We couldn’t possibly take a trip to Barcelona without stopping off at the infamous Las Ramblas, which is often the first landmark that most tourists identify with the city! It is a central boulevard which cuts through the heart of the city centre, a vibrant and lively promenade filled with shopping, souvenirs, and much much more!
The street itself is approximately 1.2 kilometres long with Port Vell (where we hopped on our boat trip) at the Southern most end and Plaça Catalunya (the main square) at the northern end. Much to tourists delights, La Ramblas is primarily pedestrianized allowing shoppers to wander whichever way they like as they pass by the flowers, ice-cream, books, and artists as they make their way down the street!
When we first hopped off the metro and climbed the stairs up to the metro we were a little overwhelmed there were so many people… in EVERY direction! Business men, locals, tourists, cyclists all quickly making their way about their daily life! We stood under the hot sun for a minute, looking around and taking it all in! It was the perfect place to capture the hustle and bustle of the energetic city on camera!
We sauntered down the street which was speckled with hundreds and hundreds of stalls selling everything you could possibly imagine from fridge magnets and sunglasses, to fresh flowers, paintings, handmade jewellery, handbags… it was a souvenir shoppers paradise!
The atmosphere on the street was truly electric with so many people, so many vendors, and so many street performers all soaking up the beautiful city! My favourite part of the street was towards the southern end where there were numerous artists set up on either side of the street working on their paintings and creations hoping to sell a few of their works! I also really like the street performers who had fascinating costumes that were so detailed and life like, they almost looked as though they weren’t costumes at all!
After spending a few hours on this fabulous street, purchasing some beautiful hand made jewellery and some post cards to send home, we sat down at a nearby café to give our feet a little rest, look over some of the days footage and write our postcards while we were still on a high after such a lovely afternoon!
Tips: Don’t put a time limit on how long you have to spend at Las Ramblas… give yourself all the time in the world… you’ll be surprised at how easily distracted you will get!
Directions on how to get to Las Ramblas:
- The Ramblas is serviced by three Metro stops. making it a superb transport point to see the rest of the city. At the Southern most end of La Rambla, near to Christopher Columbus memorial, you have the Drassanes Metro Stop.
- Midway along the Barcelona Las Ramblas, just outside the Liceu Theatre, you have the Liceu Metro Stop.
- At the northern most tip of the Barcelona Ramblas you have metro stop Catalunya which is also the point at which you can catch the Aerobus ( Express bus service to the airport) and multiple tour buses!
Happy exploring! x
