Barcelona’s Raval District, a diverse array of people and places
March 9th, 2007
Located to the right of the famous Ramblas, el ‘Raval’ is a district that attracts artists, musicians, partygoers and old and young alike.
The Raval (known formerly as the Chinese quarter) was originally the Bohemian quarter of the city and it still retains a certain bohemian something. It is certainly the most multicultural part of the city with Chinese, Asian, South American and African communities living side by side. This creates a fantastic mixture of traditions and styles, and lucky for us some really good restaurants offering native dishes.
One of my favourite parts of area is the boulevard ‘Rambla de Raval’. It’s a nice wide street with plenty of palm trees. During the day and especially in the summer months the street is lined with chairs and tables from the many cafés, where people enjoy the Spanish pastime of people watching. At night the Rambla is a popular meeting point and you can often find groups of people singing or playing guitars – it’s always tempting to stop and join in!
The Raval is also used as a venue throughout the year for some of Barcelona’s biggest celebrations. During the ‘Mercè’ festival which takes place in September, the Rambla is converted in to a giant concert hall (open-air of course), with huge stages. The parties always go on to the early morning at which point you can take advantage of the Kebab restaurants which stay open almost all night! Mmm mmmm 
But what I like most about the area is that you never know what’s round the next corner. There’s always something to explore!
/Janine
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