Maps and Listings
The Barri Gòtic has narrow, atmospheric streets.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
The jewel of the Old Town, the Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gòtic, is a dense nucleus of historic buildings that has formed the central part of the Old City since Roman times. Today it represents the centre of municipal administration and is home to the Catalan autonomous government.
The oldest part of the city, it is built around Mont Tàber, Taber Hill, a misnomer for what is little more than a mound. This section of the Old Town is surrounded by the remains of Roman walls clearly indicated with descriptive signs. Layer upon layer of different architectural styles illustrate the different periods of Barcelona’s history, from remnants of the Roman city to contemporary architectural solutions seen in renovation work and extensions to old buildings. The Gothic period predominates, reflecting the glorious medieval period when Catalonia was at its height.
Plaça del Rei.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
A Tour of the Barri Gòtic
This route is designed to take in the key sites, and constitutes an enjoyable walk through the present-day Gothic Quarter, with its residents, street musicians, cafés and commerce. Alternatively, you can simply absorb its atmosphere by wandering aimlessly around its narrow streets, feeling the sense of history and observing the day-to-day comings and goings of the local people.
Approach from Plaça de Catalunya down Portal de l’Angel, a wide paved street full of shoe shops, the major fashion chains and a branch of El Corte Inglés, which specialises in music, books, urban fashion, sport and computers, and is housed in a grandiose building. The wide space lends itself to street performances. Bear left at the fork at the bottom, taking Arcs past a fine modernista building now housing a hotel, an Aladdin’s cave of a toyshop, and the Col.legi d’Arquitectes, the Architects’ Association, a 1960s building with friezes designed by Picasso, but executed by Norwegian Carl Nesjar.
Friezes designed by Picasso decorate the exterior of the Col.legi d’Arquitectes (Architects’ Association).
iStockphoto
Plaça Nova 1 [map]
The street leads into Plaça Nova, and there, in front of you, is one of the main Roman gates to the old city, the Portal del Bisbe (Bishop’s Gate). The towers date from the 1st century BC but the name came later, from the nearby 18th-century Bishop’s Palace. The sculpted letters by Catalan artist Joan Brossa (for more information, click here) spell out ‘Barcino’, the Roman name for the city.
Avinguda de la Catedral
Here Plaça Nova merges with Avinguda de la Catedral, a wide open space spreading out at the foot of the cathedral steps. The paving hides an underground car park and successfully highlights the drama of the ancient facades, rising theatrically above the Roman walls. Sit on one of the polished stone benches or the terrace of the Hotel Colón and take it all in: the constant movement of children, footballs and bicycles, the clicking of cameras, large tour groups from cruise ships, balloon vendors and beggars. An antiques market takes place here on Thursdays, and at the weekend the gatherings of sardana dancers form large, impenetrable bouncing circles (6.30pm on Sat, noon on Sun, 7pm on Wed). All this is played out against the surprisingly neo-Gothic front of the cathedral, which was tacked onto its 13th-century origins in the 19th century.
Bridge at Carrer del Bisbe.
Bigstock
Through the Roman gate
Enter the Gothic Quarter through the Roman gate in Plaça Nova, up the slope into Bisbe. On the right is the Palau Episcopal, built in 1769 around a 12th-century courtyard, which is the only remaining evidence of the original palace after centuries of modifications. The frescoes on the facade (facing the Carrer Montjuïc del Bisbe) date from the 18th century, while the triple recess windows and large flamígero window in the courtyard are from the 14th century. It was the headquarters of Pope Benedict XVI when he visited in 2010 to consecrate the Sagrada Família.
Opposite the palace entrance a short street, Santa Llúcia, leads towards the cathedral. On the corner is a chapel dedicated to Santa Llúcia, patron saint of the blind and, curiously, of seamstresses. Built in 1268, it is one of the oldest parts of the cathedral and a fine example of Romanesque architecture, with images of the Annunciation and the Visitation decorating the facade capitals. The holy-water font inside the chapel is from the 14th century. A rear doorway leads into the cloister.
