Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Platja de Sant Sebastià and Passeig Marítim
Barceloneta
Barceloneta's beach,
Platja de Sant Sebastià
is the first in the series of sandy city beaches
that stretches northeast from here along the coast as far as the River Besòs. It curves out past
the indoor and outdoor swimming pools of the
Club Natació
to the landmark, sail-shaped
W Barcelona
hotel, designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill. Meanwhile, at the Bar-
celoneta end there are beach bars, outdoor cafés and public sculptures, while a double row
of palms backs the
Passeig Marítim
esplanade that runs above the sands as far as the Port
Olímpic (a 15min walk). Just before the port there rises the dramatic latticed funnel of wood
and steel that is the
Parc Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona
(PRBB), the city's biomedical
research centre.
Casa de la Barceloneta
C/de Sant Carles 6 • Tues-Fri 11am-1pm & 4-8pm, Sat 10am-2pm • Free •
bcn.cat/ciutatvella
• Bar-
celoneta
The two-story
Casa de la Barceloneta
has seen its fair share of change over the centuries.
Constructed in 1761, the Baroque-style building, which faces three streets, was home to one
of the neighbourhood's maritime families before being chopped into smaller units, turned in-
toagrocerystoreandthenconvertedintoarestaurant.Ithadfallenintodisrepairbeforebeing
restored and transformed into a cultural and interpretative centre. Inside, you'll find a small
yet informative exhibition about the evolution of the neighbourhood's buildings, as well as
an upstairs gallery space.
Port Olímpic
Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica
Approaching the Olympic port along the Passeig Marítim, the shimmering golden mirage
above the promenade slowly reveals itself to be a
huge copper fish
(courtesy of Frank O.
Gehry, architect of the Bilbao Guggenheim). It's the emblem of the huge seafront develop-
ment constructed for the 1992 Olympics - site of many of the Olympic watersports events
- and is backed by the city's two tallest buildings, the
Torre Mapfre
and the steel-framed
Hotel Arts Barcelona
, both 154m high. The bulk of the action is contained within two
wharves: the
Moll de Mestral
has a lower deck by the marina lined with cafés, bars and
terrassas
, while the
Moll de Gregal
sports a double-decker tier of seafood restaurants. The
whole zone turns into a full-on resort in summer, backed by a series of class-conscious clubs
along Passeig Marítim that appeal to the local rich kids and A-list celebs.
