The Less Crowded Barcelona Neighborhood Rick Steves Loves
By Hillary Louise Johnson
VACATIONS
According to European travel guru Rick Steves, the hip, boho neighborhood of El Born in Barcelona has everything going for it over the crowded Las Ramblas just 10 minutes away.
As part of the Old City, El Born has museums, parks, historical sites, unique shopping, and alleys lined with cafes and vermouth bars, yet it's still only minutes from the beach.
One of Steves' favorite attractions is the El Born Market, a former wholesale fruit and vegetable market in a grand and ornate cast-iron building that was turned into a museum.
It's also home to the Picasso Museum, the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, the Moco Museum, and the outlandishly ornate Art Nouveau Palau de la Musica Catalana concert hall.
Skip dining on the touristy Las Ramblas, and head for El Born, where Catalan culinary traditions thrive. Steves is a fan of vermouth bars, or vermuterias, which also serve tapas.