For visitors going to the city Barcelona, Plaza Catalunya and Las Ramblas constitute the origin of the city. Millions of people walk every day along those two icons of the centre of Barcelona. The neighbourhood is between Paral.lel, la ronda de Sant Pau, la calle Pelayo and Las ramblas. It covers the west area of Las Ramblas.

El raval was historically the red-light zone and a slum of Old Barcelona. The area is quickly becoming the city’s new ‘in’ area. A lot of bars and clubs are frequently visited by young artists and bohemian types. They now fill formerly sketchy alleyways. El Raval is the alternative scene. The old reputation had been dispersed, thanks to its new and diverse developments especially on the cultural sight.

The representative of the Fundaciòn Tot Raval said: ’it is a completely different world’.  It is a mix of cultures is this neighbourhood. If you walk in the small busy streets you will find small Chinese shops where you can find everything you think off. There are bars and restaurants with food from all over the world. There live a lot of Moroccans, Filipinos, Indonesians, and people from the Dominican republic. It is a miscellany of cultures and nationalities living in this area. They all contribute in the neighbourhood with their own specialties. There are a lot of people looking for a job, they don’t get any help. Especially in the district Ciutat Vella and El Raval. The highest number of arrests are in El Raval and that’s why the Mossos d’Equadra have a big office in this neighbourhood. El Raval got safer every year, but you still have to watch your wallet if you walk around. There are 380 kids who are going to school in the neighbourhood El Raval and 80% of them are immigrants. They prefer working before education and they are really hard to motivate says a teacher of a school in El Raval. And offcourse it is hard to teach children with 23 nationalities using Catalan to communicate.

On the cultural sight there is a Centre de Cultura Contemporani on the Montalegre 5. Only the inner court is already impressive enough to visit, it is very accessible. If you go in on the back site you will see two beautiful modern buildings. One is the museum of contemporary arts called: MACBA. Close to the MACBA on placa salvador segui is a huge wall-painting of Keith Harring. Influenced by this and Catalunya’s beautiful National library, found here, the raval barrio flaunts bookstores including trendy art book ‘galleries’, cafes and bars. There are busy little streets are full of in-the-know music and record stores and it is also a favourite for vintage-style shopping. Besides the MACBA gallery there is Palau Güell. The multicultural neighbourhood and great setting off las ramblas makes El Raval perfect for everyone who wants a mix of excitement and art.

About Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, It is located on the Mediterranean coast, with one of Europe's principal ports, and its airport is the second largest in Spain. Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and became a major tourist destination after the 1992 World Olimpics. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudí that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Finding Accommodation

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