Maps and Listings
Crowds and stalls on La Rambla.
iStockphoto
At the top end of La Rambla, Plaça de Catalunya 1 [map] is not the kind of picturesque square that you might make an effort to visit, but it is the kind of place you inevitably pass through on any trip to Barcelona. Whether arriving from the airport by bus, coming into the city from other parts of Catalonia, visiting the Old Town from uptown or vice versa, Plaça de Catalunya is bound to be part of the trajectory. It is more of a pivotal plaça, acting as a logistical centre for the city’s transport.
Choosing cherries at La Boqueria.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Central Square
Here you’ll find the metro underground train service, fgc trains (the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, which run to uptown areas and the suburbs), Rodalies de Catalunya (regional trains), city buses and the Aerobús to the airport, the Bus Turístic and taxis. A world of underground corridors leads to the trains, so allow time when travelling.
The main Barcelona city tourist office is also here, marked by a tall ‘i’ above ground. Run by the tourist board, it offers an efficient and helpful service, dishing out leaflets, maps and all kinds of information, as well as providing a hotel reservation service, money exchange and an internet connection.
For many visitors to the city, Plaça de Catalunya also marks the beginning of another inevitability in Barcelona: a walk down the famous avenue called La Rambla.
Before embarking on that flow of humanity down to the sea, pause a moment in the welcome shade of Plaça de Catalunya’s trees, or in the bright winter sunshine that fills it with a light and warmth which barely reaches the narrowest of the Old Town streets.
Pigeons flock here to be fed by children and old ladies. Tacky stalls sell plastic toys and caramelised nuts. Families wander around aimlessly, lovers meet beneath the gushing fountains and predatory youths lurk, with an eye on swinging handbags and cameras. Men gather to play chess beneath the monument to a much-loved Catalan leader, Macià, designed by contemporary sculptor Subirachs, and tourists in shorts and sun hats queue for the bus tour.
In Plaça de Catalunya.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
The plaça’s past
The square is more of a created centre than one with a real Catalan heart. Consider its history. When the medieval wall of Barcelona was demolished in 1854 to extend the city by making a new district, the Eixample (for more information, click here), the plaça was a large field outside the city, traversed by a mountain stream (the stream bed later formed the foundations of La Rambla) and connected to the inner city by means of an entrance called the Portal dels Orbs. The entrance was later renamed the Portal de l’Angel because, so the story goes, when Sant Ferrer crossed through this doorway with his followers, he was greeted by an angel. The 19th-century Plan Cerdà, a project for the redevelopment of Barcelona, called for the creation of a square a little further inland, at the junction of Passeig de Gràcia and the Gran Via.
Another rival project presented by Antoni Rovira i Trías proposed an enormous plaça, 800 by 400 metres (2,600 by 1,300ft) to be called the ‘Forum Isabel II’. Yet another plan for a plaça, similar to that which we know today, was designed in 1868 by Miquel Garriga.
While the authorities were trying to reach an agreement, the owners of the corresponding plots of land grew fed up with waiting and began to build. In 1902, Lord Mayor Ledesma ordered the demolition of all these buildings, but it was another quarter of a century before the plaça took on its current appearance. Based on a design by Francesc Nebot, the square was officially opened by King Alfonso XIII in 1927.
Feeding the pigeons in Plaça de Catalunya.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Winds of change
Ever since this uneasy birth, the winds of change have swept through the square, taking away any vestiges of nostalgia and tradition. Now it is bordered by banks and giant shopping institutions that seem to have been transplanted from Madrid and elsewhere like some kind of late 20th-century colonisation.
Where
As well as being the hub of Barcelona in terms of transport and city communications, Plaça de Catalunya is the centre of the city in a wider sense. If you look in the middle of the square itself you’ll find paving stones arranged in the shape of a star which, they say, marks the centre of the capital of Catalonia.
On the corner now dominated by the Hard Rock Café and a branch of the El Corte Inglés empire stood the legendary Maison Dorée café. Such was the character of this establishment that, when it closed its doors in 1918, another café of the same name opened at No. 6. ‘It was never the same,’ wrote Lluís Permanyer, city historian, who relates that it was here that a tradition of ‘five o’clock tea’ was introduced to Barcelona.
Another meeting point of intellectuals was the old Hotel Colón, which has since been a bank and has just been reborn as a dazzling Apple Store. Older generations of Republicans remember when the facade of the hotel was covered with giant posters of Marx, Lenin and Stalin during the Civil War. There was no mistaking that this was the headquarters of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC), then the leading socialist group.
