Once Barcelona's pungent fishing port, Barceloneta retains much of its salty maritime flavor. It's an exciting and colorful place to walk through, with narrow streets with lines of laundry snapping in the breeze. Stop in Plaça de la Barceloneta to see the baroque church of Sant Miquel del Port, with its oversize sculpture of the winged archangel himself. Look for the splendidly remodeled Barceloneta market and its upstairs and downstairs restaurants, Lluçanés and Els Fogons de la Barceloneta. The original two-story houses and the restaurant Can Solé on Carrer Sant Carles are historic landmarks. Barceloneta's surprisingly clean and sandy beach, though overcrowded in midsummer, offers swimming, surfing, and a lively social scene from late May through September.
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