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El Raval

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Eglesia de Sant Pau del Camp Cloister.

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Overview

The once down-and-out district of El Raval is still seedy in parts, though it has seen remarkable rejuvenation in recent years, with the addition of cutting-edge museums and cultural centres, including the Richard Meier–designed Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona. Other highlights not to be missed include El Raval's bohemian nightlife and the sprawling culinary delights of Mercat de la Boqueria.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • The interior of the Palau Guell, a mansion in Barcelona, December 20, 2011. 97677236 art, town, park, view, casa, city, mila, stone, guell, spain, palau, gaudi, houses, unesco, famous, design, mosaic, nature, batllo, europe, museum, catalan, outside, fantasy, ceramic, sagrada, nouveau, familia, geometry, landmark, building, artistic, monument, cathedral, touristic, barcelona, modernism, catalunia, architect, structure, cityscape, mosaicwork, creativity, park-guell, imagination, architecture

    Palau Güell

    El Raval

    Built off La Rambla in the late 1880s for Gaudí's wealthy patron the industrialist Eusebi Güell, the Palau Güell is a magnificent example of the early…

  • The exterior of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art or Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona

    MACBA

    El Raval

    An extraordinary all-white, glass-fronted creation by American architect Richard Meier, opened in 1995, the MACBA has become the city's foremost…

  • Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pa, Catalan for Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul. The complex built between 1901 and 1930 in Barcelona.

    Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu

    El Raval

    Behind the Mercat de La Boqueria stands the Gothic Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu, which was once the city’s main hospital. Founded in 1401, it…

  • Facade of Instit d'Estudis Catalans

    Institut d’Estudis Catalans

    El Raval

    The Institute for Catalan Studies sits in the 17th-century Casa de Convalescència, once part of the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu. The building,…

  • Rambla de Raval

    Rambla del Raval

    El Raval

    This broad boulevard was laid out in 2000 as part of the city's plan to open up this formerly sleazy neighbourhood, with some success. Now lined with palm…

  • Inside the courtyard of CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona).

    Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona

    El Raval

    A complex of auditoriums, exhibition spaces and conference halls, the CCCB opened in 1994 in what was formerly an 18th-century hospice, the Casa de la…

  • Inside the courtyard of La Capella

    La Capella

    El Raval

    The Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu's 15th-century former chapel is now an exhibition space, with frequent temporary exhibitions.

  • Església de Sant Pau del Camp

    Església de Sant Pau del Camp

    El Raval

    The best example of Romanesque architecture in Barcelona is the dainty little cloister of this small 11th- or 12th-century church, which was founded in…

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