Barcelona’s Top 10 : La Rambla

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There may be no better place in the country to indulge in the Spanish ritual of the paseo
(stroll) than on this wide, pedestrian street that is anything but
pedestrian. An orgy of activity day and night, La Rambla is voyeuristic
heaven. Spray-painted human statues stand motionless among the passing
crowds; buskers croon crowd-pleasing classics; caricaturists deftly
sketch faces; bustling stalls create an open-air market of bright
bouquets and chattering parakeets; and round-the-clock kiosks sell
everything from The Financial Times to adult videos.

  • Metro: Catalunya; Liceu; Drassanes

Gran Teatre del Liceu

  • open 11:30am–1pm daily

  • €4

  • guided tour of the main building: 10am(€8.70)

  • guided
    backstage tour of the stage, rehearsal rooms, wardrobe and make-up
    room: 9:30am(€10); box office: open 1:30–8pm Mon–Fri, one hour before
    the performance Sat–Sun

Mercat de La Boqueria

  • open 7am– 8pm Mon–Sat

  • DA

Palau de la Virreina

  • open 11am–2pm, 4–8:30pm Tue–Sat, 11am–3pm Sun

  • free

  • DA

Centre d’Art Santa Mònica

  • open 11am–8pm Tue–Sat, 11am–3pm Sun

  • free

Església de Betlem

  • open 8am–1:30pm & 5:30–8pm daily




La Rambla




Top 10 Attractions

  1. Gran Teatre del Liceu

    The
    city’s grand opera house founded in 1847, brought Catalan opera stars
    such as Montserrat Caballé to the world. Twice gutted by fire, it has
    been fully restored.




  2. Monument a Colom

    Pointing
    resolutely out to sea, this statue of Christopher Columbus (1888)
    commemorates his return to Spain after discovering the Americas. An
    elevator takes visitors to the top for sensational views.




  3. Mercat de La Boqueria

    A cacophonous shrine to food, this cavernous market has it all, from stacks of fruit to suckling pigs and writhing lobsters.




  4. Flower & Bird Stalls

    Will
    the real Rambla please stand up? Amid the here-today-gone-tomorrow
    street performers and tourists, the true Rambla old-timers are the
    flower and bird stalls that flank the pedestrian walkway. Many of the
    stalls have been run by the same families for decades.




  5. Font de Canaletes

    Ensure
    your return to the city by drinking from this 19th-century fountain,
    inscribed with the legend that anyone who drinks from it “will fall in
    love with Barcelona and always return”.

  6. Miró Mosaic

    Splashed
    on the walkway on La Rambla is a colourful pavement mosaic by Catalan
    artist Joan Miró. His signature abstract shapes and primary colours
    unfold at your feet.




  7. Palau de la Virreina

    Constructed
    by the viceroy of Peru in 1778 – the name means “Palace of the
    Viceroy’s Wife” – this Neo-Classical palace hosts a range of temporary
    exhibitions, from sculpture to photography to video.

  8. Centre d’Art Santa Mònica

    Once
    the hallowed haunt of rosary beads and murmured prayers, this former
    17th-century monastery was reborn in the 1980s. Thanks to a massive
    government-funded facelift, it is now a cutting-edge contemporary art
    centre. Temporary exhibitions run the gamut from large-scale video
    installations to sculpture and photography.

  9. Bruno Quadras Building

    Once an umbrella factory, this playful, late 19th-century building is festooned with umbrellas.

  10. Església de Betlem

    A
    relic from a time when the Catholic Church was rolling in pesetas (and
    power), this hulking 17th-century church is a seminal reminder of when
    La Rambla was more religious than risqué.