Description

Essentials about El Raval in brief

In contrast to its neighboring Gothic Quarter, which has always been a tourist hotspot, the neighborhood El Raval was for a long time a black spot on Barcelona’s tourist map. Until the 1980s, few tourists strayed into the narrow and often dilapidated alleys of the gloomy old town quarter, even though it is home to the Monestir Sant Pau del Camp (Monastery of St. Paul in the Field), the Drassanes Reials (Royal Shipyards) and the Hospital de la Santa Creu (Hospital of the Holy Cross). Since the fundamental redevelopment of the neighborhood in the early 1990s and the construction of the Museum of Contemporary Art, El Raval has also become a popular tourist destination and trendy district.

The restoration of El Raval

The situation changed in the course of preparations for the 1992 Olympic Games, during which Barcelona wanted to present itself as a clean and modern metropolis. A large number of buildings were redeveloped in El Raval, and some were also demolished in order to create light corridors in the thicket of narrow streets. The most visually dramatic change to El Raval was the construction of the Rambla del Raval in 1999/2000, when more than a hundred buildings were demolished to create a 300-meter-long and nearly 50-meter-wide palm-lined boulevard in the center of the district.

The sights of El Raval

The greatest impetus for the revitalization of the district came from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA), inaugurated in 1995. It quickly became one of Barcelona’s main tourist magnets. The Palau Güell, located in El Raval, and the Boqueria market hall have also become popular visitor destinations.

The trendy El Raval district

The modernization of the building fabric and the establishment of numerous art and cultural institutions has transformed El Raval into one of Barcelona’s most popular student and trendy neighborhoods. In the historic alleys of the neighborhood you can find stores for vintage clothes, second-hand record stores, hip bars, trendy restaurants and even luxury hotels. Although El Raval has strong gentrification tendencies, it is still one of the most colorful and multicultural neighborhoods in Barcelona.

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Getting there

By public transport:

Metro line 2: Stops Sant Antoni and Paral-lel

Metro line 3: Stops Drassanes, Liceu and Paral-lel

Mit dem Auto:

In El Raval there are a number of parking garages, such as Parking El Boqueria, Parking Saba Bamsa Paral-lel and Parking El Nou Raval.