The Fira de Santa Llúcia, an atmospheric Christmas arts and crafts fair, fills the cathedral square for most of December. It also sells Christmas trees of all shapes and sizes, plus everything you could possibly need to make your own Nativity scene, from the Three Kings to the caganer (for more information, click here).
Fact
Wise men, the baby Jesus, donkeys and the caganer are all essential figures in the Nativity scene. A curious Catalan tradition, the caganer, usually dressed as a local peasant – though sometimes as a star footballer or politician – is supposedly ‘fertilising the earth’ (defecating) to bring good luck in the New Year.
The cathedral precincts
Opposite the Capella de Santa Llúcia, on the other corner, is the Casa de l’Ardiaca (Archdeacon’s Residence), built in the 15th century on Roman ruins. It has one of the most evocative patios in the city. A tall, elegant palm tree rises high above a fountain, which is decorated with flowers at Corpus Christi and is the setting for a curious tradition, l’ou com balla, in which a fragile egg ‘dances’ on the spouting water. The building contains the Municipal History Archives, a valuable collection of historical chronicles and documents. Extensions at the rear of the patio have opened up the building, revealing another angle on the Roman tower and part of the first city wall, dating from the 1st century BC. The outer wall, with square towers and the remains of two aqueducts (which can be seen from Avinguda de la Catedral), is from the 4th century AD.
Tip
Next to the entrance of the Casa de l’Ardiaca (for more information, click here), look out for the letterbox designed by the modernista architect Domènech i Montaner. The swallows suggest how fast the post should travel; the tortoise represents the reality.
The Cathedral.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
The Cathedral 2 [map]
Address: Pla Catedral de la Seu, 3; www.catedralbcn.org
Tel: 93-342 8260
Opening Hrs: daily 8.30am–12.30pm and 5.15–7pm; free; tourist visit (which includes choir stalls, roof and museum in the Sala Capitular): Mon–Sat 1–4.30pm, Sun 2–4.30pm; Entrance fee: charge (tourist visits only)
Transport: Liceu/Jaume I
Enter the catedral by the main door. Its traditional, ornate chapels are a far cry from the simple majesty of Santa Maria del Mar (for more information, click here). For any kind of spiritual peace it is essential to visit in off-peak hours, such as first thing in the morning, to avoid groups and the accumulation of human traffic; attending Mass is no solution, as the congregation chatters loudly and goes in and out at will.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1298 under the patronage of Jaume II, on the spot where an early Christian church had been destroyed by the pillaging of Al-Mansur, the vizier of Córdoba, in 985. Some signs of it can be seen in the remarkable subterranean world beneath the present cathedral, which can be visited from the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA, for more information, click here).
The Cathedral’s interior.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
The highlights
The main area consists of three naves and an apse with an ambulatory beneath an octagonal dome. Two 14th- and 15th-century towers rise at each end of the transept. Beneath the main altar is the crypt of Santa Eulàlia, and of particular note are the dome’s multicoloured keystones. Some say that this is one of Catalonia’s three ‘magnetic’ points.
The tomb of Santa Eulàlia, behind the altar, is an important 14th-century work of art, executed in alabaster by a disciple of Giovanni Pisano during the same period as the episcopal cathedral. The most outstanding altarpiece is that of the Transfiguration, designed by Bernat Martorell in the chapel dedicated to Sant Salvador, which was built in 1447.
The high-backed choir pews are by Pere Sanglada (1399), and the lower-backed benches were carved by Macià Bonafè towards the end of the same century. The retrochoir (the extension behind the high altar) was built in the early 16th century by Bartolomé Ordóñez. The Capella del Santo Cristo de Lepanto (Chapel of Christ Lepanto) contains the crucifix borne in the Christian flagship against the Ottomans in the battle of Lepanto. Built between 1405 and 1454, it is considered the finest example of Gothic art in the cathedral.
