Palo Alto: Barcelona's Secret Garden

If the name rings a bell, you may well be thinking of the Palo Alto Market, a pop-up market in Barcelona that takes place the first weekend of the month, where you can find food trucks, vintage stalls and artisan designs – and one of the hottest hangouts in town. What many don’t know is that Palo Alto is in fact a creative space and garden harbouring dozens of local entrepreneurs in the heart of the Poblenou Urban District.
From the outside, you’d be forgiven for assuming that Palo Alto was just another worn-down factory in the backstreets of Poblenou. This former industrial district of Barcelona has in recent years become a hub of activity for freelance entrepreneurs, artists and those looking for an alternative to big business in Barcelona.

Step inside Palo Alto and you’ll discover an oasis of greenery and tranquility, which today is home to a number of offices and co-working spaces. The site’s owner, Javier Mariscal, is a Spanish artist who stumbled upon the building in a state of disrepair back in the early nineties and decided to take it on as a personal project.

One of the first changes to be made was the transformation of the inner courtyards from a functional factory backyard to a green wilderness. The job was given to designer José Farriol, whose mission it became to inject new life into the heart of the former factory in the form of green spaces, plants and trees.

While the gardens remain a private space, visitors can wander around during the opening hours of the office spaces. Of course, the other option is to visit Palo Alto during a market weekend to see the space transformed into a dynamic cultural space and foodie paradise, frequented by the city’s trendsetters and it-crowd.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

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