Barri Gotic, Barcelona

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When I was walking down the old latin quarter, I came across this hidden quarter. I went in and inside I also found an old fountain where in the water there were coins from all over the world. Very much a trait of fountains in Europe. I was getting greedy at the look of the coins since I am an avid coins collector.

Stroll around... its so funny and at the same you can discover hidden places and non-tourist streets, typical local tea houses or moroccan coffee shops...
Gotic preserves the former Barcelona alley streets and the culture is a melting pot actually .. morrocian, locals, chinese, pakistanese and other cultures live together there.. above all in Raval subquarter .. one of the most trendy places nowadays!

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We (schooltrip people) had to walk to learn about architecture in Barcelona. And We had to find a nice place to enjoy our picnic lunch.

So from "Barri Gotic" we walked through "el Arc de Triomf" to the park "de la Ciutadella": very nice.

After Lunch we walked to the "Olympic spot" and further along the beach.

When you are in the neighbourhood of the Barcelona Cathedral, you have to take a good look around. There are countless beautiful alleys and little squares here to explore. Here you can find the original Barri Gotic and make the most beautiful pictures.

The best part of the Barri Gotic is getting lost in the twists and turns, and then stumbling upon a square or a church that takes your breath away. The little (really little!) bars and cafes tucked into the old buildings make you feel like you've stepped back in time. Of course you're brought back to present day when a scooter comes racing by!

In the Gothic Quarter, not far from the Placa del Rei, you can find this quiet little terrace, where you can have a drink surrounded by old charming stnoe walls.
One of them is the Cathedral, so I think it won't be hard to find (I can't remember the exact address).

A seemingly random maze of endless streets will lull you into thinking this is an uninteresting residential part of the great city. But hidden amongst the graffiti and balconies are fantastic shops, great restaurants and beautiful buildings. You just have to know where to look! Either that, or spend days here wandering the streets and taking pictures of the streetlife. You'll be strolling down yet another vaguely downtrodden street, wondering where everybody is and suddenly realise how beautiful the street looks with the sun filtering down through the buildings... and you'll no longer care where everybody is.
It's not hectic like Las Ramblas, but it's more real, more natural and much more rewarding.

Immediately to the west of Las Ramblas is the Barri Gotic or Gothic quarter, formerly known as the Cathedral Quarter and Barcelona’s oldest quarter.

Its area extends roughly from the Rambla to the Placa Nova. This is where the Roman Barcino colony was founded in the first century and whose roman wall dates back to the third century. Perhaps the period of the city's greatest splendor were the 13th to 15th centuries, in which most of this Gothic Quarter was built and today contains many of the city's most emblematic buildings.

The Barri Gotic offers everything that Barcelona's Modernista architecture and l'Eixample do not. Streets in this district are very narrow. Its narrow, winding streets were not the products of careful planning and rapid execution, but have developed out of centuries of architectural and cultural mixing, from the early Roman through the medieval Romanesque and Gothic periods.

Although sunshine hardly finds a place here, it is one of the city's best places to stroll. In the Middle-Ages, this neighborhood used to be encircled by the city walls. Big efforts are being made to prevent the deterioration of this quarter.

This area is best enjoyed by wandering slowly and paying close attention to your surroundings. Nearly every street has at least a few interesting historical sights and an endless array of shops, eateries, and cafes.