When I started talking about Barcelona, everyone immediately kept telling me – I must go to Las Ramblas Barcelona or La Rambla. It would be the top tourist attraction in Barcelona and the most famous shopping street in Barcelona and I will love it and enjoy every moment…
I have to admit, Las Ramblas combines different areas of Barcelona – the historical buildings and houses, the beautiful squares with all the flowers and tradition, the entrance to the Mercado de la Boqueria (market square), but also the traffic chaos, the countless tourists (like me 🙂 and the countless traders and people who want to offer or sell something.
Strolling along Las Ramblas
If you start your tour from the port at the Columbus Monument at the lower end of Las Ramblas, you will first find the famous work of art, which is around 60 meters high and commemorates the first return of Columbus and his message to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand V.
Heading north, you will then pass some art and design students who are busy drawing the Columbus statue or the streetscape of Las Ramblas and it looks interesting 🙂
Shopping street in Barcelona
With every step you take away from the statue of Columbus, the street gets more and more crowded, more tourists crowd the way and it becomes more difficult not to just walk past the “special spots” – but the flowers, plants and trees around are really gorgeous. It’s really funny to watch tourists with suitcases running across the street to the hotel or bus stop, enjoying every square centimeter of space.
But if you are looking for special stores or great cafés, you should go down Las Ramblas Barcelona into the side streets with their historic buildings and houses. If you prefer to shop in the fashion stores such as Zara or Mango, you can walk a few hundred meters further north to the “Place de Catalunya” and the beginning of the “Ramblas de Catalunya” or take the parallel street to Las Ramblas Barcelona, the “Passeid de Gracia” in the east.
Conclusion – Las Ramblas Barcelona
In my opinion, Las Ramblas Barcelona is a beautiful place that you should have seen once, but I do not recommend taking a cab there, as the waiting time in traffic is just as long as on foot. Start at the southern end at the Monument de Columbus and walk up the street. If you want to go shopping afterwards, I recommend “Passeig de Gracia”
You can find more of Barcelona’s top sights in my list on the city of Barcelona, such as the Sagrada Familia or Gaudi Park.
