Spain
Poble Nou in Barcelona
Looking for a European beach holiday by a fabulous city? Poble Nou, an area in Barcelona, is right beside a gorgeous sandy beach. The area is 5 metro (subway) stops from the main Barcelona Ramblas. It is easy to get to any of the main attractions of the city by using the metro. Poble Nou is not a touristy area and has no tourist sites to see. It is a family oriented neighbourhood with a tree-lined Ramblas of its own that leads down to the beautiful blue sea.
The streets in Poble Nou are lined with 4-10 story apartment buildings with wrought iron balconies. There are even several ‘art nouveau’ buildings to behold. Along the streets are family run shops of all kinds – fresh fruits and vegetables, regular groceries, patisseries, ice cream shops, internet cafes, and bank machines to pay for it all. The Poble Nou Ramblas has, among the shops, many outdoor cafés – wonderful for eating tapas while you watch all the people having their evening “pasada” or stroll.
The highlight is the beach that children, as well as adults, will love. During the week I was there the sea was sometimes calm and sometimes the waves were good enough for body surfing. Some days windsurfers and board surfers were enjoying their rides. Kite flying is another popular activity. There are a few cafés on the beach and a few blocks away is the only North American chain I saw – McDonalds. There are chairs and umbrellas to rent, but most people just baked in the sun on towels in the sand. Weekends the beach was busy with lots of people, but during the week you almost have the beach to yourself. There are many apartments to rent for a week's stay at reasonable prices.
From www.bcninternet.com: "Poble Nou may be a different prospect in a few years time when it becomes Barcelona´s IT mecca next to the sea as planned. But for now it's a charming centrally-located residential neighbourhood five minutes from the sea near Vila Olimpica and Barcelona´s best beach Mar Bella. And Los Pescadors in Poble Nou is one of the best fish restaurants in Barcelona. The area has a very local, friendly and villagey feel, retained from the days when it used to be a small village on the outskirts of the city. This is a lovely place from which to soak up the feeling of a local Catalan neighbourhood while being within easy reach of the city centre and the beach."
I agree wholeheartedly!
