Exploring Barcelona: The Neighborhoods of Camp de L'Arpa and El Clot

I have a personal connection to these two neighborhoods since they are where I have been doing my homestay for the last 4 months I have been in this city! And everyone I talk to about them, including people from Barcelona, don’t know about them! Camp de L’Arpa and El Clot are adjacent neighborhoods in the middle of the city that are extremely well connected by transit. The neighborhoods are bordered by the Sagrada Familia neighborhood of the Eixample, El Guinardó towards the mountains, Navas, and towards the water by Sant Marti and Glories. The L1, L2, L4, and L5 trains all have stops close nearby, so it has been a great place to explore the rest of the city from. It is only a 30 minute walk to the IES Abroad center or to UPF, a local university where I am taking some of my classes. My house is also walking distance to Carrer de Rogent, a beautiful pedestrianized main commercial street lined by trees which runs from Camp de L’Arpa to El Clot. The local government recently pedestrianized this street in an attempt to bridge the two formerly disconnected neighborhoods; large high car traffic roads such as Avenue Meridiana, Arago, and Gran Via separated the two. But today, especially when walking down Carrer de Rogent, one neighborhood just naturally leads into another.

Aside from the beautiful main street, the neighborhood has beautiful quiet side roads and gorgeous old buildings. Many have fresco like designs on the front of them and nature inspired balconies (all common in other Catalan Modernisme buildings). While it is a quiet neighborhood, the main street is never too empty, and you get the feeling that there is a well connected community of residents there. Due to its location near Glories and the @22 innovation district, the neighborhood is slowly gentrifying like most of Barcelona, yet there are still many young families and elderly people living in the neighborhood. If you want an “authentic” feeling European main street of your dreams, check out Carrer de Rogent, and while you’re there explore the rest of the neighborhood! Message me if you want any recommendations!