Barcelona's Port Vell is a fabulous oasis of restaurants, bars, a huge aquarium (the largest in Europe), a shopping mall, and an Imax cinema. An amazing bridge takes you across to these delights. We came across Port Vell by accident, we had walked along Les Ramblas and as we got to the bottom ... Read review
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Advantages: walking distance from city centre Disadvantages: none
Barcelona's Port Vell is a fabulous oasis of restaurants, bars, a huge aquarium (the largest in Europe), a shopping mall, and an Imax cinema. An amazing bridge takes you across to these delights. We came across Port Vell by accident, we had walked along Les Ramblas and as we got to the bottom we could glimpse the sea and a huge wooden wave suspended in air, which intrigued us. The huge wave was part of a fantastic swing bridge, which is as wide as ... ...
Judging by the amount of people making the crossing we decided that there must be something to see at the other end. After stopping half way across and sitting on one of the many benches scattered over the bridge we watched the world go by relaxing with the sun on our faces and the sea and boats swaying in the gentle breeze.
A large shopping mall sits on an oasis with restaurants and bars dotted around the edges. The shopping ... more
Barcelona's Port Vell is a fabulous oasis of restaurants, bars, a huge aquarium (the largest in Europe), a shopping mall, and an Imax cinema. An amazing bridge takes you across to these delights. We came across Port Vell by accident, we had walked along Les Ramblas and as we got to the bottom we could glimpse the sea and a huge wooden wave suspended in air, which intrigued us. The huge wave was part of a fantastic swing bridge, which is as wide as it is long and is on two levels.
Judging by the amount of people making the crossing we decided that there must be something to see at the other end. After stopping half way across and sitting on one of the many benches scattered over the bridge we watched the world go by relaxing with the sun on our faces and the sea and boats swaying in the gentle breeze.
A large shopping mall sits on an oasis with restaurants and bars dotted around the edges. The shopping mall is a modern building with nothing special about it, it have two floors with an escalator leading up to the second floor, which has a large selection of restaurants. The public loos are tucked away in the corner, but are clean, if a little battered. The shopping mall itself is a little uninspiring. It seemed to be lacking in sparkle but there were lots of individual shops on both floors. It’s the sort of shopping mall where children like to spend their hard earned pocket money.
As you approach the shopping mall there is a popular open-air restaurant with large white umbrellas this is where we sat enjoying the wonderful views across the Port. This is a popular place and is full of locals and tourists. We ate here several lunch times and found the food excellent, cheap and even better no pressure if all we wanted was a snack. We could have sat there all afternoon. Seafood seemed to be featured heavily on the menu and if you sat inside behind the glass you would see the wonderful display of fresh fish on ice behind the bar.
There are several ways of getting here, two of them are by foot or a route stop if you take the tourist bus, which enables you to get on or off whenever you want around the city the route
Port Vell is suited for all the family - amongst other things the Aquarium features an 80 metre glass tunnel through the shark tank which will keep children happy and cool. The IMAX cinema might be a hit but it’s a shame to miss out on all the other things to see around Barcelona. It certainly is a place where the family can split up and then meet up for a meal or snack. If you prefer to picnic then the benches overlooking the port are a perfect spot.
Advantages: Good location Disadvantages: Could have mor shops in there
Port Vell is the oldest area of the port of Barcelona. After loads of rejuvenation and restructuring in 1990 ready for the Olympics in 1992 it is the most up to date modern dynamic are of Barcelona. it is now one of the most popular parts of the city. Over the sea there is a building called the Maremagnum, which is the most attractive complex in the area. It has heaps of shops in and loads of bars and restaurants. A personal favourite was the yellow ...
SamanthaM 05.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Barceloneta & Port Vell
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Advantages: Nightlife; Entertainment Disadvantages: Moronic tag line
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Barcelona's privileged coastal location by the mild and temperate Mediterranean allows watersports, such as windsurfing and sailing, to take place throughout the year. The districts bordering the sea are generally trendy and chic; excellent seafood restaurants and cafés, serving deliciously fresh dishes, are packed into the Port Olímpic, Barceloneta and PortVell. As darkness descends, bronzed bodies converge on the open-air designer bars to ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maremagnum
Advantages: Great compact city with excellent public transport Disadvantages: No one truly stand out monument that is world famous.
with the centre being defined by the 1km long Ramblas street which is a nice wide boulevard that runs from the harbour PortVell and Barceloneta up to the Placa De Cataluyna and is a popular place for locals and tourists to take a leisurely walk along its pedestrianised centre looking at the street performers or sitting out on one of the cafes enjoying a drink. To the east of the Rambles is the Barri Gotic which is the old part of the town and a great place to explore. To the west is the slightly seedier Raval district which is the old red light area of the city although it has been cleaned up a fair bit in recent times helped by the opening of the Museum of Modern Art (MACBA).
To the northwest is the Dreta De L' Eixample which is another popular tourist destination as it is home to some wonderful architecture and the Sagreda Familia Gaudi ...
