Plaça de Sant Felip Neri

Tucked away from the main tourist paths, Plaça de Sant Felip Neri feels like one of the Gothic Quarter's quietest corners, its baroque church and school building wrapped around a small octagonal fountain. The pockmarked facade isn't decorative wear, it's damage from a 1938 aerial bombing during the Spanish Civil War that killed dozens of children sheltering in the building's basement, a fact that gives the square's calm a heavier undertone once you know the history. Its recommended early-morning slots suit its character: this is a place to sit quietly rather than tick off, best experienced with few other visitors around. A short, free stop that rewards those willing to seek out the Gothic Quarter's less obvious corners.