The oldest part is that of the Porta de Sant Ivo (St Ive’s Door), where some of the Romanesque windows and archways can still be seen. Most of the cathedral’s more antique furnishings are in the MUHBA, but there is a small collection in the Sala Capitular (Chapter House; opening times same as cathedral; charge, or as part of a tourist visit, for more information, click here).
A small pavilion beside the Porta de la Pietat shelters a 15th-century terracotta statue of St George by Antoni Claperós, and the door to the western end of the transept is made from marble taken from the earlier Romanesque cathedral.
Tip
For a gargoyle’s view of the city, take a lift to the rooftop of the cathedral (see tourist visiting times, click here).
The cathedral cloisters
On one side is the Santa Eulàlia Portal which leads to the cathedral cloisters, a quiet haven and perhaps the most atmospheric part of the cathedral, with the sound of running water from the pretty fountain and a romantic garden of elegant palms, medlars and highly perfumed magnolia trees, all enclosed by 15th-century wrought-iron railings. Thirteen geese are the sole residents, symbolising the age of Santa Eulàlia, co-patron saint of Barcelona, when she died.
Eat
Recommended restaurants near the cathedral include La Cassola, with tasty Catalan home cooking, in Sant Sever, and El Portalón in Banys Nous. The latter, a timeless bodega, is a good bet in winter, when its warming bean stews go down well (for more information, click here).
Geese in the cloisters of the Cathedral.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Carved details on the Cathedral.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Plaça Sant Felip Neri 3 [map]
Leave the cloister through the side door, which leads to Plaça Garriga i Bachs. To the left, notice the picturesque bridge across the street (another neo-Gothic construction), linking two departments of the Generalitat. Cross the square to Montjuïc del Bisbe, a narrow street leading into Plaça Sant Felip Neri. This small square is a treasure, enclosed by heavy stone buildings and happily neglected, which increases its historic impact.
Adjoining the 18th-century church of Sant Felip Neri is a school, so if you coincide with playtime the peace will be shattered by shrieking children and stray footballs.
In fact, a large number of children were killed here when a bomb dropped nearby during the 1936–9 civil war. The pockmarked church facade tells the tale. The eccentric Museu del Calçat (Shoe Museum; Tue–Sun 11am–2pm; charge) was formerly in a street opposite the cathedral, Corríbia, cleared to make Avinguda de la Catedral, and was moved to this plaça, brick by brick. An enormous shoe made to measure for the Columbus statue in La Rambla and ex-President Jordi Pujol’s shoes are among the curiosities.
You could contemplate the square from the shady terrace café of the exclusive boutique Hotel Neri, then take Sant Sever and go down Baixada Santa Eulàlia into a world apart, with hidden courtyards behind enormous wooden doors and small dark workshops where furniture is polished and restored. At Banys Nous (New Baths), turn right past a shop selling embroidered antique nightdresses. On the wall opposite, a panel of ceramic tiles explains the origin of the street’s name.
Plaça Sant Felip Neri.
Alamy
Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 4 [map]
Where the street joins Palla (which, to the right, runs back to the cathedral past art galleries and antique shops), turn left towards Plaça Sant Josep Oriol. This lively square, where artists sell their work at weekends, is dominated by the sought-after terrace of the Bar del Pi, and is one of the most popular spots in the Old Town. Along with the adjoining Plaça del Pi and Placeta del Pi, it embraces the church of Santa Maria del Pi. Begun in 1322 and completed in the 15th century, this is a fine example of Catalan Gothic architecture, fortress-like on the exterior but ample and welcoming inside. The rose window is magnificent when lit from within. Local producers come in from the country to sell goat’s cheese and honey at the market on the Plaça del Pi (first and third weekends of the month, Fri–Sun all day).
Shop
Buskers became so numerous here that local residents campaigned to have them banned, except between 6–8pm on Saturday and noon–2pm on Sunday. Guests of the popular Hotel Jardí no doubt appreciate the ruling. Before leaving the square, check out the knife shop (for more information, click here), dating from 1911, and around the corner from it the very pretty street Carrer Petritxol.
