Barcelona · Spain
Gothic Quarter
A practical guide to the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona: a walking route of about two hours through Roman Barcino, the cathedral and its squares, what's medieval and what's from 1928, and how to avoid pickpockets.
Worth walking with a route in hand. The Roman parts are real, some of the "Gothic" is a 1920s reconstruction, and knowing which is which makes the walk much better.
The Gothic Quarter is Barcelona’s oldest core, built on top of Barcino, the Roman colony Augustus founded around 15 BC. Within a few blocks there are columns from a Roman temple, 4th-century walls, a medieval cathedral, squares that carry the memory of the Civil War and a few corners that look medieval but are a hundred years old.
Our visit
It was our first afternoon in Barcelona, Wednesday, May 27. We arrived from Valencia on the Euromed at 12:20, had lunch at Bodega La Palma and at 14:35 started the route at Plaça de l’Àngel. We slept three nights in the quarter, so everything was within walking distance.
We did it in this order so we wouldn’t repeat streets: Plaça de l’Àngel, Pont del Bisbe, Plaça de Sant Jaume, Temple d’August, the cathedral, Sant Felip Neri, Caelum for convent sweets, the Roman walls and Plaça del Rei. Around 17:15 we crossed over to El Born.
A little history
Barcino started out as a small colony of about a thousand settlers. When the invasions of the 3rd century began, the city built a much thicker wall on top of the original one, with some 78 towers, and called it “the crowned city.” The builders were in a hurry and packed tombstones and pieces of old monuments into the walls, which you can still see.
The cathedral was begun in 1298 and its facade stayed bare for centuries; the neo-Gothic one you see today was finished between 1887 and 1913. For the 1929 Exposition, the city “re-Gothicized” part of the quarter: the architect Joan Rubió i Bellver, a collaborator of Gaudí, proposed redoing it in Gothic style, and although his plan was rejected, the Pont del Bisbe came out of it.
The hardest history is at Sant Felip Neri. The church was being used as a shelter for children when the Italian air force, fighting for Franco, bombed it on January 30, 1938. During the dictatorship people were told the marks came from firing squads; the 2007 plaque tells what really happened.
How it fits into your day
From Plaça del Rei it’s an eight-minute walk to Carrer de Montcada and El Born. Read our arrival day in Barcelona to see the whole afternoon, with Santa Maria del Mar and dinner at Cal Pep.
What to see, in order
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Plaça de l'Àngel
One of the four gates of Roman Barcino stood here. Look high up on a facade for the angel with a raised finger, and look down Carrer de la Llibreteria: it follows the line of the main Roman road.
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Pont del Bisbe
The neo-Gothic bridge between the Generalitat and the Casa dels Canonges. It looks 14th century and was inaugurated in 1928. Under the arch there's a skull pierced by a dagger, with several legends attached.
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Plaça de Sant Jaume
Where the Roman forum was. The Palau de la Generalitat and City Hall have faced each other for six centuries. City Hall's original Gothic facade is around the corner, on Carrer de la Ciutat.
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Temple d'August
Four nine-meter Corinthian columns from Barcino's main temple, inside a medieval courtyard at Carrer del Paradís 10. Free. On the street, a millstone marks the top of Mont Tàber, 16.9 meters above sea level.
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The cathedral
Catalan Gothic from 1298 to 1420 with a neo-Gothic facade finished in 1913. The best part is the cloister: palm trees, a fountain and 13 white geese, one for each year of Santa Eulàlia's life.
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Plaça de Sant Felip Neri
A hidden, silent square. The marks on the church wall are from shrapnel: on January 30, 1938, two bombs killed 42 people here, most of them children.
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The Roman walls
At Plaça de Ramon Berenguer el Gran, the 4th-century wall still stands about nine meters high, with a tower and the Gothic chapel of Santa Àgata on top. Look for blocks with Latin letters set sideways: they're reused tombstones.
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Plaça del Rei
The courtyard of the old royal palace, with the Saló del Tinell. Underneath, the MUHBA shows the excavated streets of the Roman city.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- Start at Plaça de l'Àngel and do the route as a loop; that way you don't repeat streets and the light keeps changing on the stone.
- The classic photo of the Pont del Bisbe is taken from the southern end of Carrer del Bisbe, looking north. Before 9:00 or after 22:00 there's almost nobody there.
- The cathedral requires covered shoulders and knees for everyone.
- Come back to Sant Felip Neri at night: with the fountain and a single streetlamp it's a different square.
Do
- Read the 2007 plaque at Sant Felip Neri before you listen to any guide: the marks are from bombs, not firing squads.
- Walk into Carrer del Paradís 10 even if it looks like a private doorway.
- Eat on the side streets, at places like Bodega La Palma, and not along the path between La Rambla and the cathedral.
Don’t
- Don't sign petitions on clipboards or accept sprigs of rosemary or bracelets: they're tricks to distract you or charge you.
- Don't sign up for ten-minute "mystery tours" at the Pont del Bisbe: they tell you the legend that's in any guidebook.
- Don't carry anything in your back pocket: the Gothic Quarter and the Jaume I metro are among the worst areas in the city for pickpockets.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need to explore the Gothic Quarter?
About two hours on foot for the squares, the Temple d'August, the walls and a pass through the cathedral cloister. Half a day if you do the full cathedral visit and the MUHBA.
Is the Gothic Quarter really medieval?
Partly. The walls and the Roman temple are 2,000 years old and the cathedral is medieval, but the Pont del Bisbe and several facades were built or rebuilt around the 1929 Exposition to give it a Gothic look.
Do you have to pay to enter the cathedral?
During tourist hours, yes: €16 for the cultural ticket, which includes the cloister, choir, rooftops and museum. Free entry only exists during worship hours and doesn't include the cloister.
Is the Gothic Quarter safe?
Yes, but it's one of the worst areas in Barcelona for pickpockets. Cross-body bag in front, nothing in your back pockets and watch out for anyone who stops you with a piece of paper or a bracelet.
Can you explore it without a guide?
Yes. The stops are two or three minutes apart and everything can be read from the street; with a route in order, you don't need a guide.