The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

THE WATERFRONT: FROM PORT VELL TO DIAGONAL MAR

The waterfront: from

Port Vell to Diagonal

Mar

erhaps the greatest recent transformation in the city has been along the

waterfront

, where harbour and Mediterranean have once again been

placed at the heart of Barcelona. Dramatic changes here over the last

two decades have shifted the cargo and container trade away to the

south, opened up the old docksides as promenades and entertainment areas,

and landscaped the city’s beaches to the north – it’s as if a theatre curtain has

been lifted to reveal that, all along, Barcelona had an urban waterfront of which

it could be proud.

Reaching the bottom of the Ramblas puts you within strolling distance of

some heavyweight tourist attractions, including the

Mirador de Colón

(Columbus statue),

Museu Marítim

, the sightseeing harbour

boat trips

, and

the boardwalks and promenades of the inner harbour, known as

Port Vell

.The

old wharves and warehouses have been replaced by an entertainment zone that

encompasses the Maremàgnum shopping and nightlife centre, the city’s high-

profile aquarium and IMAX screens and, across the marina, the impressive

Museu d’Història de Catalunya

. The wedge of land backing the marina is

Barceloneta

, an eighteenth-century fishing quarter that’s the most popular

place to come and sample the fish and seafood dishes of which Barcelona is

most proud.

From Barceloneta, six interlinked

beaches

stretch up the coast, backed by an

attractive promenade. The city’s inhabitants have taken to these in a big way,

strolling, jogging and skating their length and descending in force at the weekend

for a leisurely lunch at a nearby restaurant.The main development is around the

Port Olímpic

, filled with places to eat, drink and shop, and although fewer

tourists keep on as far as the old working-class neighbourhood of

Poble Nou

its beaches, historic cemetery and pretty

rambla

make for an interesting diversion.

The coastal redevelopment extends as far as

Diagonal Mar

, where the Avinguda

Diagonal meets the sea.This conference and exhibition district expands upon the

buildings and infrastructure of the Universal Forum of Cultures, the diversity and

sustainability exposition held here in 2004.