Shopping in Barcelona

By Jo Cooke
Published: July 18, 2024
Cropped image of two women wearing bright Desigual clothes against blue background

 

Sights, sunshine... whilst there’s no shortage of reasons to visit the cosmopolitan capital of Catalonia, shopping in Barcelona is pretty high on the list. As well as being home to some of the best markets in Europe, the city boasts one of the biggest open-air shopping routes. The Barcelona Shopping Line covers five whole kilometers of retail paradise, winding from Port Vell to uptown Diagonal, along La Rambla, through the historic centre and into the Eixample district. So whether you’re a determined shopaholic, a savvy souvenir hunter or simply browsing in between gazing at Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces, you might want to save some room in your suitcase. From bijou boutiques to big name brands, discount designer-wear to the locals’ favourite deli, let us help you pack your bags...with bargains!

Best markets in Barcelona

Barcelona’s markets are famous the world over with food, fruit and vegetables, art, books and bric-a-brac piled high for your delight. Why not join the Ancient Markets Walking Tour to drop in on a few of them, whilst exploring the ancient streets of the Barrio Gótico (Gothic Quarter)?

 

Mercat de la Boqueria

Barcelona’s famous market, La Boqueria, is a must-do destination for visitors. Enter through its distinctive Art Deco arch from La Rambla and your senses go into overdrive. Crowds of locals and tourists jostle amid rainbow fruit and vegetable displays, brightly coloured smoothies, open-mouthed fish, zingy spices and mountains of meat, cheese, chocolate and much more. Once you’ve selected your savoury souvenirs - or picked up perfect picnic ingredients - perhaps you’ll pause at one of the food trucks for a churro dipped in hot chocolate or a chilled glass of Cava?

 

Mercat de Sant Antoni

Over in the Eixample District, outside stalls sell clothes and homewares whilst, housed in an impressive steel structure that spans an entire block, you’ll find more tempting displays of fresh fruit, veg, meat and seafood. On Sundays the market transforms into a magnet for memorabilia collectors - second-hand books, stamps, coins, comics and magazines are all on offer, alongside vintage clothing, handmade homewares and hand-crafted jewellery.

 

Mercat dels Encants

Meanwhile, at Barcelona’s famous flea market, remember that one person’s trash is another’s treasure! Amid the random rubbish keep your eyes peeled for gems amongst the second hand clothes, books and especially furniture. This chaotic temple of sustainability is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Get there early for the best bargains at the 8am auctions, then pop back at midday when unsold items are reduced!

Mercadillo de la Plaça de Sant Josep

If you’re in the market (see what we did there) for some art to remind you of the beauty of Barcelona, this small but perfectly formed market is made up of Catalan artists, their easels nestled in the shadow of the church. From watercolours to oils, their work covers every style and medium - and sometimes they are joined by musicians or fortune-tellers to add to the boho vibe. Go see.

 

Best shopping streets in Barcelona

Of course, if sifting through stalls is not your scene there are many, many stupendous stores! But where to start? Here’s a retail rundown of some of Barcelona’s best shopping areas for high street names, designer boutiques and more besides.

Plaza de Catalunya is not only the city’s main square and meeting point but a buzzy retail hub. Just off the square, Calle Pelai is packed with fashion stores, whilst a giant neon thermometer hanging over Portal del Angel shows you it’s a shopping hot-spot for European fashion chains including Zara, Pull & Bear, Benetton, H&M and Berska. Look out for quirky independent stores too - and delicious snacks including turrón (a kind of nougat) and artisan ice-cream.

 

Paseo de Gràcia (Passeig de Gràcia in Catalan) is one of Barcelona’s most elegant promenades, home to both designer stores and high street names, as well as distinctive Art Nouveau buildings including Antoni Gaudi’s visionary Casa Batlló and Casa Milà.

Running parallel, the equally lively Rambla de Catalunya is also packed with high end stores - not only clothes but beauty products, electronics and unique furniture. Both streets run into Avenida Diagonal, the place to be for international luxury brands including Calvin Klein, Armani, Versace and Gucci.

 

To the south of La Rambla, the Raval district is popular with those seeking alternative shops. Vintage lovers should head to Calle Riera Baixia and look out for ethnic, Goth and handmade clothes on Calle Tallers. Nearby Sant Antoni sees less tourists but boasts some of the best book shops in Barcelona.

For the best boho vibe however, head to the oldest parts of the city. The narrow winding streets of El Born and the Barrio Gòtic are packed with not only upmarket stores but independent shops selling antiques, books, handmade clothes, hats, cutlery and gifts galore.

