Port Vell

Port Vell ("Old Harbour" in English) is one of the oldest ports in Barcelona (see also Las Ramblas). Currently, it is a place where sports boats are kept. It offers lost of recreational facilities providing such attractions as the Aquarium, IMAX theatre, and Maremagnum shopping mall, which is open every day of the year.

It is separated from the beach by a huge, almost 30-meter long, breakwater which allows people to enjoy a pleasant walk along the coastline of the city, starting from one end of Las Ramblas where the monument of Christopher Columbus can be admired, through the Museum of History, Palau de Mar, and other public and private buildings, and finally finishing in the neighbourhood of Barceloneta. The place also offers a cruise in Las Golondrinas - ships that are more than 100 years old, which offers a unique way to see the city. The origins of the harbour date back to the times of the Laietani, the Iberian tribe which inhibited an area spreading from the city of Llobregat to the city of Tordera which traded with the Greek city of Empuries. Later, after the first urban settlement was founded by the Romans under the name of Borcino, the port increased its activity.