Meet beneath Barcelona's second grand basilica, named for the city's patron saint and built across two distinct eras of construction. From the outside, spot the layers of history in the stonework.

Duck into a partially open-air tavern hung with cured jamon, the kind of place fishermen and dock workers have long unwound in. Try crispy fried aubergine drizzled in balsamic honey and jamon-stuffed mushrooms, poured with white wine from a porron.

A Gothic church raised in just 60 years, its stones carried by hand from Montjuic by the dockworkers and merchants who built El Born.

Step into a Basque-style pintxos bar lined with small plates and big personalities. Pick your own pintxo from the counter and pair it with a Basque vermut cocktail, the kind poured for regulars who've been coming for years.

El Born takes its name from this very promenade, once a jousting ground where knights competed for glory. Today it's one of Barcelona's busiest stretches for bar hopping.

This square marks the mass grave of Catalan soldiers who died defending the city in 1714. An eternal flame still burns here, and every March 11th, Barcelona gathers to remember the day independence was lost.

The third generation of a Barceloneta fishing family runs this modern rustic tapas spot, plating up bomba de Barceloneta, a fried potato ball with a minced pork centre, finished with both alioli and spicy bravas sauce.

Sleek yachts sit alongside small local cruise liners at Barceloneta's main marina, just off the seaside walkway. This stretch of water has watched over the neighborhood's fishing boats for generations, long before the yachts arrived.

This is the original site of Barceloneta's neighbourhood market, which still supplies the restaurants around it with fresh ingredients. The whole neighborhood was built for the city's fishing families, and the market has fed them ever since.

The oldest house in Barceloneta holds this kitchen, run by the same family since the 1700s and stocked from the Barceloneta market right outside its door. Dig into fideua, short noodles simmered paella style, finished with alioli and a pour of cava.

End the tour with a typical regional pastry from a neighborhood bakery that's been feeding Barceloneta's sweet tooth for generations, the kind of last bite that makes you want to linger a little longer by the harbor.