Nivellmar & the Barceloneta

another way to stay in Barcelona

“Nivellmar” is the Catalan word for “sea level”.  Catalan is the Romance language local to Barcelona and Catalonia and bilingually spoken along with Castilian.

We have named our company Apartments Nivellmar because our first apartments were located in the Barceloneta neighborhood, right on the beach and by the port.

The Barceloneta is a small triangular peninsula that juts out of the Barcelona coast, right downtown, very close to where the Ramblas ends.

The Barceloneta enjoys a priveleged situation, perfect for nightlife, beachlife and culture.  It is bordered by the Olympic Village beach with its 5-mile promenade on one side, the Port Vell sporting marina and the Maremagnum shopping center on another, and backed by the spectacularly popular Borne (or Born in Catalan) neighborhood.  All three neigborhoods (Vila Olimpica, Maremagnum, and Borne) are hotspots for restaurants and night clubs, although each has its own character.

Walk five minutes further and you have the Ramblas and Ribera neighborhoods (more restaurants and shops), the Gothic Quarter, the Picasso Museum, the Santa Maria del Mar Gothic church and the Gothic Cathedral.

The Barceloneta dates back to the seventeenth century, when the Ciutadella fort and new port of Barcelona were built.  The seaside neighborhood of Barceloneta was created to house those dispossessed of housing.   Many became fishermen and the fishing port right  next door still influences the people who live and work here.   Restaurants and tapas bars are all specialized in seafood (see our recommendations below).

 

Nightlife

In the Barceloneta, we have our favorite spots.  We share them with you so you can participate in particular quaint local culture.

For fine dining, we highly recommend the Suquet del Almirall seafood restaurant.  The owner and chef, Quim Monzo, brings fresh air to traditional fisherman dishes.  The fish and shellfish are bought directly next door from the fishing port in the adjoining Port Vell.

Once a year, the Salted Cod Guild organizes a Baptism by Salt, where Quim invites a guest chef to collaborate with him in preparing a four-plate dinner where every plate is based on the cod fish.

Nearby the Suquet, the Habana BCN restaurant and dance club offers fine mojitos, Cuban food, Cuban music and the best Cuban son dancers in the city.  Don´t leave Barcelona without passing by one night.

If you want a more relaxed atmosphere, the Daguiri café located on the Barceloneta promenade gives you a chance to chill out.

Beachlife

The Barceloneta beach is downtown, hard to believe, but one of the lessor known secret joys of a city so urban as is Barcelona.  Stop by the “chiringuito” (or beach hut) to enjoy a cold beer under the sun…after running around the Rambla and the Picasso museum in the Born.

If you are looking for tapas, the Barceloneta offers one of the most unusual bars in Barcelona:  the Vaso de Oro not only has a sirloin steak tapa that is out of this world, but an unusual beer called the “Filarmonica”, or just plain “Filo”.  Ask for it but watch out for the kick…

 

Culture

Besides the Picasso and Textile Museums nearby, we recommend two unusual attractions:

One is the Golondrinas (swallows in Spanish) boat rides that take you around the Port.  From the water, the Barcelona skyline is breathtaking and you can see the Montjuic Park hilltop from another perspective.

If you prefer an aerial view, in the Barceloneta you can take a skycar from the Port Vell to the Montjuic Park hilltop and back.  While flying atop the water, the entire city of Barcelona fans out at your feet.

Otherwise, you can just walk around the Barceloneta and get a feeling that you are still in a fisherman´s home neighborhood, where local characters color the streets much as they have for the last 300 years and mix with the new and growing ex-patriate inhabitants.