Explore Barcelona
The Barri Gòtic, or Gothic Quarter, forms the very heart of the old town, spreading out from the east side of the Ramblas. It’s a remarkable concentration of medieval buildings principally dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when Barcelona reached the height of its commercial prosperity before being absorbed into the burgeoning kingdom of Castile. It takes the best part of a day to see everything here, with the cathedral – La Seu – a particular highlight, and you certainly won’t want to miss the archeological remains at the Museu d’Història de la Ciutat or the eclectic collections of the Museu Frederic Marès. That said, sauntering through the atmospheric alleys or simply sitting at a café table in one of the lovely squares is just as much an attraction.
The picture-postcard images of the Barri Gòtic are largely based on the streets north of c/de Ferran and c/de Jaume I, where tourists throng the boutiques, bars, restaurants, museums and galleries. South of here – from Plaça Reial and c/d’Avinyó to the harbour – the Barri Gòtic is rather more traditional (or sometimes just plain run-down).
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Boho Barcelona and the Four Cats
Boho Barcelona and the Four Cats
There’s not much to see in the shopping zone north of the cathedral, but a century or so ago a tavern called Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats; c/Montsió 3, wwww.4gats.com) burned brightly as the epicentre of Barcelona’s bohemian in-crowd. It was opened in 1897 as a gathering place for artists and literary types, with the building gloriously decorated in exuberant Catalan Art Nouveau style. Els Quatre Gats soon thrived as the scene of poetry readings and the venue for cultural debate, while a young Picasso designed the menu. Today, a modern restoration displays something of its former glory, with the bar-restaurant overseen by a copy of Ramon Casas’ famous wall-painting of himself and café founder Pere Romeu on a tandem bicycle (the original is in MNAC).
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A tour of Jewish Barcelona
A tour of Jewish Barcelona
Barcelona’s medieval Jewish quarter lay nestled in the shadow of the cathedral – under the Church’s careful scrutiny. It was centred on c/Sant Domènec del Call, where you’ll find the most notable surviving landmark, the Antiga Sinagoga (c/Marlet 5, corner with c/Sant Domènec del Call; Mon–Fri 10.30am–5.30pm, Sat & Sun 10.30am–3pm, sometimes closed Sat for ceremonies; €2.50; t933 170 790, wcalldebarcelona.org; mLiceu) – not many people stop by, and if you do, you’ll get a personalized tour of the small room by a member of the local Jewish community. The prosperous settlement persisted until the pogrom and forced conversion of 1391, after which most of the buildings used by the Jews were torn down. However, a plaque further down c/Marlet (junction with c/Arc Sant Ramon del Call) marks the site of the former rabbi’s house, while in nearby Plaçeta Manuel Ribé another house – originally belonging to a veil-maker – now serves as a small museum, the Centre d’Interpretació del Call (Pl. Manuel Ribé; Wed–Fri 11am–2pm, Sat 11am–6pm, Sun & hols 11am–2pm; free; t932 562 100, wmuseuhistoria.bcn.cat; mLiceu).
