Barceloneta

The ultimate urban beach

Popular plate: With its historic connections to fishing, Barceloneta houses many of the city's best (and worst) restaurants for seafood
Noteworthy for: Lively, central and pretty clean, Barceloneta won an award for the world's best urban beach back in 2005.

The wedge-shaped neighbourhood of Barceloneta - 'Little Barcelona' - is a former fishermen's quarter that has become steadily more gentrified in recent years. Despite some major development on its fringes, it has still retained much of its traditional character and, though it's near the city centre, feels a bit like a separate village.
Barceloneta's main draw is its stunning 4km long sandy beach, heaving with bodies in summer, as well as its revitalised marina, Port Vell, whose large aquarium also draws in tourists. There's more to the area than this, however. While upscale restaurants and bars line the beach, the narrow streets behind are also full of lively places to eat and drink that are popular with locals, reminding you of what the area must have been like when it was still a rough and ready port district.