Spain · Catalunya · Barcelona
Ciutat Vella, Barcelona — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Ciutat Vella is the old city of Barcelona, in Catalunya, holding the Temple of Augustus, the Museu Picasso and the harbourside Columbus Monument.
About Ciutat Vella
Where to stay in Ciutat Vella
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Ciutat Vella is the historic core of Barcelona, and most first-time visitors want to sleep here. A room in this quarter of Catalunya puts the Museu Picasso, the Temple of Augustus and the harbour with its Columbus Monument within a short walk. Old lanes run to the water.
If you want Barcelona's oldest quarter at the door and the port a stroll away, base yourself in Ciutat Vella.
About Ciutat Vella
What are the main landmarks in Ciutat Vella?
Ciutat Vella carries more landmarks than any other quarter of Barcelona. The Temple of Augustus survives from Roman times at its core, while the Museu Picasso, the MACBA Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museu Frederic Marès hold its art collections. Churches anchor the streets.
Sant Pau del Camp, the Church of Santa Ana and Betlem Church stand among the lanes, and down at the harbour the Columbus Monument, the Aquarium Barcelona and the Maritime Museum of Barcelona mark the water's edge.
What is the history of Ciutat Vella?
Ciutat Vella holds the oldest ground in Barcelona. The Temple of Augustus stands from Roman times, and the centuries after left their churches, among them Sant Pau del Camp and the Church of Santa Ana, layered through the same narrow lanes. The past is dense here.
Much of that long record sits inside the Museo de Historia de Barcelona within Ciutat Vella.
Where is Ciutat Vella?
Ciutat Vella sits at the core of Barcelona, its lanes reaching from the Temple of Augustus down to the harbour and the Columbus Monument, in the region of Catalunya.
Good for
More areas in Barcelona
Updated July 2026