Fountains in the plaça.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
El Triangle
It’s difficult to miss the monumental department store El Corte Inglés. On the opposite side is El Triangle, a commercial centre which is home to FNAC, a mega media store with several slick floors of books, music and technology. On the ground floor is a newsstand with an excellent range of magazines. The broad pavement here forms a tenuous link between La Rambla and the lesser-known Rambla de Catalunya, an elegant boulevard which runs through the Eixample past modernista buildings to meet the Diagonal (for more information, click here).
Shop
El Corte Inglés occupies the whole of the eastern side of Plaça de Catalunya. The department store is so named (‘The English Cut’) because its distant origins lie in a humble Madrid tailor’s shop that specialised in the style, a far cry from today’s exhausting air-conditioned expanse of goods and madding crowds.
Café Zurich is a popular hangout.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Tourists flock to the plaça.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Café Zurich 2 [map]
At the point of the ‘triangle’ where Pelai meets the top of La Rambla is Café Zurich, a replica of the original café, which was demolished to build El Triangle. Thanks to its vantage point at a busy crossroads, and with the same old bad-tempered waiters, it has taken on the persona of the former famous landmark, and remains a favourite rendezvous point.
Whether you are seated on Café Zurich’s terrace, or emerging blinking from the metro exit, contemplate the panorama ahead.
From River to Road – the History of La Rambla
Once lined with convents and then a fashionable promenade, today La Rambla offers something for everyone, from opera-goers and children to tourists and thieves.
Originally, La Rambla was the river bed (the Latin name arenno was replaced by the Arab word ramla) that marked the exterior limits of the city fortified by King Jaume I. But when Barcelona expanded during the 15th century, La Rambla became part of the inner city. In due course, a number of religious houses were built in the surrounding areas and the river bed came to be known as the ‘Convent Thoroughfare’. Only at the beginning of the 18th century did La Rambla become a more clearly defined street, after permission was granted to build on the ancient walls in the Boqueria area. In 1775 a section of the city walls was torn down and a central walkway built, lined with poplar trees and higher than the roadway that ran along either side.
A place to be seen
Within the small and densely populated area of the ancient fortified city, La Rambla was the only street of any significance, and it became the city’s focal point. Renovations were constantly under way during the 19th century, and the street settled down to become more exclusive and aristocratic; this change of status was aided by the disappearance of some of the surrounding buildings and convents, creating space for new squares and mansions.
La Rambla assumed its present shape between 1849 and 1856, when all the remaining fortifications were torn down. The first plane trees, brought from Devesa in Girona, were planted in 1851, and the street became ‘the fashionable promenade route, where the cream of Barcelona parades on foot, by carriage or on horseback’, according to the 19th-century journalist Gaziel.
Madding crowd
Today’s promenaders are more mixed and more cosmopolitan, as La Rambla is an essential walk for any visitors, from other parts of Spain or abroad. Listen out for a Babel-like mix of languages as you try to make your way through the inevitable crowds. Since the regeneration of the Old Town in the 1990s, more uptown residents are venturing down to these ‘lower’ parts to visit art galleries and trendy boutiques, take their children to the chocolate shops in Petritxol or meet friends for dinner in the eclectic selection of new restaurants, though the ‘cream’ could always be spotted wrapped in furs on their way to the opera at the Liceu. They mingle with tourists, hen parties, pickpockets, petty criminals cheating at dice tricks and prostitutes assailing northern European businessmen. The local youth move in large crowds looking for cheap beer before going clubbing.
And while the fun continues into the night, out come the green municipal cleaners in force, like some kind of eco-angels, sweeping, collecting rubbish and vigorously hosing down the gutters in preparation for a new day, under the watchful eye of the faithful newsstands, which stay open all night.
La Rambla has long been a favourite meeting place.
Mary Evans Picture Library
The city’s main pedestrian street is one of the most famous boulevards in Europe, and for many people one of the distinguishing features of Barcelona. This kaleidoscopic avenue throbs day and night, exerting an undeniable magnetism which attracts both visitors and locals, and which never fails to entertain.
