La Barceloneta

There’s a triangle of mostly reclaimed land on the seaward side of the erstwhile fishing port, now home to luxury yachts, called La Barceloneta. Life here is old-school. Working class. Generational families and community bonds that go back years. It’s not always pretty. The streets are often dirty because of the number of tourists, and for the most part the buildings are uninspiring, pokey fisherman housing from a bygone era. Despite what might be drawbacks in any other neighborhood, the barrio has an alluring charm that’s difficult to resist, attracting an increasing number of tourists as well as locals every year.

When I moved here from London I wanted a blend of city and beach life, and La Barceloneta has it in spades. Quaint wood-paneled bars and restaurants where the waiters are all at least 60 years old and dressed in apauleted uniforms, craft beer bars, Italian sandwich shops, and decades if not centuries-old traditional Catalan restaurants. La Barceloneta has it all.

If you want boutique shopping, though, you need to go out of the barrio. La Barceloneta’s focus is on eating and drinking and summer fun at the beach. A short walk into Born soon scratches that itch.

The main boulevard that runs from the intersection of El Gótico and El Born down to the pointy end of the triangle, Psg Joan de Borbó, is different from the rest of La Barceloneta in that it is populated with handsome buildings more akin to the rest of Barcelona. These are special, having, as they do, both sunrise views across to the sea and port and city views that are painted daily with the most magnificent sunset oranges, pinks, and reds silhouetting the iconic skyline of Barcelona.

Joan de Borbó is highly sought after because it encapsulates the easy-going, relaxed charm of the beach as well as the cosmopolitan vibe of the city. El Gótico and El Born are a 10-minute walk maximum from it.

To my knowledge, there really is no other place like La Barceloneta in Spain. Yes, the country is chock full of beachside towns, but for the most part, these tend to lack the convenience and services of a city, and what’s worse, they tend to close down for the winter off-season—La Barceloneta doesn’t ever close.