Barcelona neighborhoods
Where to live as a student / expat in Barcelona
Choose the right neighborhood is not an easy task. This is the first question it comes up: where to live in bustling Barcelona.
Barcelona Airport is 14km from the city centre. Barcelona has a five-line metro network, which is cheap to use and covers most of the city. The downside is that it closes at 11pm just when most people are getting ready to go out. Buses run until 4am. There are also two extensive suburban train networks, which lead to nearby resorts such as Sitges.
Barcelona is not a really big city compared to other Europeans citys. So if close to your new apartment you have a metro stop: live wherever you want. Most of the tourists want to live in the old town, I can understand if you are going to live 2 weeks, but if you are going to live more than two weeks then Believe me; there are much better areas than Old Town. So please, don’t be sheep and open your eyes to other neighborhoods where you wont have to but at least 3 new phones per week!! For security reasons we just offer apartments in places where we now they are secure for you. Don’t let yourself be fooled by what tourists say. Some parts of Old town are good but other ones aren’t. Believe us; we see the news
Since 1984, Barcelona is divided in 10 districts. Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Gràcia, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Les Corts, Sants-Montjuïc, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu y Sant Martí. Each of those districts has different neighborhoods
Ciutat Vella; is considered the city center area; Raval, Gòtico, la Rivera (or El Born as locals Love to call it) and Barceloneta (beach)
Eixample and Gràcia are after Ciutat Vella the most popular districts for tourists. Eixample is known by its architecture and Gràcia because is a trendy area. Are perfect to stay close to city center without losing the contact with locals
In Sants-Montjuïc, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu y Sant Martí are working class neighborhoods. However Sants could be quite expensive because of the business area (around La Fira).
Sarrià- Sant Gervasi and Les Corts are where the higher class lives. Have elite neighborhoods. It combines old architecture with new one