A Cheerful Afternoon Walking on Las Ramblas
La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona. Over the 1.2 km of the Rambla – which runs from Port Vell, the old port city in the south end, up to Plaza de Cataluña to the north, every step is a revelation and in every corner you will find something that will leave you breathless .
La Rambla is the shopping street par excellence, very popular with tourists – although the prices to buy and eat are a little high. In the street, divided in the middle by a tree-lined pedestrian area, you will find street artists, jugglers and lots of people involved in an atmosphere that only Spain – and Barcelona in particular – can offer, with tapas bars and market stalls, in addition to shops and stores, supermarkets and restaurants, amazing architectures, museums, monuments and so much more…
You can start your visit to La Rambla from the seaside Rambla de Mar, between the Old Port and the Barceloneta district. Here you will be welcomed by the Mirador de Colòn, a huge column topped by the statue of Christopher Columbus finger-pointing his way to the New World. From the top – with 2.5 € you can reach the platform by elevator – you can see not only the Rambla but also the Barrio Gotico and Santa Maria del Mar.
A little further on the right, it is worth visiting the Wax Museum of Barcelona, and the nearby Bosc de les Fades (The Forest of the Fairies), a bar decorated like a real enchanted forest!
At about halfway up, civic 51-59, you’ll find the spectacular Teatro Liceu, – the most important theater of Catalonia, open even when there are no performances, to let you visit dressing rooms, makeup rooms and scenery. A 100 mt further on, right in the middle of the Rambla, you can admire the beautiful pavement mosaic that Catalan artist Mirò has left as a tribute to this wonderful road.
One of the most photographed places on the Rambla is the Casa Bruno Cuadros – old store of umbrellas at the end of 1800 (now housing a bank) embellished with allegorical references to the Orient: a dragon on top of the building and hanging umbrellas on the walls between the small balconies. You will glimpse it on the right, at N. 82.
A visit to the Boqueria is a must, the largest market in Barcelona and Spain, which is again on the left side of the Rambla, at N. 91. A large iron building which houses tidy food stalls and treated in detail, ruled by women in traditional costume.
Towards the end of La Rambla, near Placa de Cataluña, you can admire the famous Canaletes Fountain. According to legend, who takes a sip of water from this fountain will surely get back to Barcelona someday.
At the end of your long walk on the Rambla, you will arrive (exhaust!) to Placa de Cataluña, a square that is nothing special, but remains the beating heart of Barcelona. Here, you can also visit El Corte Inglés, the largest mall in Spain, where you can find anything. Eight floors: this is the latest effort needed before concluding your tour along La Rambla, with a coffee on the terrace bar of the building.
Photo by Bert Kaufmann
About the Author
Andrea Guerriero Hi, I'm Andrea, a travel blogger, web programmer, seo apprentice and amateur photographer based in Milan. I love reading, I love music. I love to travel but only if I leave on a mission! I've been traveling through most of Europe and I love writing about it. I love photography, especially as a way to document experiences, places, events. My Nikon D300 camera is always with me, and it helps me in sharing my life with the rest of the world. Getting in touch with new people, different life styles and foreign traditions, and write about it, is all I can ask for.
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