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the wharf, the wooden
Rambla de Mar
swing bridge strides across the
harbour to the
Moll d’Espanya
, whose main features are the leisure complex
known as Maremàgnum – jammed with fast-food joints, shops, restaurants and
bars – plus the aquarium and IMAX cinema. The eastern arm of the Moll
d’Espanya connects back to the Moll de la Fusta, providing pedestrian access to
the
Palau de Mar
at the northern end of Barceloneta’s Passeig Joan de Borbó.
This old warehouse has been beautifully restored, with a series of restaurants in
the lower arcade overlooking the marina and the regional history museum
occupying the upper floors.
Maremàgnum and the Moll d’Espanya
Maremàgnum
(daily 10am–10pm;
W
www.maremagnum.es;
o
Drassanes) is
a typically bold piece of Catalan design, the soaring glass lines of the complex
tempered by the surrounding undulating wooden walkways. Inside are two
floors of gift shops and boutiques, plus a range of bars and restaurants with
harbourside seating and high prices. It’s a fun place to come at night, though
no self-respecting local would rate the food as anything but ordinary.
Outside, benches and park areas provide fantastic views back across the
harbour to the city.
Anchoring Moll d’Espanya,
L’Aquàrium
(daily: July & Aug 9.30am–11pm;
Sept–June 9.30am–9pm, until 9.30pm at weekends; €16;
T
932 217 474,
W
www.aquariumbcn.com;
o
Drassanes) drags in families and school parties
throughout the year to see “a magical world, full of mystery”. Or, to be more
precise, to see 11,000 fish and sea creatures in 35 themed tanks representing
underwater caves, tidal areas, tropical reefs and the planet’s oceans. It’s vastly
overpriced and despite the claims of excellence it offers few new experiences,
save perhaps the eighty-metre-long walk-through underwater tunnel which
brings you face to face with gliding rays and cruising sharks. Some child-
centred displays and activities, and a nod towards ecology and conservation
matters, pad out the attractions before you’re tipped out in the aquarium shop
so they can part you from even more of your money.
IMAX Port Vell
(
T
932 251 111,
W
www.imaxportvell.com) stands next to
the aquarium, with three screens showing films hourly from 11am in 3D or
giant screen format.The themes are familiar – the mysteries of the human body,
forces of nature, heroic exploration, alien adventure etc – and tickets are fairly
reasonably priced (€8 or €12, depending on the film), but you’ll find that the
films are in Spanish or Catalan only. Instead, you might saunter down to the
sloping lawn nearby, where there’s usually a school party examining the replica
of the strange fish-shaped submarine, the
Ictineo
, a genuine Catalan curiosity
(see opposite). From here, it’s only a ten-minute walk down the
moll
, past the
towering Roy Lichtenstein sculpture, and around the marina to the Palau de
Mar and Barceloneta.
Museu d’Història de Catalunya
The only surviving warehouse on the Port Vell harbourside is known as the
Palau de Mar, home to the
Museu d’Història de Catalunya
(Tues &
Thurs–Sat 10am–7pm, Wed 10am–8pm, Sun & holidays 10am–2.30pm; €4,
first Sun of month & public holidays free;
T
932 254 700,
W
www.mhcat.net;
o
Barceloneta), which traces the history of Catalunya from the Stone Age to
the twentieth century. It’s a spacious exhibition area wrapped around a wide
atrium, with temporary shows on the ground floor and a lift to take you to
the permanent displays on the upper floors: second floor for year dot to the
THE WATERFRONT: FROM PORT VELL TO DIAGONAL MAR
|
Port Vell