An interesting walk around Raval in Barcelona

Barcelona guidebooks suggest you numerous routes around Barcelona to visit the most iconic sights, but sometimes it’s good to get away from the traditional tours and discover things that even the locals don’t know. ShBarcelona‘s presents a curious and fun journey that will get to some hidden (and unknown) places in Barcelona. Fun is guaranteed!

The first stop on this route is the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia, an institution located in 47 Carme Street, composed of academics involved in the world of medicine, pharmacy, biology or veterinary. Is consulting and discussing on health issues center. The charm of this visit lies in the building that houses the institution, an important example of Catalan neoclassical architecture with an impressive anatomical amphitheater formerly used to train the military surgeons. You can arrange group visits or go to a free tour every Wednesday from 10am to 12am.

The next interesting place in this route is called Cemetery of Books in the Canuda Library, passing by the Rambla, in the 20 Canuda Street, also in the district of Ciutat Vella. This is a “warehouse” of more than 600 square meters which houses more than 200,000 rare and unique books about all disciplines and subjects. The following stop after Canuda Library, not far away from there (at 11 Unio street) is Monimoon Bookstore, which is known for offering a variety of earth globes, armillary spheres and geographical and ancient astronomical devices for collectors or as decorative items. When you go into this store full of history and geography your desire to travel grows up…

If we come back to the Rambla, specifically to the number 27, we find the Cúpula Venus, an old music hall and theater which operated between 1978 and 1986 and is located within the Teatro Principal. In the Cúpula Venus cabaret shows were held featuring local and national celebrities as Loles Leon, Angel Pavlovsky, Pepe Rubianes or Núria Feliu. A bite of Barcelona’s history that will fascinate you.

You can finish this route having a beer at La Concha, a place whose walls are fully occupied by portraits and paintings of a diva who died recently, Sara Montiel, and that is at 41 Guardia Street. Although it is a dark place, it is worth discovering as it retains the authenticity of Barcelona back in the 80s. You can also smoke from a cachimba pipe or have a tea with Arabian pastries.