Before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the Port Vell, the city's old obsolete harbor was a run down and derelict area with empty warehouses, industrial buildings, refuse dumps and railroad yards.

The area was then transformed into a yacht basin and entertainment centre, opening the city up to the sea! A coastal road was moved underground and a pedestrian street now stretches from the Columbus monument to the Barceloneta neighborhood.

Marèmagnum is a highly commercialised area. A large complex of shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants can be found here. Behind the Marèmagnum you can fins an IMAX theatre and Barcelona's aquarium.

The biggest attraction of the Port Vell is the aquarium. Boasting to be the largest in Europe, it contains up to 8000 fish, including 11 sharks. Walk along the 80m long tunnel where you can observe many Mediterranean deep sea fish, including the sharks.

At the north eastern end of Port Vell is a statue by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. The colourful 14m high statue is called 'El cap de Barcelona' (head of Barcelona).