Searching for property in Barcelona.
Safe, walkable, and diverse, Barcelona is a great place to live or to invest. It’s rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities. It offers low crime, a mild climate, public bikes and bike lanes, spectacular museums and architecture, walk-friendly neighborhoods, and diversity with 23% of the population foreign-born.
It’s a train ride to several picturesque coastal towns and the mountains. The economy is strong and creating jobs. The population is 1.6 million with about 4.2 million in the total metropolitan area.
Barcelona Neighborhoods.
To help you search, below are four of Barcelona’s more popular neighborhoods.
Let us know when you’re ready to get started.
Gothic Quarter including Raval and Borne
Founded by the Romans in 200 BC, el Gótico is one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns. Its marvelous cathedrals sit on quaint plazas surrounded by cobblestone streets and a myriad of bars, shops, and quality restaurants. The Born District and upper Gothic area are the best places to buy due to their broader streets and renovated buildings. La Raval has improved and ‘Upper Raval’ is now quite nice.
Positive. The main draw is affordability; demand is lower and so are prices. It’s centrally located and well-connected by bikes and trains to the rest of the city. Popular with students, it’s walkable to a wide variety of shops, stores, and a large university. A very cool medieval environment.
Negative. Building repairs can be expensive and frequent as the buildings are 100 to 400 years old. Some of the sidewalks and streets are narrow creating traffic congestion. About 50% of the buildings lack an elevator and most are close together blocking natural light. Illegal squatters are another concern.
Opinion. Due to squatters, don’t buy here unless you plan to live in, or rent out, the property year-round. Once the squatters get inside it’s hard to evict them. You’ll need an alarm system. The streets that run horizontally are wider allowing for more natural light. On these, you can find some fine, affordable, flats, especially in the upper areas. The streets running vertically tend to be narrow and dark with more criminal activity. Be sure to visit at night. Buying here requires thorough due diligence. That said, we have clients who found great deals there and love it.
Eixample Izquierda (Left) and Derecha (Right)
This large gridded area stretching across Barcelona was built in the late 1800s and modeled after New York City. They cut a 45º angle at the corners to create space. Passeig de Gracia, the main street, runs vertically dividing the area into Eixample Left and Right. Prices drop as you move away from there.
Positive. Accessibility as everything from schools to stores is a walk away. It features a wide range of beautiful, well-maintained buildings, most in excellent condition, with an elevator and elegant apartments. The grid pattern allows for easy bike and foot travel across tree-lined streets and features several newly created pedestrian zones. At night, with its colorful cafes and bars, it has a lively, jubilant upbeat vibe. One of Europe’s primier urban areas.
Cons. Some of the streets can get noisy with traffic, especially at rush hour. Property prices fluctuate, but it’s one of the more expensive areas. Some of the apartments have impractical layouts as they’re long and narrow with odd-sized rooms. You might have to renovate.
Opinion. It’s probably the best area to buy if you can afford it. It’s central, convenient, flat, bike-friendly and anything you need is next door. A solid investment. As usual, the streets running horizontally offer more light and better views. There’s traffic, and tourists (near La Sagrada Familia, etc.) but you can find quiet areas.
Gràcia
A separate town before the 1860’s city expansion, it retains its village-like feel with large plazas, outdoor cafes, and pedestrian streets. It’s very popular with international buyers.
Positive. It has a wide range of plazas, theaters, shops, trendy restaurants, schools, children’s parks, and festivals. Lower Gràcia (Vila de Gracia) is walking distance to the city center and well connected by trains and public bikes. A diverse, kid-friendly, neighborhood with residents from all over the world.
Negative. High demand and low supply mean higher prices. Some of the flats are quite small. The larger flats, or the few with a terrace, are rare so when one hits the market people pay a lot for it. It can get noisy as the streets are quite narrow, some uphill. Some of the buildings are old and need work.
Opinion. I have clients who study the internet for months waiting to pounce on the first decent flat that pops up here. They won’t buy anywhere else. It’s the location, the festivals, the plazas, the atmosphere, the schools. It’s a friendly little place that offers all the amenities of urban life.
Poble Nou
The sea-front neighborhood running from Villa Olympica down to Diagonal Mar bordered by calle Diagonal to the north. Twenty years ago it was a sleepy warehouse district, now it’s a highly sought-after area.
It’s under constant renovation with new apartment buildings springing up everywhere. Amazon recently opened a large distribution center here. Prices, especially near the beach, have shot up, but they drop as you move away towards calle Diagonal. Diagonal Mar is at the far end composed of expensive high rises.
Positive. Proximity to the beach, the broad promenade, and the parks nearby allowing for recreational activity. It’s well-connected by metro and public bikes. It’s more spread out than other areas allowing for more natural light and less traffic congestion. A true village environment.
Negative. It’s spread out so you have to walk more and some of the buildings are quite old with strange layouts. Like Gracia, it’s hard to find a terrace or patio, and those with one are expensive. The new constructions are very modern and well-built, but they’re not cheap. Diagonal Mar is composed of highrises that offer a pool, security, and parking, but it’s expensive and lacks the neighborhood feel that Barcelona is famous for.
Opinion. Clients who live here before buying won’t buy anywhere else. It’s the outdoor activities, the sea, the schools, the international community, the open space, and assortment of restaurants and shops. It’s undergone vast improvement with several renovated buildings and new stores and schools to meet the demand. You can find a broad range of flats at decent prices.
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