Barcelona - Las Ramblas

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The best way to get a feel for Barcelona is to take a walk along Les Rambles (Las Ramblas in Spanish). You'll see a cross-section of Catalan society as well as lots of tourists and travelers on this lively boulevard. It's actually made up of five separate streets, all with pedestrian walkways in the middle and jammed with bars, shops and 24-hour newspaper stands. These streets are joined together, running south from Plaça Catalunya to the Columbus monument and the harbour.

Start from Plaça Catalunya and head down Rambla de Canaletes, which gets its name from its 19th-century iron fountain. This is where Barça football fans gather to celebrate their team's victories. Calle Tallers, first on the right, is known for its new and second-hand music stores and shops selling musical instrument.

Carry on into Rambla dels Estudis, named after the university that was here until the early 18th century. Locals call it Rambla dels Ocells (Street of the Birds) because the caged birds for sale keep up a noisy chatter all day long. There are also stalls selling tortoises, fish, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, and other pets. You'll find a number of buildings that are worth looking at here, including Teatre Poliorama, built in 1883, and the Philippines Tobacco Company building, completed in 1880. Stop in at Iglesia de Betlem, a late 17th-century church at the corner of Calle Carme. Across the Rambla, on the corner of Calle Portaferrissa, you'll see the late 18th-century Palau Moja. This former palace, now headquarters of the regional government's contemporary history and culture department, has an excellent bookshop. Off to the right is what used to be known as the red-light district, Barrio del Raval. Off to the left are the narrow streets of the medieval Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter).

When you come to the third street, Rambla de Sant Josep, you'll be suddenly hit by a wave of colour. Flower sellers have been a feature of this pedestrian area for the last 200 years, hence the popular name for it, Rambla de les Flors (Street of Flowers). At the top of the street, a restored 18th-century baroque palace, Palau de la Virreina, houses the Museu Numismàtic i Postal (Coin and Stamp Museum), the Cambó collection of paintings and an information centre with a ticket office for cultural events. You can join the locals in Mercat de la Boqueria (Boquería Market), which offers an amazing and colourful display of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Venture into the middle of the market where you'll find cheaper prices.

Carry on through Plaça de la Boqueria, past Joan Miró's huge mosaic in the middle of the pavement, and into the fourth street, Rambla dels Caputxins, where you'll find Gran Teatre del Liceu. This Opera House was completely re-built for the third time after a fire in 1994. Stop for a drink further down the street in one of the cafés in Plaça Reial, to the left. This attractive square, with its tall palm trees, is decorated with iron lamps designed by a young Antoni Gaudí. Come on Sunday mornings and watch dealers bargaining energetically at the weekly coin and stamp market.

At the top of the fifth and final street, Rambla de Santa Mònica, you'll come to Teatre Principal. You'll also find Museu de Cera (Wax Museum) to the left and hordes of pavement artists, performers and musicians in the centre of the pedestrian area. On the weekends, new agers set up stalls selling crafts, clothes and jewellery. Finish your walk by going to the top of Monumento a Colón (Columbus Monument) for aerial views of the city. Or carry on into the harbour area of Port Vell and Maremàgnum, a modern shopping centre.









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Maremagnum


Shopping centre on the water
 Moll d'Espanya, s/n
Barcelona, Barcelona 08039
+34 93 225 8100
http://www.maremagnum.es
Maremagnum
Las Ramblas


Barcelona's busiest street
 La Rambla
Barcelona 08002
Las Ramblas
Rambla de Canaletes


The first section of the Ramblas
 La Rambla
Barcelona 08002
Rambla de Canaletes
Rambla dels Estudis


The bird market Ramblas
 La Rambla
Barcelona, Barcelona 08002
+34 (0)93 285 3834 (Información Turística)
Rambla dels Estudis
Rambla de Sant Josep


The flower stall section of the Ramblas
 La Rambla
Barcelona 08002
Rambla de Sant Josep
Rambla dels Caputxins


From the Liceu to Plaça Reial
 La Rambla
Barcelona 08002
Rambla dels Caputxins
Rambla de Santa Mònica


The Ramblas that reaches the sea
 La Rambla
Barcelona 08002
Rambla de Santa Mònica
Palace of the Viceroy's Wife


Honouring an ex-viceroy of Peru
 Rambla Sant Josep 99
Barcelona 08002
+34 93 3017775
http://www.bcn.es/icub
Palace of the Viceroy's Wife
Royal Plaza


A very lively square
 Rambla dels Caputxins
(La Rambia)
Barcelona, Barcelona 08002
Royal Plaza
Plaça Catalunya


Barcelona's main square
 Passeig de Gracia
(Ronda de Sant Pere)
Barcelona, Barcelona 08002
Plaça Catalunya
Columbus Monument


Pointing out the New World
 Plaça del Portal de la Pau
Barcelona, Barcelona 08001
Columbus Monument
Gothic Quarter


Medieval heart of the city
Barcelona, Barcelona 08002
Gothic Quarter
Teatre Principal


Theatre in the Ramblas
 La Rambla 27
Barcelona 08002
+34 93 3014750
http://www.teatreprincipal.com/
Teatre Principal
Gran Teatre del Liceu


Grand Opera House
 La Rambla 51-59
Barcelona 08002
+34 93 485 9900
http://www.liceubarcelona.com
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Teatre Poliorama


Theatre in Ramblas
 Rambla dels Estudis 115
Barcelona, Barcelona 08002
+34 93 317 7599
http://www.teatrepoliorama.com/
Teatre Poliorama
Wax Museum of Barcelona


Celebrities made out of wax
 Passatge de la Banca 7
Barcelona, Barcelona 08002
+34 93 317 2649
http://www.museocerabcn.com/
Wax Museum of Barcelona
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