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What to do in Barcelona: experiencing el Born
What to do in Barcelona: experiencing el Born. Museums, theatres, restaurants, arts and music are expecting you at the turn of every corner and all neighborhoods have their own identity and charm. Enjoy your trip!
In Barcelona, you can feel the sea breeze, the water wetting your feet and, on the same day, watch the sunset from a deck overlooking the entire city. Museums, theatres, restaurants, arts and music are expecting you at the turn of every corner and all neighbourhoods have their own identity and charm.
Barcelona is one of those cities that are best discovered by letting our intuition lead the way. After walking down the neighbourhood of Raval and drinking a mojito at the deck of the Barceló Raval, look for El Born neighbourhood from up high and then get lost heading that way.
WHAT TO DO IN BARCELONA
Between the beach of the Barceloneta and the Vía Laietana avenue, at the Eixample District, you can find El Born, a place that still preserves the charm of a typical town inside a large city, with its narrow streets that take you back to the old days of Barcelona. Known by some of the locals as La Ribiera, it is ten minutes away from the famous La Rambla and it was a place for jousting during the Middle Ages. Nowadays, a long time after that, it has become one of the hip neighbourhoods of the Catalonian capital.
The narrow streets, where drivers tend to have a hard time, provide visitors with unexpected patios or lead to ample and luminous squares full of decks and a festive vibe any day of the week. The most impressive of them all is the Santa María del Mar square, which features a Gothic church with the same name, which can be accessed through the magical Argentaria street that connects the Paseig del Born promenade with the Vía Laietana avenue.
Some of El Born main attractions are its small stores. There is no better place in Barcelona to find unique garments or original gifts. Some of them are the StudioStore, which features interesting designs, La Clinique, which sells glasses for all tastes and Ivo and Co,, where you can find very original decorative items for your home. These stores are usually hidden among numerous bars that are perfect to have a snack during the weekends, such as the Bormuth, in front of the Mercat del Born (El Born Market), ideal to have some cod fritters or croquettes.
Palau de la Música Catalana and Mercat del Born are the undisputable cultural hot spots of this neighbourhood. Featuring an active schedule of theatrical, literary and musical activities, Mercat del Born, a beautiful iron and glass building, houses within it the archaeological remains of the ancient distribution of the neighbourhood, a unique way to travel to the past!