The best advice is to plunge in, go with the flow and enjoy the constant weird and wonderful activity. Let yourself be carried past lottery ticket booths, shoe shiners, cheap pensions, human statues, northern Europeans in shorts in December, and locals in sharp suits. Let your senses be assailed by the perfumed air of the flower stalls, the chatter of the gossips and the yells of the porters delivering fruit to the market. Don’t miss a thing, especially the gambling con artists and ubiquitous pickpockets who inevitably prey on such a bountiful crowd. After dark La Rambla loses none of its daytime energy, becoming the main artery for anyone going de juerga (out for a wild time) in the Old Town.
Dr Masó’s Farmacia Nadal has been here for decades.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
Drinking from the Canaletes fountain.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
Rambla de Canaletes
Between the top of La Rambla and the Columbus monument where it ends there are five different parts to the promenade. The first, Rambla de Canaletes, is named after the Font de Canaletes 3 [map], one of the symbols of Barcelona.
A small brass plaque at the foot of this 19th-century cast-iron fountain confirms the legend that all those who drink its waters will be enamoured of Barcelona and always return. It is a favourite meeting place, and posses of retired men regularly gather here for tertúlies (chatting in groups and putting the world to rights – often around a table after a large meal). The ‘font’ is at its most jubilant when Barça football fans of all ages gather there to celebrate yet another victory for their successful team.
Drink
Tucked just inside Tallers, the first street on the right as you head down from Plaça de Catalunya, is Boadas, the oldest cocktail bar in town, with a 1930s interior and walls lined with caricatures of the original owner. The bar is known for its mojitos; the recipe was inherited from Boadas, who learnt his art in Cuba where, like so many Catalans in the 19th century, his parents had emigrated.
Shopping Streets
Just beyond the fountain, at the junction with Bonsuccés, is the pharmacy Nadal with its modernista facade, and across La Rambla are the diverging streets Santa Anna and Canuda, both pedestrian shopping streets.
Parròquia Major de Santa Anna 4 [map]
Address: Santa Anna, 29
Opening Hrs: Mon–Sat 11am–7pm ; avoid weekends, the time for weddings and Masses
Entrance Fee: free
Transport: Catalunya
Hidden behind the busy shops of Santa Anna on the left is the Parròquia Major de Santa Anna, an oasis of peace. The Romanesque church and Gothic cloister are marvellous examples of the architecture of their time.
Return to La Rambla via Plaça de la Vila de Madrid, reached from the narrow street Bertrellans almost opposite the church: it is an attractive, landscaped square with some Roman graves dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries and a wonderful jacaranda tree. On the corner, at Canuda No. 6, is the Ateneu Barcelonès, a traditional cultural enclave dating from 1796. It’s for members only, but you can steal a glimpse of the hushed library and magnificent interiors from the square.
Browsing for music.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
The music shop next to the Palau de la Virreina has an attractive façade.
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Rambla dels Estudis
Back on La Rambla, the crowd gets denser and the noise level rises as it passes through a corridor of newsstands and kiosks selling Catalan specialities. This is the Rambla dels Estudis, so named because the 16th-century university was here.
The Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts on the right also houses the Teatre Poliorama 5 [map], which has regular performances (for more information, click here). On the exterior of the building, which was designed by Josep Domènech i Estapà, is the clock that has been the official timekeeper of the city since 1891. In Homage to Catalonia George Orwell recounts days spent on guard on this roof.
Of all the vast conglomeration of the former university, only the Església de Betlem 6 [map] (just before the smart 1898 hotel) remains, a long and rather depressing bulk. The Baroque facade on Carme was built in 1690 but the main structure was not completed until 1729.
Opposite is the Palau Moja (also known as the Marquis de Comillas Palace), an important 18th-century neoclassical building housing some offices of the Generalitat (the Catalan government) and occasionally open to show exhibitions. Under the arcades is the Generalitat bookshop, with a few titles of general interest amid weighty tomes of statistics on Catalonia.
Brief Detours
At the corner, Portaferrissa leads into a world of commerce and numerous fashion shops, cafés selling hot chocolate and sticky confectionery, and the central part of the Barri Gòtic (for more information, click here). To the right of La Rambla is Carme, an interesting street going into the heart of El Raval, worth a brief detour for El Indio, a textiles shop (at No. 24) founded in 1870 and little changed since. Inside there are long wooden counters for proper display of the cloth, and wooden chairs for stout ladies to rest their legs.
