Barcelona Las Ramblas
Barcelona Las Ramblas, a pedestrian strip roughly 1,5km long, is world-famous for street performers, flowers stands and artists.
A stroll down the boulevard can be an adventure at any hour, day or night. The tree-lined thoroughfare, known Les Rambles (in Catalan), consists of six different sections.
La Rambla separates el Raval to the Gothic Quarter in Ciutat Vella district. The pedestrian street, stretches from Plaça Catalunya to the Mediterranean sea and now extends out over the sea, into Maremagnum Barcelona shopping center.
It’s full of museums, restaurants, cafes and shops, walking around is highly recommended for any visitor.
Thing to do in Barcelona Las Ramblas
Walking along Barcelona Las Ramblas is already a tourist attraction in itself, as it’s one of the bustling streets in Barcelona. If you want to discover this area of the city in depth, you can take a tour that covers some of its most emblematic places, such as La Boquería Market or Palau Güell. In case you want to go by yourself, then I explain what to see in each boulevard.
Rambla de Canaletes
On the top of La Rambla toching Plaza Catalunya, Rambla de Canaletes is located. This section finds Canaletas Fountain; visitors who want to come back to Barcelona are supposed to drink from the fountain. Also, the Canaletas fountain is famous for being the place where FC Barcelona fans celebrate their sports titles.
It is one of the busiest parts of the street since the metro entrance and railways connect Plaza de Catalunya with other points in the city and province of Barcelona. It is also a very commercial area, with well-known brand stores.
Rambla dels Estudis
The following Rambla section is Rambla de los Estudis, which has many shops and fast-food restaurant chains. Among the most notable places is Palau Moja (to the left side), which was the residence of some bourgeois from previous centuries and is currently a tourist office in case you need information.
On the other side of La Rambla, in front of Palau Moja, you will find l’església de Betlem baroque style, located at the intersection of La Rambla and Carme street.
Rambla de Sant Josep
On Rambla de Sant Josep, the first place I recommend you visit is the Centro de la Imagen, located in the Palacio de la Virreina. This building, built at the end of the 18th century, is beautiful on the inside. It houses numerous exhibitions of contemporary art with photography as the protagonist. Admission is free, and you can also see the figures of the Giants used in popular festivals.
A few meters further down, you will find Barcelona La Boquería market. This market has become the most famous in the city, partly due to its location. At its stalls, you can buy all kinds of products and even eat at some of them. If you are interested in tapas, a tour takes you to both the Boquería and Santa Caterina markets to try the most typical tapas. Speaking of food, don’t miss the beautiful and historic façade of the Escribá pastry shop (try their sweets).
In front of the market, you can visit a unique museum in Spain, the Erotic Museum, which you will recognize as Marilyn Monroe on one of their balconies. The exhibition of more than 800 pieces covers the history of eroticism from ancient civilizations to the present.
Continuing along the sidewalk of these museums towards the port, you will come across the Casa Bruno Cuadros, the most curious building on La Rambla. The architecture (end of the 19th century) was very fond oriental style; it designed motifs distant continent facade, such as parasols and a dragon holding an umbrella, a symbol of the store is housed in that time the building. It is also known as the House of Umbrellas.
Finally, you cannot leave Rambla de Sant Josep without also looking at the ground. Next to the Casa de los Paraguas you can see the famous Mosaic by Joan Miró, a work that the Catalan artist created in 1976 painting the cobblestones of the street with the characteristic colors of his painting.
Rambla dels Capuxins
Going down Rambla dels Capuxins, the first thing you will come across is Teatro del Liceo. It is the oldest in the city, and the best operas have been performed there. It suffered attacks and fires throughout its history, like in 1994, but it has been reformed and recovered its splendour. If you do not plan to see any work, I recommend at least doing the guided tour to learn about its history and to see its principal rooms.
A little further down, you will see a small street on the left that leads to the Plaza Real, a good starting point to get to know the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. After taking a tour of it, I invite you to return to Las Ramblas, cross them and go to Nou de la Rambla street, where the Palau Güell is located. It may not be one of the best-known modernist buildings, but it was one of the first commissions Gaudí received, and a visit is fascinating. The interiors are unique!
Before leaving this section of La Rambla, if you like music, you might want to attend the show at the Tablao Flamenco Cordobés. The greatest flamenco artists have stepped on its boards, so it has its history in addition to being a place to appreciate this art. In addition to seeing the show, you have the option to have dinner there too, and you can book it here.
Rambla Santa Monica
In Rambla de Santa Mónica the promenade becomes a little wider, and here it is normal to see many street artists, from portraitists to mimes. In this section, you will find the Barcelona Wax Museum, with more than 200 figures representing famous people from all over the world, from politicians to artists or television series and movies.
Arriving at the end of this Rambla, you will find a large square, and before continuing towards the sea, I recommend you head towards the Barcelona Maritime Museum. It is one of the museums that I like the most in the city, and in it, you will find replicas and models of historic ships, such as the Nao Victoria, the first to go around the world in Magellan’s expedition.
Finally, at a roundabout just before reaching the port is the Columbus viewpoint. It is a sculpture dedicated to the navigator crowned by a viewpoint located about 60 meters above sea level. From there you have wonderful views of all of Barcelona.
Rambla del Mar
The newest part of La Rambla is known as Rambla de Mar, as it is located on the waters of the port, connecting the rest of the boulevards with the Maremagnum shopping and leisure center. In this section, what stands out in itself is the wooden promenade, with walkways that rise to make way for the small boats and sailboats moored on the dock. Also, you can’t help but pay attention to the floating sculptures of Miraestels by Robert Llimós.
There is so much to see in shops, restaurants, and works of art on La Rambla!
It cannot be missing from your itinerary when travelling to Barcelona. I also encourage you to visit the surrounding neighbourhoods, where you will find many other historical and exciting places to continue learning about the past and present of the city.
Usfull information
Barcelona Tourist Information: Barcelonaturisme; Catalunya.com; Spain.info
Sightseeing passes: Barcelona Card (20+ sights; transport; discounts), Museum Pass (6 sights)
Public transport:
Metro: South end: Drassanes (L3); middle: Liceu (L3); north end: Pl. Catalunya (L1, L3, L6, L7, S1, S2, S5, S55)
Bus: 14, 59, 91, N9, N12, N15
Hop-on/Hop-off route: East, West, South (red), North (blue)
Search all public transit: mou-te.gencat.cat; Metro/Bus: Tmb.cat; Light rail: Fgc.cat; Taxi: Taxibarcelona.cat
Transport
Airports: Aena.es
Trains: Renfe.com