Take the narrow street Ave Maria that runs down the side of the Palau Fiveller and at the end turn right, back into Banys Nous. Traditional shops are giving way to more commercial enterprises, apart from the faithful Xurreria at No. 8, run by the San Ramon family since the 1960s, and the wonderful Obach hat shop, which both remain unchanged. Turn left here and follow Call, the main street in Barcelona’s Jewish Quarter until 1401 (for more information, click here), as it winds up to Plaça Sant Jaume.
Cycling in the sunshine.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Plaça Sant Jaume 5 [map]
The area that today forms the Plaça Sant Jaume was inaugurated in 1823, at the same time as the streets Ferran and Jaume I. It is the civic heart of the city, home to the Ajuntament (City Council), which runs Barcelona, and the Generalitat (government of Catalonia), although the Parliament building is in Parc de la Ciutadella (for more information, click here). The current president of the Generalitat, since the end of 2010, is Artur Mas.
Tip
From early December until the fiesta of Els Reis (The Kings) on 6 January, the Plaça Sant Jaume is taken over by the largest Nativity scene in town – and the longest queues to visit it. Nativity figures are sold in the Cathedral Square throughout December.
Palau de la Generalitat.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Palau de la Generalitat
The Palau de la Generalitat is guarded by the Mossos d’Esquadra, the autonomous police force. Opposite, the town councillors in the Casa de la Ciutat are protected by the Guàrdia Urbana. Demonstrations wind up in this square, as do festive parades, Barça fans and players after major football and basketball victories, and, of course, visiting dignitaries. This is where President Tarradellas was given a clamorous reception on his return from exile to attend the birth of the new democracy in 1977.
Both buildings are of Gothic origin and can be visited on key public holidays, such as Sant Jordi, 23 April, and La Mercè, 24 September. The Palau de la Generalitat can also be visited by booking online (www.gencat.cat) for the second or fourth weekend of the month, while the Ajuntament opens every Sunday (10am–1.30pm). Each has some fine elements: the oldest part of the Casa de la Ciutat (Town Hall) is the Saló de Cent, created by Pere Llobet in 1373; the Gothic facade tucked down the side street Ciutat is the most delicate. The Pati dels Tarongers (a 16th-century courtyard full of orange trees) is the most famous part of the Palau de la Generalitat and the scene of many official photographs. From the square you can glimpse the painted ceilings of a large reception room.
Tourist Information
There is a tourist information office in the Town Hall, on the corner of Ciutat (Mon–Fri 8.30am–8pm, Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 9am–2pm). Take Ciutat out of the square and immediately turn left into Hercules, a quiet street leading to Plaça Sant Just 6 [map]. This is an interesting, often overlooked corner of the Barri Gòtic with a strong sense of identity. The plaça has all the elements of a village: a church, a colmado (grocer’s shop), a restaurant, a noble house, and children playing football.
The streets off here are also worth exploring, notably Palma Sant Just for the bodega and its breakfasts with wonderful omelettes, and Lledó for its medieval houses, one now home to a chic new hotel, Mercer.
The church of Sant Just and Sant Pastor was an ancient royal chapel until the 15th century. According to legend, it is built on the site of Barcelona’s first Christian temple. The Cafè de l’Acadèmia spills out onto the square (for more information, click here).
The Royal Quarter
Behind the cathedral, centring on the Plaça del Rei, is the Conjunt Monumental de la Plaça del Rei, the royal quarter of Barcelona’s medieval count-kings. To get there from Plaça Sant Just, follow Dagueria past a cheese shop (for more information, click here) and over the street Jaume I, turning right into Baixada Llibreteria and then left into Veguer. This leads to the Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA) and the Plaça del Rei at the end.