Pretty bouquets for sale on one of the many flower stalls in the Sant Josep section of La Rambla.
iStockphoto
Rambla de Sant Josep
Back on the Rambla de Sant Josep (better known as the Rambla de les Flors), the air smells sweet. During the 19th century this was the only place where flowers were sold. The Catalan modernista artist Ramón Casas (1866–1932) picked out one of the flower sellers here to be his model, and she later became his wife.
Palau de la Virreina 7 [map]
On the right is the Palau de la Virreina, a magnificent 18th-century Rococo building set back from the road for greater effect. In 1771 Manuel Amat, Viceroy of Peru, sent a detailed plan from Lima for the construction of the house that he planned to build on La Rambla. The final building was not completed until 1778, and the viceroy died only a few years after taking up residence. It was his young widow who was left to enjoy the palace, which became known as the palace of the ‘Virreina’ or vicereine.
Today it is an excellent exhibition venue specialising in photography and image-based art as well as being the official cultural information centre, and a booking office. Wander into its handsome courtyard: around fiesta time there is usually some gegant (giant) or drac (dragon) lurking, before being brought out on parade. Next to it is a music store with a charming modernista front.
Eat
La Boqueria has several good places to eat, such as Kiosco Universal and Pinotxo (for more information, click here or click here).
Shopping in La Boqueria.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Fresh berries to take away from La Boqueria.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Mercat de la Boqueria 8 [map]
Address: La Rambla, 91
Opening Hrs: Mon–Sat 7am–8pm
Transport: Liceu
Half a block further down is the entrance to the city’s most popular and famous market, the Mercat de la Boqueria, or Mercat Sant Josep. The first stone was laid on 19 March 1840, Saint Joseph’s day, to appease the saint whose convent on the same spot had been burnt down in the 1835 riots. Again, take plenty of time to enjoy shopping there, or simply to observe what’s going on.
Discerning shoppers – restaurateurs early in the morning, housewives mid-morning and the men in charge of the Sunday paella on Saturdays – queue patiently for the best produce, bark their orders and refuse to be fobbed off with anything below par. The fishwives also shriek, trying to seduce passers-by into the day’s best catch. It is a heady experience, despite the frantic crowds, as there is something quintessentially Mediterranean about the noise, human warmth and the serious business of buying and eating wonderfully fresh produce. It is at its best early in the morning before the spectators arrive.
On the opposite side of La Rambla is the Palau Nou. The total antithesis to La Boqueria, it is an ultra-modern building that is supposedly completely automated, including ‘robot parking’ on nine levels underground. It also provides a short cut through to the Plaça del Pi, and effectively frames the beautiful Gothic tower of the plaça’s church, Santa Maria del Pi.
Details along La Rambla.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Pla de la Boqueria
Continuing on down, La Rambla enters the Pla de la Boqueria (marked only by a widening of La Rambla, and a break in the shady avenue of trees). This was the site of executions in the 14th century, when it was paved with flagstones. The name dates from the previous century, when tables selling fresh meat, mesas de bocatería, were erected here (boc is the Catalan for goat’s meat). In the 15th century the tables of gamblers and cardsharps replaced the meat stalls.
Today the flagstones have been replaced by a Joan Miró pavement created in the 1970s – look out for his signature. On one corner stands the Casa Bruno Quadras, built by Josep Vilaseca in 1891. The building’s colourful, extravagant decoration includes umbrellas, fans and a great Chinese dragon, illustrating the oriental influence on the modernista designers.
Rambla dels Caputxins
At this point the Rambla dels Caputxins begins, so called because, until 1775, the left side was the site of the Capuchin Convent and its adjacent vegetable garden.
Inside Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Gran Teatre del Liceu 9 [map]
Address: La Rambla, 51–59; www.liceubarcelona.cat
Tel: 902 533 353 (bookings); 93-485 9900 (information)
Entrance fee: tours (charge), guided 10am; non-guided 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm and 1pm
Transport: Liceu
The mood changes slightly now, as this stretch is dominated by the Gran Teatre del Liceu, cathedral of the bel canto in Spain and launch pad for names such as Carreras and Caballé. The original building, dating from 1861, was badly damaged by fire in 1994, but has since been extravagantly restored to its former glory. New technology has been installed and a second stage added. The theatre season now covers a wide range of productions, from classical to ambitious avant-garde opera, ballet and recitals.
