Gothic Quarter Walking Guide

The Barri Gòtic is the oldest part of Barcelona, built on top of the Roman town of Barcino. Much of what you see is medieval, some of it is Roman, and a surprising amount was "made Gothic" in the early 20th century to impress visitors. None of that spoils the walk. This loop takes about two hours at an easy pace, longer if you stop, and works best early in the morning before the tour groups arrive. The city caps the size of guided groups in the old town and bans them from using loudspeakers, but the lanes still fill up by late morning.

1. Plaça Nova. Start by the two round towers of the old Roman gate, next to a stretch of the city wall. Across the square, the Col·legi d'Arquitectes has a frieze drawn by Picasso on its façade.
2. The cathedral. The Gothic Cathedral of Barcelona, with a neo-Gothic front added in the late 19th century. Go into the cloister, where 13 white geese live, one for each year of the life of Saint Eulàlia, the city's martyred patron. There's a charge for parts of the visit at certain times, so check the cathedral's website.
3. Pont del Bisbe. The carved stone bridge over Carrer del Bisbe is on every postcard. It looks medieval but was built in 1928.
4. Plaça Sant Felip Neri. A small, quiet square with a church whose walls are pitted with shrapnel from a bombing raid in 1938 that killed dozens of people, many of them children. Pause here.
5. El Call. The old Jewish quarter, a tight knot of lanes around Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call. Its community was destroyed in 1391. A small interpretation centre explains the history.
6. Plaça Sant Jaume. The political heart of Catalonia, with the city hall on one side and the Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of the Catalan government, facing it.
7. The Temple of Augustus. Walk up Carrer del Paradís and step into the courtyard at number 10. Inside stand four Roman columns from a temple of the 1st century BC, squeezed between later buildings. Most people walk straight past the door.
8. Plaça del Rei. A stone square enclosed by the old royal palace. Underneath it, the city history museum (MUHBA) has excavated Roman streets, a laundry and a wine-making workshop you can walk above on glass walkways.
9. Plaça Reial. Finish in this arcaded square of palm trees, just off Las Ramblas. The lampposts are an early Gaudí commission. The terraces are pricey, but the square is lovely in the evening.

From here, El Born is ten minutes east, with Santa Maria del Mar and the Picasso Museum. Both are in our things to do list. If you'd like to sleep in the old town, our where to stay guide explains the noise trade-off.