El Raval's Cultural Highlights and Hidden Gems

One of the joys of Barcelona is its little squares hidden amid the alleys and buildings of the city's older districts. They are often lined with bars and restaurants and each one offers something distinct in atmosphere, architecture or clientele. They are the perfect place to sit back and get a sense of those distinct qualities each neighborhood carries.

With the crowds of the Ramblas just two blocks away, start in the quiet, traffic-free Placa Sant Vicen Martorell in el Raval. Here you will find several terrace bars to enjoy some light refreshment, including the lovely terrace of the bar Kasparo. The kitchen here is open all day and serves up a selection of tasty sandwiches, tapas and cakes.
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Kasparo
Plaça de Vicenç Martorell, 4
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Hours
Daily 9am-11pm

The fashionable statues of the Raval district are strongly linked to the opening of the MACBA, the museum for contemporary art designed by Richard Meier in 1995. This cultural landmark ignited the regeneration of this inner-city zone, bringing in art and design where before there was only crime and grime.
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Pl. dels Angels, 1.
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Admission
€7.50
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September-June
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11am-7:30pm
Saturday 10am-8pm
Sunday, holidays 10am-3pm
June-September
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11am-8pm
Saturday Closed
Sunday, holidays 10am-3pm

The Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu is a tree-filled refuge of tranquility in the middle of the Raval district. The Gothic hospital complex (1401) is today home to educational and cultural organizations, including Catalonia's national library, an art school and an exhibition space. Barcelona's celebrated architect Antonio Gaud died in the hospital after he was tragically run over by a tram in 1926.
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Address: Carrer de Hospital, 56, Barcelona, Spain 08001

National library hours
Monday-Friday 9am-8pm
Saturday 9am-2pm
Sunday Closed

Nearby Carrer del Doctor Dou, which is peppered with interesting commercial art galleries, gives a good flavor of the new fashionable ethos of this neighborhood. Ras has a slick design interior and combines a bookshop, gallery and experimental exhibition space.
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Ras
Carrer del Doctor Dou 10
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Hours
Tuesday-Saturday noon-8pm

The development of Rambla da Raval marks the change of the district from marginalized to modern while still retaining its strong cultural diversity. The Rambla is a short promenade similar in form to the Ramblas, lined with palm trees and surrounded by terrace bars. It is a pleasant place to sit on a bench alongside the local population and watch the world go by. "El Gat," a cat sculpture by celebrated Colombian artist Fernando Boteroro, resides at the southern end of the thoroughfare.

The church or monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, which literally translates as St. Paul of the countryside, is the oldest church in Barcelona. The name Raval comes from the meaning of outside the city walls and in medieval times the area was mostly fields with monasteries, hospitals, hospices and universities built upon them.
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Address: Sant Pau 99, El Raval, Barcelona, Spain
Phone: 93-441-00-01
Admission: Free
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 11am-1pm

Great architecture makes great cities and Antoni Gaudi was certainly instrumental in the development of modern-day Barcelona's enviable reputation. This palace, perhaps Gaudi's most celebrated masterpiece, was the residence of his patron, Eusebi Gell.

Constructed between 1886 and 1889, this mansion for the Catalan industrial tycoon contains particularly ornate walls and ceilings. A phoenix sculpture guards the entrance and inside a magnificent hall spans three floors to form the center of the building. It has now opened after a lengthy closure for extensive restoration work.
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Address:
Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3-5
08001 Barcelona 08001 Barcelona
Phone: 934 725 775

Admission: €10

Hours:
October-March: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5:30pm
April-September: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-8pm

A visit to Barcelona would not be complete without visiting one of the city's modernista (Catalunya's Art Nouveau movement) bars.

London Bar is an atmospheric bolt hole once popular with the likes of Picasso, Hemingway and Mir. Sip cocktails and enjoy live music spanning jazz and folk genres while you mix with the lively international crowd.
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Carrer Nou de la Rambla 34
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Daily 7:30pm-5am