Chinatown, Red Light District, Arrabal, Little Islamabad, Rawal or Ravalkistán: these are just a few of the nicknames for which the Raval quarter in Barcelona is known. This was once a suburb or district outside the city of Barcelona.

The district of El Raval has been one of Barcelona’s less reputable areas for years. During the night, the neighbourhood was once a refuge for prostitutes, drugs and criminals and during the daytime, was home to immigrants, smelly factories as well as a prohibited and dissolute area. Its name seems to be predestined to obscurity, but this is where we draw the true Raval character from.

Today, the Raval is one of the neighbourhoods of Barcelona with most character. It’s one of the fashionable districts, along with Borne area. The range of leisure and culture is astounding along with the latest in ethnic fusion restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, museums and art galleries. The modern bars and clubs of the Barcelona night have moved to this area to coexist with the older style found in the Raval area. It is a modern and cosmopolitan neighbourhood that still has traces of what was here in the past – a neighbourhood of low funding, immigration and women of the night.

La Rambla del Raval is new to the neighbourhood. When you walk through this pleasant avenue, it is inevitable to look at the multitude of Arab immigrants that are dotted here and there. Most of the local people here are of Moroccan or Pakistani origin. Hence, the Raval has been known affectionately as Little Ravalquistan or Islamabad. In the rest of the neighbourhood you will find foreigners living, especially from Pakistan, Morocco, The Philippines, India, China, Bangladesh, Ecuador and The Dominican Republic to name a few places.

Today, the upper part of The Raval hosts numerous universities, the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, the FAD (Promotion of Decorative Arts) and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Barcelona (MACBA), which has become a great public gathering for skateboard fanatics.

One of the most famous streets in the neighbourhood is La Calle Cera. This was once a main artery where gypsies once predominated. Its name comes from the rivers of wax formed by the numerous wax candles placed before the Virgin of this particular street to protect themselves against the plague. This is the same community that gave birth to the famous rumba Catalana.

One obligatory stop for a break is the legendary Bar Marsella on Calle Sant Pau. At the beginning of the century it was an elegant café for ladies that after became the epicentre of prostitution. Also, in the street of Sant Pau, you’ll find a hidden gem tucked away: the beautiful modernist decor of the rooms of the Hostal España, designed by Domenech i Muntaner.

Raval has much to offer. The best way to discover it is by walking around its many intricate alleys and backstreets, or as they say in Barcelona, ‘ravaleando’. Why not rent apartments in Barcelona to experience the authentic flavour of the Raval.