The Liceu
The Liceu, founded by philanthropist Manuel Gibert i Sans, staged its first opera in 1838. Construction of a bigger venue began in 1844. The project was second only to that of La Scala in Milan, with space for 4,000 spectators and every type of performance. Stravinsky, de Falla, Caruso, Callas, Plácido Domingo and Pavarotti have all performed here, as well as Catalonia’s own Pablo Casals, Montserrat Caballé and Josep Carreras. In 1994 a fire gutted the interior. Architect Ignasi de Solà Morales doubled its size while conserving its original style and it reopened in 1999 to much public acclaim. In attempts to broaden its appeal, the programme includes cabaret sessions in the foyer, performances for children and opera film cycles.
Alongside the theatre, Sant Pau leads down to the Romanesque church of Sant Pau del Camp in El Raval (for more information, click here).
Cafè de l’Òpera
Opposite the opera house is the Cafè de l’Òpera, opened in 1929. It remains a good place to read the newspapers in the morning – subdued and peaceful – yet builds up to a giddy pitch late at night.
Carrer Ferran
The Gran Teatre del Liceu ends opposite Ferran, one of the most elegant streets in Barcelona in the first half of the 19th century. Remnants of this time can still be seen despite the invasion of fast-food outlets and souvenir shops. Now pedestrianised, the street leads up to the Plaça Sant Jaume at the heart of the Barri Gòtic.
Hotel Oriente ) [map]
The legendary Hotel Oriente, a little further down La Rambla, preserves the structures of the Collegi de Sant Bonaventura, founded by Franciscan monks in 1652. The cloister is the ballroom, surrounded by the monks’ gallery. A wall plaque reminds guests that this was the first public place in Barcelona to use gas lighting. Once favoured by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, it has now been absorbed into a large hotel chain.
Evening dining.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Plaça Reial ! [map]
Back on the other side of La Rambla, an arcaded passageway leads to the Plaça Reial, another Barcelona landmark and one of the most handsome yet decadent of its squares. Despite being home to the city’s first gastronomic boutique hotel, DO Plaça Reial, it retains its infamous nature, so tourists on terrace bars still jostle with junkies, and backpackers share benches with the homeless. Restaurants, bars and clubs predominate, like the well-established Jamboree jazz club, along with its sister club Tarantos for flamenco, both open after the shows for dancing. Charismatic new bar Ocaña has quickly become a favourite. Sidecar, a fashionable spot, has live music. The buzz never lets up.
Eat
Restaurants and bars line the Plaça Reial. Glaciar is an old favourite, still full of life, and MariscCo is a stylish seafood restaurant. In the nearby streets, too, try traditional Los Caracoles (with sizzling chickens on a blazing grill on the exterior wall), and La Fonda. The latter is related to Quinze Nits in the Plaça and has the same effective formula – reasonably priced Catalan food, served in an attractive interior of palms and pale wood.
On Sunday mornings, stamp and coin collectors gather around the Font de Les Tres Gràcies and the two fanals (street lamps) designed by a young Gaudí. Inspired by the French urban designs of the Napoleonic period, this is the only one of the many squares planned in Barcelona during the 19th century that was built entirely according to its original plan. Its uniform, arcaded buildings were constructed by Francesc Daniel Molina on the plot where the Capuchin Convent once stood. Return to La Rambla through Passatge de Bacardí (the Cuban rum was created by a Catalan).
Palau Güell’s rooftop.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Palau Güell @ [map]
Address: Nou de la Rambla 3–5; www.palauguell.cat
Tel: 93-472 5775
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sun Apr–Sept 10am–8pm, Oct–Mar 10am–5.30pm
Entrance fee: charge
Transport: Liceu or Drassanes
Just off Rambla dels Caputxins on the opposite side to the Plaça Reial is the Palau Güell. Built by Antoni Gaudí between 1885 and 1889 as the home of his patron, Count Güell, it has recently reopened after lavish renovation.
With this early commission, the architect embarked on a period of fertile creativity. The building is structured around an enormous salon, from which a conical roof covered in pieces of tiling emerges to preside over a landscape of capriciously placed battlements, balustrades and strangely shaped chimneys. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, this fascinating building displays Gaudí’s ingenious solutions concerning light and space, from the wooden cobbles in the basement stables to the rooftop.
Plaça del Teatre
The terraces that line La Rambla along this stretch are pretty well spurned by locals, but as long as you don’t expect the ultimate culinary experience it is tempting to pull up a chair, order a cool drink and watch the world go by.
