Living in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona

Esplugues de Llobregat is a residential, hilly city west of Barcelona, attached to the upper districts of Les Corts and Sarrià. It's quieter and greener than the city, made of sloping streets, small apartment buildings and areas of detached houses, with a solid middle class. This is home to the large pediatric hospital Sant Joan de Déu, a reference point well beyond the municipality's borders. It's close to Barcelona but with a more small-town rhythm, served by one metro stop on its edge, by the tram and by many buses.

Who lives here

Middle-class families, professionals, people who work in Barcelona but seek more quiet and greenery, and staff connected to the hospital and the area's companies. Fewer students and less nightlife than in the city: it's a place to enjoy at a calm pace, not for late nights.

What it's like during the day

Quiet and residential. The old center around the historic part keeps a small-town feel, with local shops and a market. There are parks and green areas on the heights, and a historic ceramics tradition (the Pujol i Bausis factory, "la Rajoleta"). You walk quite a bit uphill.

What it's like in the evening

Quiet. Neighborhood bars, family restaurants, a few terraces. Nightlife is elsewhere: to really go out you go down to Barcelona, handy but not immediate. Those who choose Esplugues do it to sleep well.

Getting around

Esplugues has a metro station, Can Vidalet (line L5), on the border with L'Hospitalet but with its entrances in the municipality. The rest relies on the Trambaix tram: lines T1, T2 and T3 serve the municipality with stops like Montesa, La Sardana, Ca n'Oliveres and Can Clota, connecting to Cornellà on one side and to Barcelona's Diagonal on the other. Many bus lines complete the network. The slopes make transport important.

Eating and shopping

Convenient shopping: a municipal market, supermarkets and neighborhood shops, more honest prices than in the city. For eating, home-style Catalan cooking, pizzerias, a few international tables. No gourmet neighborhood, but the essentials are there.

When NOT to pick it

If you want the metro right at your doorstep: there's a single stop (Can Vidalet) on one edge of the municipality, for the rest you depend on tram and bus, and the slopes make themselves felt. If you're after nightlife, late nights or a very young crowd. If you don't like quiet residential neighborhoods that go a bit sleepy in the evening.

But if you want calm, greenery and a middle-class area near Barcelona, well served by the tram, Esplugues is a serene choice.