Shop
Roman columns in the Museu d’Història de Barcelona.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
By a Plaça del Rei café.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Plaça del Rei 7 [map]
The Plaça del Rei is a fine medieval square, testimony to the nobility of the ancient city. It was here that all the flour brought into the city in payment of taxes was collected. The sculpture on the square is by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. Entrance to the plaça’s former royal buildings, the Palau Reial Major, is from the Museu d’Història, accessed back on Veguer or through its well-stocked bookshop on Baixada Llibreteria.
A Royal City
The royal palace of the count-kings of Catalonia and Aragón, Palau Reial Major, begun in the 11th century, lies between the cathedral and the northern Roman wall. Its courtyard is now the Plaça del Rei, and beneath it you can see the foundations of the Roman episcopal palace from which it grew. When the crown slipped from Barcelona’s grasp and the palace decayed, Madrid’s appointed viceroy had his residence built on the left side of the square, the Palau del Lloctinent (for more information, click here). The 16th-century Gothic mansion that now shelters the Barcelona History Museum was brought here brick by brick to house artefacts amassed for the 1929 Universal Exposition. While re-siting the building, the Roman city beneath was discovered.
Museu d’Història de Barcelona 8 [map]
Address: Plaça del Rei, 7–9; www.museuhistoria.bcn.cat
Tel: 93-256 2100
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 10am–8pm
Entrance fee: charge, free Sun from 3pm
Transport: Jaume I/Liceu
The museum traces the city’s history from its origins up to medieval times, following a fascinating chronological route. The highlight is going below ground level to the excavations of the Roman city. Covering 4,000 sq metres (43,000 sq ft) beneath the Plaça del Rei, it offers an intriguing insight not only into Roman building methods, but also into day-to-day commercial and domestic life.
In the courtyard of Museu Frederic Marès.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Palau Reial Major
The tour returns to ground level in the Palau Reial Major, with its vast vaulted ceilings, 13th-century triple-recess windows and 14th-century rose windows.
The main room of the palace, the great Salò del Tinell, was built by Guillem Carbonell, the architect to Pere III in 1359. Its six unreinforced arches span an unprecedented 15 metres (50ft). It was later converted to a Baroque church, only to recover its original appearance after restoration work during and after the civil war. In the 15th century the Inquisition held court here. Legend has it that the walls of the tribunal cannot bear a lie to be told, and that if this occurred, the ceiling stones would move, adding further to the victims’ terror.
Next door is the Capella Reial de Santa Agata, built for Jaume II (1302–12) using the Roman wall as its north side. The decorated ceiling timbers are by Alfonso de Córdoba, the beautiful Epiphany altarpiece painted by Jaume Huguet in 1465, and the Taule de Santa Agata in the Queen’s Chapel from around 1500. It also houses the stone on which the saint’s breasts were mutilated. Watch out for temporary exhibitions in both the Salò del Tinell and the chapel, which give access to these buildings without doing the museum tour.
The Torre de Martí I is sometimes called a mirador because of its fine views over both the royal complex and the city. It was built by Antoni Carbonell and is named after Martí I (‘the Humanist’, 1356–1410), last in the 500-year dynasty of Barcelona count-kings. The silhouette of the box-shaped Renaissance tower built like a dovecote is an outstanding feature of the palace.
On the northern side of Santa Agata chapel, outside the Roman walls, is the Plaça Ramon Berenguer El Gran, distinguished by the statue of the king on his horse. It is well worth a detour to get a feel of the Roman past and see how the medieval city was built on the Roman walls. A metal panel explains which part of the Roman city it was and illustrates an itinerary around what remains of the walls and towers.
Palau del Lloctinent.
Fotolia
Palau del Lloctinent 9 [map]
Address: Comtes, 2
Opening Hrs: daily 10am–7pm
Entrance fee: free
Transport: Jaume I
Back in the Plaça del Rei, opposite the chapel is the Palau del Lloctinent, magnificently restored. Part of it is open to the public. When the kingdoms of Catalonia and Aragón were joined with that of Castile, Carlos V created the office of deputy (lloctinent) for the court’s representative, and this palace, the official residence, was built in 1549 by Antoni Carbonell. The facade is Catalan Gothic, but the inner courtyard is one of the few examples of Renaissance architecture left in the city and has a wonderful carved wooden ceiling. Until recently it was the headquarters of the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó (Archive of the Crown of Aragon).