Where the promenade opens up again into the Plaça del Teatre, or Plaça de les Comèdies, another notorious street, Escudellers, leads off to the left. A kind of cross between ingrained seediness and up-to-the-minute trendiness, it is representative of many parts of Barcelona today. Walk along it to feel the pulse of the harsher elements of the city, and to observe its present evolution.
Plaça George Orwell £ [map]
Escudellers opens up at the far end into a square, Plaça George Orwell, created in the 1980s as a result of dense housing demolition; trendy bars and restaurants have opened here, and a bike rental company has set up shop. The sculpture on the square is by Leandre Cristòfol.
Now return down Escudellers, passing small grocer’s shops, falafel bars, discos and dives. Narrow streets lead off to the right and left, most hiding late-night bars (for more information, click here).
Teatre Principal
Back on La Rambla you reach the spot where, in the 16th century, the city’s first theatre was built. The present Teatre Principal replaced the old wooden theatre that was for many years the only stage in Barcelona. A 2,000-seater, it was built on the site of the historical Corral de les Comèdies, a popular early theatre, although it never appealed to the bourgeoisie. Opposite the theatre is a monument to Frederic Soler ‘Pitarra’, founder of modern Catalan theatre.
Rambla de Santa Mònica
The few prostitutes remaining in this area choose the square surrounding the monument to offer their charms – a reminder of what used to be called the Barrio Xino (in Spanish, Barrio Chino). A shadow of its former self, the area has been cleaned up in recent years, but the neon signs of sex shops and the like are still in evidence. The square marks the beginning of the Rambla de Santa Mònica, the last stretch of La Rambla before it reaches the harbour.
At this point the pace of the human river slows and the personality of La Rambla seems to fade. The Rambla de Santa Mònica is lined with caricaturists, portrait painters and artisans, and a craft market is held here at the weekend. This is where, in 1895, films were first shown publicly in Spain by the Lumière brothers. Some handsome buildings have been restored and new ones built, notably on the left for the university of Pompeu Fabra.
The Arts Santa Mònica building.
Arts Santa Mònica
Arts Santa Mònica $ [map]
On the right side as you continue towards the port is the Arts Santa Mònica (La Rambla, 7; www.artssantamonica.cat; metro Drassanes), a former convent redesigned as an exhibition space by the highly regarded local architects Piñón and Viaplana, who were instrumental in much of the new Barcelona. It is about to be reinvented as a place that encourages contemporary creativity, but plans remain uncertain. Check the website to see whether it is open to the public. Opposite the centre is the Palau March (1780), today the Generalitat’s Department of Culture.
Just before the Arts Santa Mònica, a narrow street, Santa Mònica, heads off into the former Barrio Xino, where you’ll find a range of seedy and newly fashionable old bars. An evocative French atmosphere is on offer in the timeless Pastis at No. 4 Santa Mònica – except on tango nights, when the bar transforms itself into a corner of Buenos Aires.
La Rambla gets packed – keep an eye on your wallet.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
The façade of the Wax Museum.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Museu de la Cera % [map]
Address: Passatge de la Banca, 7; www.museocerabcn.com
Tel: 93-317 2649
Opening Hrs: mid-July–late Sept daily 10am–10pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 10am–1.30pm, 4–7.30pm, Sat–Sun 11am–2pm, 4.30–8.30pm
Entrance fee: charge
Transport: Drassanes
Towards the end of La Rambla, on the left, an old-fashioned ticket booth sells tickets for the Museu de la Cera. The roof of Barcelona’s wax museum sports Superman, poised to leap from the top of the building, and inside are more than 360 waxworks, giving an insight into some of Catalonia’s historic personalities. Recent acquisitions include Prince Charles and Camilla.
Around this part of La Rambla you’ll usually find a horse and carriage waiting to whisk tourists off for a trot around town.
Kids
La Rambla is a great place to take children. From feeding pigeons in Plaça de Catalunya and posing with the human statues to persuading parents to buy them ice creams and being happily horrified by the models in the Wax Museum, there’s plenty for them to enjoy.
Street artists at night on La Rambla.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Our Lady of Mercy ^ [map]
A long street on the left, Ample, leads to the 18th-century church of La Mare de Déu de la Mercè, usually known simply as La Mercè, the patroness of Barcelona, and the name given to many Catalan women. A dramatic statue of the Virgin and Child stands on the top of the church, creating a distinctive element on the waterfront skyline.