 

Best for designer bargains

Barcelona is full of big name brands but to bag some at a fraction of the usual price you’ll need to hop on the bus to La Roca Village, part of the same outlet group as London’s famous Bicester Village. This fantastic designer mall, just 30 minutes from the centre, is designed to look like a Spanish town centre, with Gaudi-style mosaics and colourful plants but savvy shoppers come for the discounts not the decor, enjoying savings of up 60% off usual retail prices. Grab your credit card and run amok in almost one thousand boutique stores featuring Spanish fashion and luxury brands like Desigual, Loewe and Balenciaga - and international names including Prada, Burberry, Gucci and Jimmy Choo.

 

Best shops for souvenirs

FC Botiga

Since FC Barcelona is one of the world’s biggest football teams, fans won’t want to miss their chance to pick up memorabilia featuring the famous red and blue colours.

Take the tour at Camp Nou, Europe’s largest football stadium, then visit the FC Botiga Megastore to pick up and personalize some team kit. You’ll find three whole floors crammed with Barcelona football shirts, scarves, hats, balls, boots and signed team photos. There are several more official FC Barcelona stores around the city, including in Barri Gòtic and Eixample. See what you can score.

La Capell

Part of the Collegi de Arquitectes in the Gothic Quarter and originally opened as a bookstore dedicated to architecture and art, this is now a fabulous three-storey gift store of uniquely designed souvenirs from Barcelona. The mural outside was designed by Picasso and the gadgets, toys, jewellery, stationery, furniture, homeware and gourmet gifts inside are equally original.

 

Best for chocolate lovers

From handcrafted bon bons to hot chocolate to churros and even a chocolate museum, Barcelona is heaven for chocolate lovers. Pasteleria Escriba is one of the most famous chocolate shops in Barcelona. Its flagship store in the Antigua Casa Figueras has been open on La Rambla since 1906 and its edible murals, chocolate sculptures and spectacular displays are as intricate and popular as the building’s unique facade.

Xocoa

For a more contemporary take on chocolate follow your nose to over 15 Xocoa boutiques around the city. At Petritxol Xocoa, the original store in the old city, you’ll find a cafe, bakery and endless irresistible creations presented in super chic packaging. Look out for chocolate beauty products, exotically flavoured chocolate bars including orange, rosemary, Jamaican pepper and green tea and, even better, chocolate beer!

 

Best department store

If you still don’t know where to find what you’re looking for, make tracks for El Cortes Inglés; after all it’s hard to miss the huge brutalist concrete building looming over the Plaça de Catalunya. It’s much prettier inside though, with 9 endless floors of...well everything you can think of... from fashion to furniture, kitchenware to a cosmetics floor to die for. You’ll either find just what you need or, should you be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of availability, maybe just take the lift to the top floor, enjoy the view of the square and plan where you’ll go next - with Go City.

Jo Cooke
Go City Travel Expert

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Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art or Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) Comparison