Museu Frederic Marès has an excellent collection of Spanish sculpture.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications
Museu Frederic Marès ) [map]
Address: Plaça de Sant Iu, 5–6; www.museumares.bcn.cat
Tel: 93-256 3500
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 11am–8pm
Entrance fee: charge, free Sun from 3pm
Transport: Jaume I
Follow Comtes down the side of the cathedral to a tiny square, Sant Iu, which leads into the charming courtyard of the Museu Frederic Marès. This private collection, donated by the Catalan sculptor Marès in 1946, includes Spanish sculpture, with medieval pieces in the crypt. Upstairs, the Museu Sentimental gives an insight into life in the city in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Comtes leads out into the Pla de la Seu, in front of the cathedral. On the right is a beautiful Gothic building, the Pia Almoina, where 100 meals were once given to the poor daily. It now houses the Museu Diocesà ! [map] (Tue–Sat 10am–2pm, 5–8pm, Sun 11am–2pm; charge), with a small collection of religious objects and paintings and which also holds temporary exhibitions.
The Jewish City
In Catalonia the Jewish Quarter of a town or city is known as the Call, meaning ‘narrow street’ or ‘lane’. A marked route leads visitors through Barcelona’s Call.
Situated west of the Roman metropolis in what is now the Gothic Quarter, the Call reached its peak of importance during the Middle Ages and had a remarkable cultural reputation. For centuries the only university in Catalonia was the Universidad Judía or Escuela Mayor. This community also had a talent for finance, and monarchs were known to apply for loans. Their knowledge was so advanced that they were made ambassadors at court, but their display of wealth and their superior lifestyle created great jealousy.
Bitter persecution
The fortunes of the Jews began to decline in 1243 when Jaume I ordered the separation of the Jewish Quarter from the rest of the city and made Jews wear long hooded capes with red or yellow circles. Fights erupted, and worsened when a rumour spread that Jews were responsible for bringing the Black Death to Spain. Full-scale rioting in several cities in 1391 was provoked mainly by a group from Seville who encouraged the population to storm houses in the Jewish Quarter and murder the occupants.
The riots began in Valencia and spread to Mallorca, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Perpignan. Those in Barcelona were by far the most violent; the qahqal (the original Hebrew for call) was virtually destroyed and about 1,000 Jews died. The survivors were forced to convert to Christianity or flee, despite the efforts of the national guard to defend the lives and properties of the persecuted.
Joan I ordered the arrest and execution of 15 Castilians responsible for the uprising, but despite this the Call was never rebuilt. By 1395 the flow of anti-Semitism had reached such proportions that the synagogue on the street called Sanahuja was converted into a church (Sant Jaume, in Carrer de Ferran). In 1396, the principal synagogue was rented to a pottery maker.
The Call disappeared in 1401 when the synagogues were abolished and Jewish cemeteries destroyed. It was not until 1931 that the first new Spanish synagogue was established. It was shut down during the Civil War, reopened in 1948, and later moved to its present site in Carrer d’Avenir.
Jewish Route
Today the only evidence of the prosperous era of the Call is certain stretches of the Carrer de Banys Nous and the Carrer del Call. The Barcelona History Museum has signposted a route through the Jewish Quarter and has opened a centre explaining its history, showing artefacts found during excavations and holding temporary exhibitions (Placeta Manuel Ribé; Tue–Fri 11am–2pm, Sat and Sun 11am–7pm, winter until 5pm). The 14th-century building housing the Centre d’Interpretació del Call, known as the Alchemist’s House, is well preserved.
The Jewish quarter in Girona is one of the best preserved in Spain and its history is well documented in a museum (for more information, click here).
