Spain · Catalunya · Barcelona
Horta, Barcelona — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Horta is a barri of the Horta-Guinardó district of Barcelona that was, until 1904, the separate town of Sant Joan d'Horta.
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Where to stay in Horta
Where the beds are, and what that means for the visit.
Horta station on metro line L5 has served the old core at the plaça d'Eivissa since the 1960s, and the barri also has a residential eixample. Trams first reached the village in 1901. The Horta market stands in the barri, and so does the carrer d'Aiguafreda, whose houses still keep their washing tanks.
Horta is known in Catalonia for greeting New Year's Day with meals and drinks outdoors.
Find hotels in Horta
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Around the plaça d'Eivissa
The core of the old town of Sant Joan d'Horta, independent until 1904, keeps its plan around the square.Find hotels in Around the plaça d'Eivissathe garden and the velodromeBy the Laberint
The neoclassical garden of 1794 and the Olympic velodrome stand side by side.Find hotels in By the LaberintHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Barcelona
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Churches & Religious Sites
1- Sant Joan d'Horta Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
2- Marquès d'Alfarràs palace Heritage
- Castell del Fortí Heritage
Stadiums & Sports
1- Camp Municipal d'Horta Feliu i Codina
Parks & Gardens
1- Parc del Laberint d'Horta Heritage
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Barcelona
About Horta
What are the main landmarks in Horta?
The Parc del Laberint d'Horta is the oldest surviving garden in Barcelona, a neoclassical garden begun in 1794 on an estate of the marquesos d'Alfarràs, beside their palace. Next to the park, the Velòdrom d'Horta held events of the 1992 Olympic Games. The parish church of Sant Joan d'Horta goes back to a church consecrated on 12 June 1260.
Many of Horta's fifty-plus masies have gone.
What is the history of Horta?
Horta takes its name from the Horta family, who owned the land from 1036 to 1260; the valley is first recorded in 965 and the parish of Sant Joan d'Orta in 1095. Nobles and merchants lived here from the 14th century. Horta had plenty of water.
Laundries filled the village. From the early 17th century well into the 20th, much of the washing of well-off Barcelona was done here, collected on Monday and returned on Saturday. There were also tanneries and a starch works, and Barcelona families made Horta a summer resort.
Where is Horta?
Horta lies in the valley between the Barcelona side of the Collserola range and the hills of la Peira on one side and la Rovira, the Carmel and the Creueta del Coll on the other. The old core keeps its plan around the plaça d'Eivissa.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Horta?
Around the plaça d'Eivissa: the old village core. By the Laberint: the garden and the velodrome.
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Updated October 2026