Before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the Port Vell, the city's old obsolete harbor was only a run down area with empty warehouses, industrial buildings, refuse dumps and railroad yards. In one of the most drastic urban renewal projects, the area was transformed into a yacht basin and entertainment center, 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.

A brand new wooden pedestrian bridge, the Rambla de Mar connects the Rambla with the Maremàgnum, a complex with shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants. Behind the Marèmagnum are an IMAX theater and Barcelona's aquarium.

The IMAX theater features three projection systems: the Omnimax screen, the flat IMAX and the 3D IMAX for which spectators use 3D glasses.

The biggest attraction of the Port Vell is the aquarium, the largest in Europe. The aquarium boasts 8000 Fish, including 11 sharks in in total 22 basins filled with 6 million liter (1,5 million gallons) sea water. Basin 17 features an 80m long tunnel from where you can observe mediterranean deep sea fish, including sharks.

Southwest of the Maremàgnum is the Aduana building, an old customs building constructed in 1902. Adjacent is a long pier with the new World Trade Center.

At the other, north eastern end of Port Vell is an eye-catching statue by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. The colorful 14m high statue is called 'El cap de Barcelona' (head of Barcelona).