Hebrew inscription on a wall in the Call.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Shopping
Despite the deluge of brash souvenir shops, many old traditional establishments still stand their ground, selling craftwork or ceramics. The labyrinthine streets around the cathedral hide polished antiques shops and Ferran and Avinyó have independent fashion stores.
Accessories
Almacenes del Pilar
Boqueria, 43
Traditional mantillas (lace head scarves) as worn by Spanish señoras, though usually only seen in Easter processions in Barcelona, as well as beautifully embroidered mantones de Manila (shawls), make thoughtful presents or wedding accessories.
Sombreria Obach
Call, 2
Tel: 93-318 4094
Selling berets and Panamas since 1924, this magnificent shop is like a hat museum and has to be visited. As headgear is fashionable again, step inside and treat yourself.
Antiques
The streets Palla and Banys Nous have several exquisite antique shops.
Heritage
Banys Nous, 14
Tel: 93-317 8515
A treasure trove overflowing with magnificent pieces of jewellery, hats, textiles, 1920s designer dresses and all kinds of gorgeous accessories, which come at a price of course.
Librería Violán
Plaça del Rei, 1
Browse in this attractive shop specialising in old books and prints, with a particularly good collection of Art Deco posters.
Books
La Central
Baixada de Llibreteria, 7
Well-stocked bookshop in the entrance to the Museu d’História de Barcelona. It also has a good range of mugs, pencils, notebooks and other items related to the city’s past, which make stylish souvenirs.
Crafts
La Caixa de Fang
Freneria, 1
This wonderful shop crammed with colourful ceramics, from small tiles to enormous salad bowls, will make you want to check in an extra bag so you can take home a new dinner service. Failing that, you could opt for a spoon in olive wood.
Cereria Subirá
Baixada Llibreteria, 7
One of several candle shops that surround the cathedral, this one has 18th-century elegance. Founded in 1762, it is said to be the oldest shop in the city and is still making candles.
Germanes Garcia
Banys Nous, 15
Traditional basket makers dating back to the mid-19th century, with a wide range of goods, from small shopping baskets to classic wicker chairs and highchairs for kids.
Sabater Hnos
Plaça Sant Felip Neri, 1
Tel: 93-301 9832
The heady aroma of the many flavoured handmade soaps greets you as you walk into this lovely, old, heavily beamed shop in one of the most peaceful squares of the Barri Gòtic.
Food
Orolíquido
Palla, 8
An exquisite array of olive oil and olive-based products, ranging from the finest D.O. virgin oils from all over Spain to soap and cosmetics.
Planelles Donat
Portal de l’Àngel, 27
One of the best places to stock up for Christmas speciality turrón (a sticky, nougat-like delicacy). It also sells a range of delicious-flavoured ice creams.
Dagueria, 16
Tel: 93-412 6548
A small shop full of tasty farmhouse cheeses from all over Spain, which the Scottish owner will pack carefully for travel. Check the website for tasting times.
Jewellery
La Basilica Galeria
Sant Sever, 7
Tel: 93-304 2047
In a narrow street opposite the cathedral cloister, this shop-gallery has the most extraordinary jewellery and objets on display from a selection of artists. If the cockroach necklace doesn’t appeal, the earrings made from miniature bags of orange may be more appropriate. Well worth a visit.
Shoes
La Manual Alpargatera
Avinyó, 7
Famous for its huge variety of genuine alpargatas, the classic rope-soled canvas shoes, which are handmade on the premises. Unlike the cheap imitations that fall apart after one summer, these are made to last, from the original style to the high-heeled version.
Toys
El Ingenio
Rauric, 6–8
A historic shop full of fun for kids and adults alike, selling everything you would need to join a circus, or go to a fancy-dress party, from practical jokes to carnival masks. Apparently Dalí was a client.
Xalar
Baixada Llibreteria, 4
This very tasteful toy shop sells wooden toys, doll’s houses, sophisticated dolls and cuddly teddies, as well as reproduction old toys like tin-plated merry-go-rounds or cars. Perfect for kids and collectors.
Window shopping at Heritage.
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications