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Exploring the Medieval El Born neighbourhood of Barcelona

Art Museums, a Cathedral, Designer boutique shops and tapas bars in a medieval quarter of downtown Barcelona of narrow winding streets

Updated: Jul 7, 2024 by: Barcelona Travel Hacks Views: 3k

About El Born

El Born Neighbourhood is the most fashionable place in the city full of boutique clothes shops for that one-off piece, as well as chic cafes, bars and restaurants. El born also has a vibrant nightlife and the largest concentration of art museums in Barcelona such as The Picasso museum, MEAM and MOCO.

El Born has Medieval origins as a settlement built on top of an area used for jousting competitions and celebrations. El born was a part of Barcelona that became urbanised by tradesmen and merchants due to it's proximity to the sea and growing Barcelona docks. El Born Montcada street was where the wealthiest of Barcelona's merchants built their town houses. Today these houses (or minor palaces) are now home to the Picasso Museum and MOCO.

El born district has Santa Maria del Mar cathedral rivalling that of the Gothic quarter Cathedral which offers guided tours to the roof terrace and bell tower. It is in the streets around the cathedral where you will find the greatest concentration of boutique shops.

Linking Santa Maria del Mar cathedral/major basilica to the El Born market is Passeig del born, a broad tree lined boulevard with great restaurants and tapas bars. At the end of Passeig del born is a building that once housed Barcelona's Municipal food distribution market but this has since moved to Zona Franca and the building is now El Born Cultural Centre, An incredible museum space with the remains of medieval houses and streets.

At the top of El born in Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt which has a modernist masterpiece called Palau de la Música Catalana. It was built on the grounds of a former monastery to serve as a music hall for the choir. Palau de La Musica offers guided tours as well as a broad program of live music. Continuing down this street you will find Plaça de Sant Pere with a very beautiful fountain in the middle and the 10th century Romanesque Sant Pere de les Puelles church which offers guided tours.


Click on any of the images below to for detailed information about that tourist attraction in El Born.

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10 Things to do and see in El Born

Map of El Born

Attractions

Latitute: 41.4 Longitude: 2.2 Zoom Level: 11

El Born Tickets and Tours

Experience Catalonian and Spanish culinary traditions with a guided stroll through the streets of Barcelona’s El Born district and Gothic Quarter. Gain an in-depth local culture and gastronomy with a visit to 4 local tapas bars with tastings and wine included. Your guide will escort you to some of the top tapas bars in the area, popular with the locals. Taste delicious food such as Iberian ham, various kinds of cheese from around Spain, the spicy patatas brava, octopus, and other tasty tapas accompanied by local wine.

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Savor the flavors of different wines from Spain and Catalonia at a wine tasting in the heart of Barcelona's Born District. Embark on a journey through the different wine regions to get a better understanding of their individual produce. Whether you consider yourself a wine connoisseur or a complete novice, the experience has something for you! Benefit from the services of an expert sommelier to learn the basics about Spanish wines and the different regions. Taste a selection of regional wines and hear about the different grape varieties. Get tips on wine tasting techniques and hear how to pair food with different wines.

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Located 100m from the Picasso museum is another great Art museum: Moco Museum Barcelona. Moco is bold, pink, disruptive and playful. Our evolving collection is a carefully curated balance between proven masters – such as Warhol, Basquiat and Banksy – and rising talent. From reality shifting light installations to contemporary Japanese sculpture, at Moco there’s a little something for every taste.

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located 50m from the Picasso Museum, MEAM is a must-see destination for lovers of contemporary figurative art. With a collection that highlights works by artists from around the world. MEAM offers a unique window into the creativity and artistic expression of the 21st century, from paintings to sculptures, the museum presents a wide variety of works that capture the beauty and complexity of figurative art today.

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Getting to El Born

Born has narow winding streets and is one of the oldest parts of Central downtown Barcelona and as such no metro lines run underneath but the neighbourhood is surounded by lines and stations which provide access.

To the left of El born is Gothic Quarter with the dividing line between them being Via Leitana with the yellow Metro Line (L4) running underneath. The best metro stop for el Born is Jaume I.

To the right of El Born is Parc Cuitadella with the best stop being the metro Red line (L1) Arc De Triomf station. This station is also served by Renfe Rodalies commuter rail trains.

At the bottom of El born is the Barceloneta neighbourhood which is served by Estacio de Franca Renfe station providing Regional and Rodalies rail services. The Yellow Metro line (L4) also stops at Barceloneta.

At the top of El born the Eixample district borders El born in Plaça de Urquinaona served by the red Metro Line (L1).

Use a T-Casual or Hola-Barcelona travel card.

Car parking in El Born

Where to Eat El Born

El Born is the place to go for eating tapas and for restaurants and bars. Below is a list of thr top highly recommended restarants and Bars in El Born.

Near Palau de la Música & Sant Pere Church

Near Santa Maria del Mar basilica & Picasso Museum

Documents for El Born

Click on any one of the 2 PDFs to view in full screen and download.

Weather for Barcelona

What to take with you for El Born

Where to stay overnight in the Barcelona El Born Neighbourhood



How much does El Born Day Trip Cost?

El Born is free to walk around in with the below museums and Basilica charging for visits and guided tours.

Description Adult Adult Discounts Child Child Discounts
Palau De La Música € 18.00 Students €11, Over 65 years €16 FREE Free under 10 years
Santa María del Mar Basílica € 15.00 Students, Over 65 years €10.50 FREE Free under 10 years
Picasso Museum € 14.00 Under 25, Seniors and students €7.50 FREE Free under 18 years
Born Cultural Centre € 4.00 Unemployed, Seniors and students €2.80 FREE Free under 8 years
€ 51.00 Adult Total € 0.00 Child Total

Things to do near El Born

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