Impetus for change
The rediscovery of the waterfront began in the 1980s as part of the socialist city council´s vision, but the 1992 Olympics were the vital catalyst. The development, perhaps the most radical transformation of any city in Europe, represented an investment of some 400 billion pesetas (US billion). Some 5 km (8 miles) of beaches were renovated or newly created, landscaped and equipped with facilities. The Vila Olimpica was built and is now a new residential district. The old city wharves, once hidden under tumble-down sheds, emerged, blinking, into the sun. Barceloneta was transformed. And since 1992, despite a slight economic hiccup with the recession in 1993-94, the momentum has been sustained: more developments have been completed and, for better or worse, there are more to come.

For energetic walkers or those on bicycles, this route could be one long itinerary right along the walk able parts of the front. However, to be able to enjoy the walk and fully appreciate the extensive renovations, to take in the many colourful details and have time to pause in the right places ..such as the fish restaurants in Barceloneta, the route should be split into two (or more) days. What´s on offer on Barcelona´s waterfront is something quite extraordinary for a large cosmopolitan European city.

What could be a better place to begin than the maritime museum, a pleasing museum that appeals to all ages and gives a vivid sense of Catalonia´s seafaring past. The Museu Maritim ..open daily 10am – 7pm, entrance charge is housed in the Reials Drassanes ..Royal Shipyards, at the foot of La Rambla just before it meets the port. It is half a minute from the metro Drassanes. One of the most imposing aspects of the museum is the building itself – the magnificent Gothic shipyards dating from the 13th century are a fine and rare example of civil architecture from that period. There is something quite breathtaking about their lines and structure, which as art critic Robert Hughes says in his book Barcelona is “perhaps the most stirring ancient industrial space of any kind that has survived from the Middle Ages: a masterpiece of civil engineering.”

Enter the museum from the side where, adjacent to the restaurant, an inviting terrace café in shady garden with a lily pond is bound to tempt you after your visit. The collection includes real fishing boats from the Catalan cost, representing the importance of both fishing and boat-building in the country´s history, as well as models of vessels from all ages. Also on display is a modern Olympic winner, and maps, instruments, paintings and more are well presented. The highlight is the son et lumiere show known as La Gran Aventura del Mar ..the Great Sea Adventure, which charts Catalonia´s maritime history and includes a tour around the full-scale replica of the 16th-century galley in which Don Juan of Austria led the Christian fleet to defeat the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Like so many vessels over the centuries, it was built in Barcelona in one of the slipways on the water´s edge.