The square was one of the first urban spaces (1983) to appear as a result of the Socialist city council’s long-term project of demolishing old buildings to open up dense areas. It is at its most festive on 24 September, the day of La Mercè, when gegants and castellers (for more information, click here) greet the dignitaries coming out of Mass, before the main festa major of Barcelona takes off. It is also customary for every member of the Barça football team, whatever his creed, to come and pay his respects to the Virgin after important victories, before going off to parade the trophy in front of the fans in Plaça Sant Jaume.
The last building on the left side of La Rambla before you reach the Waterfront has a curious history. In 1778 the foundry of the Royal Artillery, as well as its workshop, were transferred to this building, known as El Refino. The foundry was one of the most renowned cannon factories of its time. From 1844 until 1920 it was occupied by the offices of the Banco de Barcelona and, since the Spanish Civil War (1936–9), it has been converted into the offices of the military governor.
Monument a Colom & [map]
Tel: 93-302 5224
Opening Hrs: daily 8.30am–8pm
Entrance fee: charge
Transport: Drassanes
Looming up at the end of La Rambla is the Columbus Monument, in the Plaça del Portal de la Pau, built for the 1888 Universal Exposition. It has an internal lift which takes you to the top for a great view over the city and port.
Shopping
The shopping panorama here is large stores surrounding Plaça Catalunya offering global but useful shopping and an excess of souvenirs in La Rambla. In between there are some interesting options for fashionistas and foodies.
Accessories
Alonso
Santa Anna, 27
Tel: 93-317 6085
Family-run since 1905, this modernista shop sells gloves in the winter and a wonderful range of traditional and trendy fans in the summer.
Sombreria Mil
Fontanella, 20
Tel: 93-301 8491
Hat shops as they used to be, this traditional establishment from 1917 provides any headgear you could wish for, from cooling Panamas to trilbies, wedding fascinators to Catalan barretinas.
Clothing
Custo Barcelona
La Rambla, 109
Tel: 93-481 3930
Home-grown talent from the heart of Lleida, the Dalmau brothers have had a huge hit with their brightly coloured T-shirts, dresses and accessories now sold all over the world.
Desigual
La Rambla, 140
Tel: 93-304 3112
Another born-in-Barcelona hit which has gone global, these colourful casual clothes for men, women and now kids brighten your life and make a strong individual statement.
Flora Albacín
Canuda, 3
A corner of Andalucía just off La Rambla, this tiny shop is bursting at the seams with gorgeous flamenco dresses plus shoes, earrings, beads and fans, which make great gifts. Pure heaven for girls of all ages.
Department stores
El Corte Inglés
Plaça de Catalunya, 14
Tel: 93-306 3800
This flagship branch of Spain’s leading department store has eleven floors of anything you may need. Open Mon–Sat 10am–10pm, its excellent supermarket covers multicultural tastes and the restaurant on the top floor gives a privileged view of the busy square.
Food
El Celler de la Boqueria
Plaça Sant Josep, 15-B
Tucked into the side alley of the Boqueria market, this friendly shop offers advice on its interesting range of wines from different regions at economical prices.
Escribà
La Rambla, 83
Tel: 93-301 6027
The family of the late Antoni Escribà, the famous chocolate ‘sculptor’, continue his tradition in this beautiful shop, where you can buy small boxes to take home.
Malls
El Triangle
Plaça de Catalunya, 1–4
Tel: 93-318 0108
Dominated by FNAC’s several floors of books, music and the latest tech equipment, this small, user-friendly mall also houses Habitat, Massimo Dutti, fashion for men and women, and Sephora, an emporium of perfume and cosmetics for men and women.
Markets
La Boqueria
La Rambla, 91
Tel: 93-318 2584
The largest and most colourful of the city’s many markets. The most exotic and expensive fare is in the entrance; the bargains are to be found in the maze of stalls behind, especially in the adjoining Plaça de Sant Galdric, where there is a farmers’ market.
Coin and stamp market
Plaça Reial
Every Sunday 9am–2.30pm collectors gather here to sell and swap their curios, mostly coins and stamps, though all sorts seem to slip in to that category. A timeless gem, worth visiting.
Moll de les Drassanes
The quayside, near Plaça del Portal de la Pau
At the foot of Columbus Monument, this attractive bric-a-brac market by the sea opens every weekend. Bargains can be found if you browse through its old postcards, ancient cameras, pottery and so on.