Sant Marti apartments in Barcelona

Transportation to Sant Marti

From Barcelona International Airport:

• Take the R2 train line to Barcelona-Clot-Arago Station – these trains depart every 30 minutes from around 6 am up to 11:30 pm daily and have a journey time of approximately 30 minutes.  Once you have reached the station, which is positioned towards the west of the Sant Marti area, you can then take a short journey from the Clot metro station to several of the area’s surrounding metro stations. Total travel time up to 50 minutes.

From Girona Airport:

• Take the Barcelona Shuttle Bus to Estacio d’ Autobusos Barcelona Nord (Barcelona’s main bus terminal) – these buses have an approximate journey time of 1 hour 10 minutes and run regularly throughout the day.  Once you reach the bus terminal, take the short walk to the Arc de Triomf metro station which will connect you to numerous metro stations within the Sant Marti area. Total travel time up to 1 hour 50 minutes.

From Reus Airport:

• Take the bus to Reus train station – these buses leave every 20 minutes from 05:30 am to 21:30 pm and have a journey time of around 20 minutes.  From the train station, you can then take the 2 hour train journey to Barcelona-Clot-Arago station.  Once you reach Barcelona-Clot-Arago, you can then take a short metro journey from Clot metro station to several of the area’s other metro stations. Total travel time up to 2 hours 50 minutes.

From Barcelona Sants Train Station:

• Take the 10 minute train journey via line R2N to Barcelona-Clot-Arago train station – these trains run every 15 minutes throughout the day and evening.  From here, you can then take a short metro journey from the Clot metro station to a multitude of other metro stations within the Sant Marti neighbourhood. Total travel time up to 30 minutes.

More information relating to routes and timetables can be found at www.tmb.cat/en/home and www.renfe.com/index.html

Sant Marti Tips for Food

Listed below are a collection of food stores which can be found within easy reach of our self-catering apartments, all of which offer a variety of local and international produce.  A selection of highly recommended restaurants, which are all positioned within close proximity to our Sant Marti apartments, can also be found below.

Sant Marti Tips for Drinks

• Bambú Beach Bar, Ronda Litoral – a fabulous little bar right on the beach
• Tras Paso, Carrer de Fluvià, 24 – a charming, local bar serving good beer
• Bharma, Carrer de Pere IV, 93 – a unique bar which is dedicated to the hit TV series Lost
• Tartinecafe, Avda. Diagonal 197 – serving great coffee and delicious croissants

Sant Marti

You will find the beautiful Sant Marti district in the north east of the centre of Barcelona. This rather affluent neighbourhood has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. The close proximity to the city’s most beautiful beaches give it an almost celebrity status. The nearby incredibly modern Torre Agbar, a mammoth pine-cone like building, rises boldly towards the sky and lights up magically at night time. With some outstanding shopping opportunities, a dedicated entertainment complex and delightfully landscaped green open spaces, Sant Marti is hard to beat. Incorporating the nearby Poble Nou and today’s rather swanky and dynamic Digonal Mar barrios, the district was once dubbed ‘the Manchester of Catalonia’ because of its rich industrial heritage. Historically Sant Marti remained an independent municipality until 1714 when it was swallowed up by the Barcelona boundaries, ultimately playing an important role in the following industrial revolution. More recently the area fell into a sorry decline up until the end of the 20th century but was thankfully snapped up for regeneration to accommodate the 1992 Olympic Games. The entire beachfront was redeveloped during the construction of an Olympic Village to house the thousands of visiting athletes. Many of the original industrial buildings were converted rather than demolished respecting the historic importance of the area.

Sant Marti Highlights

There are plenty of things to do and places to explore in the historic Sant Marti district. Why not visit the Parc Central del Poblenou and grab a moment’s peace from the hubbub of the city. With over 55 hectares of open green space there is plenty of room for you and your guests to enjoy a picnic in the warm sun or a good book under the shade of a tree. The beautiful golden coastline is close by as well as a surprisingly fascinating old cemetery which is also worth a look if you are interested.

The charming, though strangely named, nearby neighbourhood of Clot is home to one of the most majestic buildings in the city. Many residents and visitors consider San Pau Hospital to be more deserving of the UNESCO protected building status than Gaudi’s more famous La Sagrada Familia. Constructed in the early 20th century by Lluis Domenech i Montaner it functioned as a hospital until 2009. Its future purpose will be as a cultural centre and museum for the city.

In startling contrast to this ornate building, the rather underwhelming Diagonal Mar shopping centre nearby underlines Barcelona’s love of ‘the shock of the new’. It is however retail heaven for many millions of local people and visitors to the city since it is the largest of its kind in the Catalonia. You will find all the usual local and international brand names here as well as a huge subterranean supermarket, delicious restaurants to suit every palette and a mammoth 18-screen multiplex cinema.

This fabulous area boasts many more must see sights and attractions, making it a neighbourhood which is definitely worth exploring whilst staying in one of our Sant Marti apartments.

Sant Marti Must Sees

• Mar Bella Beach – boasting warm, golden sands, it is a paradise for sun seekers
• Torre Agbar – the area’s most famous landmark – an iconic, 38 storey skyscraper
• Olympic Village – a popular area which was created for the 1992 Olympic Games
• Parc Central del Poblenou – the perfect setting for a relaxing picnic
• Diagonal Mar – the largest shopping and leisure complex in Catalonia

All of these must see sights and attractions are just waiting to be explored and are all positioned within easy reach of many of our Sant Marti apartments.