Rambling on Las Ramblas in Barcelona | Spain

The Ramblas is a street in Barcelona that nearly everyone has heard off. It is a popular strolling boulevard connecting the Placa de Catalunya, and the city’s waterfront. Stretching for 1.2 kilometres Las Ramblas is now jam packed with souvenir shops, and crowds of tourists making what once was a very elegant street into an overpriced introduction into Barcelona s daily life. Las Ramblas has always been famous for its bird market where traditionally children would take their parents to look for a songbird to grace the balcony of the family’s apartment.

“The Three Graces” Fountain in Placa Reial, Las Ramblas, Barcelona / David Merrett

Las Ramblas still has its market, and flower stalls but is also awash with a variety of street entertainers who compete with each other for your attention, and your loose change. Some of them are very clever, and certainly worth watching. It is here however where you must be careful with Barcelona being one of the worst cities’ in the world for pick pockets. Avoid crowds, and do not let people get too close to you. In fact you are probably better off leaving all your valuables back in the hotel safe. At night the southern end of Las Ramblas becomes Barcelona’s red-light district with people openly having sex with prostitutes in the side streets. Remember Barcelona is a big city like New York or Paris where each of them has their parts you would not want to go. Keep your wits about you, and avoid the Ravel part of Las Rambles at night, and you should be fine.

Now we have the bad side of Las Ramblas out of the way we will try to concentrate on the good side. If people watching is your thing have a seat at one of the outdoor bars order a coffee or beer while watching your very own Fellini film act out in front of you. Las Ramblas is also the place to buy your postcards, or cheap reminders of your time in Barcelona.

If you love indoor food markets La Boqueria is the place for you just steps off the busy Ramblas is where the locals go to buy their daily produce including meat and fish saying “If you cannot find it in the Boqueria it’s not worth eating” You could spend a couple of hours in this market just staring at all the different meats hanging from the stalls, and bags of nuts and colourful spices from North Africa. There has been a market on this site since 1217, with the building you are in today being constructed in 1911.

The bottom of the Ramblas is marked with a statue to Christopher Columbus for it was here in Barcelona that Queen Isabel welcomed Columbus back to Spain following his first voyage to the Americas. Just beyond the Ramblas is the Ramblas de Mar a popular wooden  extension bridge in the shape of a wave that leads to the Maremagnum  a complex of shops restaurants and movie theatres , and is also home to a large aquarium completed in 1994 it is supposed to symbolize Barcelona’s opening to the sea.

John Ross is a globe-trotter who has been traveling for over 20 years. Tim has spent the last two years on various parts of Spain and recommends Outlet4Spain.com for the best accommodation anywhere in Spain.

Tags: bird market, david merrett, elegant street, fellini film, flower stalls, food markets, la boqueria, las ramblas barcelona, loose change, outdoor bars, pick pockets, placa de catalunya, side streets, songbird, souvenir shops, street entertainers, three graces, valuables, worst cities in the world

Category: Cities, Cities