
Miramar to Port Cable Car
A 1931 cable car that runs from Miramar hotel and gardens to Barceloneta with a mid-point tower at the world trade centre Ferry and cruise ship terminal.
Views: 864
Updated: Sep 18, 2021
Updated: Jan 11, 2023
The Barceloneta neighbourhood is famous for being the beach village in Barcelona, historically being home to the fishermen of the city but it's origins are a lot darker.
Barceloneta did not exist in the 1700's. It was a small spit of land made up of sediment from a southerly tidal current. This spit of land gave natural shelter to the port of Barcelona, today what is Port Vell. The Spanish War of Succession from 1701 to 1714 meant that French forces built a fortress, la Citadel on what is today Parc Cuitadella.
The construction of la Citadel involved the demolition of a large residential area of Barcelona that was previously occupied by dock workers, fishermen and other professions related to sea trade. These workers relocated to what is now Barceloneta to form a new village outside of the medieval walls of the city of Barcelona.
Much of Barceloneta is built on land reclaimed from the sea because the medieval port of Barcelona built a breakwater, pier and dock extending out from the natural flat Barcelona coast to augment the natural shelter of Barcelona port. By 1823, Barceloneta was its own established village with Sant Miquel Del Port Church and narrow parallel streets with with long identical buildings of apartments for the workers.
The area North of the Barceloneta village on the coast was an industrial area with a railway line that produced goods such as town gas for the city. Today the gas works have been demolished and is now Parc de Barceloneta. These railway lines once ran next to the coast connecting Estacio de franca (Barcelona's main terminus during the 1800s) to the north and south.
The Barceloneta area has been extensively redeveloped, first for the 1992 Olympics with the construction of the Port Olympic Marina Then later in the 2000s with the expansion of the Barcelona container and cruise ship port the breakwater was extended a lot further which included the construction of Hotel W.
Today Barceloneta is no longer industrial, nor has a littoral railway but is a thriving beach area. The neighbourhood still retains some of the local community spirit but has suffered from modern hotels and gentrification. It is a trendy, cosmopolitan, tourist-driven neighbourhood because of its proximity to the beach, and is very popular in summer.
Barceloneta has the best seafood restaurants in Barcelona as well as the busy nightlife of Opium, Carpe Diem and Ice bar on the Somorrostro beach. Until a few years ago, Port Olympic Marina was also a thriving night club zone but this has since closed due to city plans for redevelopment of the marina.
Barceloneta is linked to Montjuic mountain by the red Miramar to Port cable car that flies over Port Vell. Barceloneta has the Catalunya history museum inside the old dock warehouse.
The Barceloneta beaches have seasonal beach bars, Chiringuitos, that appear in the summer then disappear in the winter. There are also beach vendors that sell direct to sunbathers.
Barceloneta is served by the metro yellow line Barceloneta stop or Cuitadella-Villa Olimpica stop.
Happy Exploring!
A 1931 cable car that runs from Miramar hotel and gardens to Barceloneta with a mid-point tower at the world trade centre Ferry and cruise ship terminal.
Views: 864
Updated: Sep 18, 2021
Former dock Warehouses (Palau de Mar). Industrial building housing museum documenting stone age to present day with multimedia exhibitions.
Views: 837
Updated: Jun 1, 2022
Notable for W Hotel, Sant Miquel and Barceloneta Beach, numerous beach bars (chiringuitos). These beaches suffer from pickpockets and bag thieves.
Views: 763
Updated: Jun 9, 2022
1755 Church in fisherman's village of Barceloneta. Built under the orders of Jaime Miguel de Guzman Davalos y Spinola, 2nd marques of mines and capital.
Views: 691
Updated: Jun 1, 2022
Rebuilt for 1929 International Exhibition by architect Pedro Muguruza with grand concourse. Last remaining Mainline surface railway station in Barcelona.
Views: 689
Updated: Sep 28, 2021
Barceloneta beach front park that was till 1989 a gas production factory and contains decorative water tower as well as the gas storage tank remains.
Views: 321
Updated: Jun 9, 2022
Built for sailing events of 1992 Olympics with views of hotel Arts and Torre Mapfre, sailing school and boat rental. No longer night club zone.
Views: 248
Updated: Jun 10, 2022
Hotel W is a large, five stars, sail shaped hotel, built on reclaimed land in the Barcelona port and in front of Sant Sebastian beach. completed in 2009.
Views: 231
Updated: Jun 9, 2022