador Seguí 1–9
- Exhibition
- Free entry with a ticket to collect: Tuesday–Friday 10:00–14:00, Tuesday–Sunday 16:00–21:00
- Screenings
- €4; reduced €3
- Time on site
- 10 min, 2 hr with a film
A block of raw concrete by Josep Lluís Mateo, completed in 2011, set on the edge of Carrer d’en Robador. The cinemas are underground; above them, the beams and their cables remain visible, as on a building site.
The square is named after Salvador Seguí, an anarchist trade-union leader murdered in 1923. The building, with a neighbouring hotel, was meant to change this corner of the lower Raval, known for street prostitution and drug dealing. The change is real, and incomplete: both are still there, a few metres away.
What to look for
- The concrete cantilevers above the glazed entrance.
- The contrast with the buildings of Carrer d’en Robador, on the other side.
The guide’s view
An evening screening, for €4, in a film-archive cinema. It is the best way to spend time in the lower Raval without staying on the street.
1 min · 50 m. The Bar Marsella is on the corner of Carrer de Sant Pau and Carrer de Sant Ramon.
- Address
- Carrer de Sant Pau 65
- Hours
- Open in the evening, from 17:00, Tuesday to Sunday according to Atlas Obscura (undated): to be confirmed on site
- Time on site
- Time for a drink
Opened in 1820, it is said to be the oldest bar in the city. The décor has barely changed: peeling ceiling, spotted mirrors, chandeliers, regulars’ bottles kept behind glass cases.
The house serves absinthe, drunk the old way: a sugar lump on a fork over the glass, with water poured on top. Tradition has Picasso, Hemingway and Dalí drinking here; nothing proves it.
What to look for
- The sign forbidding singing, a relic of Francoism according to Atlas Obscura.
- The bottles set aside by regulars, behind the glass cases.
The guide’s view
One glass of absinthe is enough: it is strong. The bar is small and packed at weekends, calmer early in the evening on weekdays.
6 min · 350 m. Walk down Carrer de Sant Ramon, then turn left into Carrer Nou de la Rambla.
- Address
- Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3–5
- Hours
- From 1 November to 31 March: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:30, last entry 16:30; closed Monday except public holidays
- Price
- €15; reduced €12; free on the first Sunday of the month and for under-12s
- Time on site
- 1 hr 15
The town palace of the industrialist Eusebi Güell, built by Gaudí from 1886 to 1890 on a street that polite society already avoided. A grey stone façade, almost severe, pierced by two parabolic-arched doorways wide enough for carriages.
Inside, everything rises towards the central salon, under a dome pierced with small holes that let light through like stars. The stables, in the basement, rest on mushroom-shaped brick pillars.
What to look for
- The wrought iron of the doors, and the Catalan coat of arms between them.
- On the roof, the chimneys covered in trencadís, the broken-tile mosaic.
The guide’s view
The most underrated Gaudí in the centre: here you see where everything else came from. It costs less than Casa Batlló, with smaller crowds.
The guide’s view
Book the opening slot. Save the roof for last: it has the best light on the chimneys.
3 min · 200 m. Head back to La Rambla, walk up it, then turn left into Carrer de Sant Pau.
- Address
- Carrer de Sant Pau 9–11
- Practical
- A working hotel: you see the Modernista rooms by having a drink at the bar or lunch at the Fonda España
- Time on site
- 15 min
An inn opened in 1859, transformed at the turn of the 20th century by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, architect of the Palau de la Música. The sculptor Eusebi Arnau and the painter Ramon Casas worked with him.
The 2010 renovation kept the original spaces, light fittings, mosaics and paintings. In the bar, Eusebi Arnau’s great alabaster fireplace dominates the room.
What to look for
- The alabaster fireplace and its carved figures.
- The Modernista dining room designed by Domènech i Montaner.
The guide’s view
Go in discreetly, as a customer: a coffee at the bar gives access to the fireplace without bothering anyone.
1 min · 50 m to La Rambla: the Liceu is on the corner.
- Address
- La Rambla 51–59
- Practical
- Tours and performances: times and prices on liceubarcelona.cat
- Time on site
- 10 min, 1 hr with the tour
The opera house of the industrial bourgeoisie, opened in 1847 on the Raval side of La Rambla. An anarchist bomb killed members of the audience here in 1893.
On 31 January 1994 a fire destroyed the auditorium. Rebuilding took four years; the Liceu reopened in 1999. The walk ends here, in front of the metro where it began.
What to look for
- The entrance on La Rambla, more modest than the hall it serves.
- Across La Rambla, the Pla de l’Os and its pavement mosaic by Joan Miró.
The guide’s view
To see the auditorium, a performance beats a tour: book last-minute seats on the Liceu website.
