5 secret places in Barcelona

The Ramblas, the Sagrada Familia, the Barceloneta beach, the Park Guëll… Barcelona is a city full of well known and must-seen locations and buildings. However, it is also a city of secrets and mysteries, urban legends, and unknown places that only ask to be visited. You want to see Barcelona differently during a weekend or holidays ? This article about 5 secret places of Barcelona is made for you !

In the heart of the Gótico, at a few shopping streets from the Ramblas, hides a roman sepulture open freely to the public. Why is it hidden ? Because it is downstairs a kids park, and that it is not obviously visible when you walk in the street. The proof : I have been walking by a tons of time and never noticed it ! Located on Plaça Vila de Madrid, this roman sepulture is one of the most important roman cemetery of old Barcelona (Barcino). According to the legend, if you go there having good intentions, this will bring you luck, if not, you will be cursed by the skeletons and forced to join them !

Calle de l’Arc de Sant Ramon del Call, you will find a building of the History Museum of Barcelona at day… and a haunted house at night ! This house that belongs to the old Jewish neighbourhood of Barcelona has indeed the reputation to be haunted. The story is the following : in this house lived a jewish alchemist with his daughter. The daughter dated a christian knight, that wasn’t that in love. Marriage was impossible, and the knight, bored, and seeing the girl so in love, decided to get rid of her and kill her. He decided to do so by asking the help of the alchemist, who didn’t know this man was dating his daughter ! The alchemist made him a poisoned black rose, whom smell was mortal. Of course, there was no remedy… The knight gave the girl the rose, and quickly left. Back at home, the daughter quickly showed all the symptoms of the poisoned black rose : the alchemist tried and tried to cure her, but he knew more than no one there was no cure. His daughter died, and full of pain and anger, the alchemist finally died alone locked in his house. When the city decided to get back the house to put another family inside, they quickly saw it was haunted. At night, they could hear cryings, see shadows, and the water pond of the patio filling itself with black water… since then, families changed, but it still kept on being haunted. That’s why the building is now a museum : it is open at day, and closed at night ! Who knows ? Maybe if you come by night, you will see the shadow of the alchemist at the window…

If you want to know more legends and urban stories about Barcelona, I highly recommend you to do a Artemis Gymkhana in the city, which is a paper chase to do between friends or colleagues. Perfect to know more about the city by having fun, no ?

In Eixample, Carrer d’Aribau, 162, you can take a drink at the Dry Martini bar… or decide to have diner in a clandestine restaurant, the Speakeasy ! The Speakeasy is a clandestine restaurant opened in 2002 : there is no official door, you have to access it by the bar… and then crossing the kitchen ! This restaurant is an hommage to american clandestine restaurants from the Prohibition period : alcohol was prohibited in the United States and you had to hid to consume some. In Barcelona, the place isn’t authentic (understand, it is isn’t a real old bar from the Prohibition period), but the atmosphere is very alike : the waiters wear white traditional suits, the wooden bar and boudoir seats make it very comfy and cosy, and the hidden restaurant definitely make the place a unique location to spend the night !

This last place isn’t really hidden, but I cared about mentioning it because it is not that known from tourists. This monastery is located at the North of Barcelona, near the Ronda de Dalt in the Sarria district. It is a gothic jewel built that exists since the 14th century. It was built by the King Jack II of Aragon and acknowledged as an official place of art and history by Spain. It is the perfect place to walk away from tourists on a sunday afternoon, do beautiful photos and discover a place charged of Barcelona’s history.