Sants

Sants grew up as an industrial suburb before being absorbed into Barcelona, and it still carries a practical, unglamorous, resolutely local character centered on Barcelona Sants, the city's principal rail hub. The neighborhood's main square, Plaça de Sants, and the pedestrianized Carrer de Sants are lined with everyday bakeries, hardware stores, and neighborhood bars rather than boutiques, giving a picture of ordinary residential Barcelona most tourists never see. It has little in the way of headline sights, but the nearby Parc de l'Espanya Industrial, with its dragon-slide sculpture and postmodern watchtowers, is a pleasant green break. Most travelers pass through Sants only in transit through the station, though it's worth a short detour for an authentic, low-key meal.