Barcelona ain’t no shrinking violet when it comes to great art. This, after all, is a city that nurtured the work of Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso, all of whom are of course well represented in the city’s galleries and museums. But you need only wander the atmospheric streets to catch a glimpse of the good stuff, from edgy Poblenou street art to the eye-popping Gaudí architecture that characterizes Eixample and its most celebrated building, the mighty Sagrada Família. Aficionados of fine art will likely also have the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art and Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya on their lists. But what does each have to offer? We take a close-up look in our MACBA vs MNAC comparison. Read on for the gen… Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art: The Lowdown Vital Statistics: Opened in 1995, MACBA is Barcelona’s premier museum of contemporary art, a great white sugar cube of a building located in El Raval neighborhood, a few blocks from the fabulous Gothic Quarter. The permanent collection of 5,000 works is exhibited across 45,000 square feet of gallery space, attracting over 300,000 visitors every year. MACBA in Brief: Aficionados of post-war art, particularly of the Spanish and Catalan variety, will find much to admire at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. Here’s where you can ogle iconic pieces by the likes of Picasso, Joan Miró and Juan Muñoz across several themed zones, as well as taking in rotating exhibitions celebrating experimental works by established and emerging international artists like Alexander Calder, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the Guerrilla Girls. The MACBA building is something of a contemporary art icon itself; a modern, minimal Richard Meir-designed space with white walls, clean lines and plenty of natural light, that allows the artworks to speak for themselves. Don’t miss the striking central courtyard and the skateboarders out front, who are as much a part of the furniture here as the eye-popping art inside. Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya: The Lowdown Vital Statistics: An extraordinary collection spanning some 1,000 years of Catalan art, MNAC has been operating since 1934 here at the Palau Nacional, an Italianate confection high on Montjuïc hill that's almost as spectacular as the 300,000-strong collection it houses. At 113,000 square feet, it’s well over twice the size of MACBA, and pulls in close to a million annual visitors. MNAC in Brief: The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (aka the National Art Museum of Catalonia; aka MNAC) is perhaps the planet’s best museum if you’re in the market for an overview of Catalan art across the centuries. We’re talking everything from thousand-year-old Romanesque church murals to medieval Gothic art, Baroque and Renaissance masterpieces, and works from the likes of Titian, Canaletto, Velázquez, Gaudí and more. Again, the building housing the collection only adds to the appeal, with a central dome inspired by St Peter's Basilica and a quartet of towers that nod to the architecture of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. MACBA: Highlights & What to Expect The gallery spaces at MACBA really allow the art to shine, and it’s rarely so busy that you’re trying to glimpse that elusive Miró masterpiece over a sea of heads. The collection is also helpfully arranged into zones covering three distinct periods of modern art: the forties to the sixties, the sixties and seventies, and the contemporary period. The focus here is primarily on post-1945 Catalan and Spanish art, although some international artists are also represented, especially at rotating exhibitions which are well advertised on the official museum website. Highlights of the permanent collection include: Joan Miró’s ‘Oiseau’ sculptures are something of a centerpiece of MACBA: a mind-boggling collection of stylized heads, birds and other characters in bronze and terracotta. ‘Sterno’ is a celebrated 1985 piece by Neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. His homage to Afro-American cultural heroes features the intense brushstrokes and voodoo images that characterize his work. Spanish artist Ignasi Aballí pushes the boundaries of contemporary art with an approach that uses multiple layers of varnish and correction fluid to ‘suggest the presence of a painting rather than show the painting directly’. ‘Gran Error’ (‘Big Mistake’) is a thought-provoking case in point. Pro-tip: entry to MACBA is free after 4PM on Saturdays. You can also save money on entry with a Barcelona pass from Go City, which includes access to MACBA and many more attractions, activities and tours around the city, including Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, a guided tour of the Sagrada Família, and more. Find out more about the pass and buy yours here. MNAC: Highlights & What to Expect  There’s plenty more to see inside once you’re done gazing in awe at the soaring domes and Romanesque towers of the Palau Nacional’s stunning exterior – as well as the sweeping city views from atop Montjuïc hill. Weekday mornings are generally the best time to visit, especially outside of the summer season, when you’re far more likely to get to view the collection’s highlights unimpeded by fellow tourists. And oh, what highlights await within, such as… The Romanesque collection is perhaps the best and most important on the planet, an absolute treasure trove of Catalonian religious art from the 11th and 12th centuries, taking in frescoes, murals, stone carvings, intricately detailed wood panels and more. If you only see one piece, make it the ‘Apse of Sant Climent de Taull’, a colorful wall mural by the Master of Taull, one of 12th-century Europe’s absolute legends of Romanesque art. A key influence on Picasso, it’s quite the sight, and has been lovingly transferred onto a replica of its original apse at MNAC, for maximum authenticity. It may not look very comfortable, but Gaudí’s double sofa is a fine example of his lesser-spotted interior design work. Made for his Casa Batlló, it eschews right angles and straight lines in favor of ascending to the status of design icon. It’s displayed with the Modern Art Collection, alongside classical sculpture by Damià Campeny, landscape paintings by Joaquim Vayreda and much more. The Mural paintings of the Conquest of Majorca is effectively the Catalan Bayeux Tapestry, and its series of frescoes representing the titular 13th-century conquest dominates the museum’s Gothic art section. Not to be missed. Pro-tip: admission to MNAC is free after 3PM on Saturdays and on the first Sunday of each month. You can book tickets for these as well as paid entry slots here. Save on Attractions, Tours and Activities in Barcelona Save money on Barcelona attractions, tours and activities with a pass from Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Plaça d'Espanya lit up in the evening
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3 Days in Barcelona

While a city with such a huge footprint as Barcelona may be intimidating at first glance, it’s more than possible to experience the highlights on a short whirlwind visit. Whether you’re hoping to take a weekend city break or simply to briefly pass through, 3 days in Barcelona gives you plenty of time to see the sights and sample the local cuisine. With our suggested itinerary below, you’re guaranteed to see a great deal of what the Catalan capital has to offer. Our itinerary includes a mix of sightseeing, museums and shopping. Feel free to take our suggestions as inspiration and mix-and-match them with the attractions and activities that most interest you. Use our recommended timings to help you decide how best to organize out your trip. Day 1 – Sightseeing What better way to acquaint yourself with Barcelona than by packing your first day full of the city’s best sights? As a city famous for its mix of gothic and modernist architecture along with the unique labyrinthine design of its streets, it’s only fitting that you get a taste of these right away. Park Güell – One of renowned modernist architect Antoni Gaudí’s most famous works, this park is most well-known for its central Monumental Zone. From the mosaic salamander at its entrance to the sea serpent bench encircling the main terrace, this eccentric space is a perfect place to start your day. Recommended visit: 1h – 2h Sagrada Familia – The Belle of Barcelona’s ball, this yet unfinished basilica is truly a sight to behold. Take some time to explore the rich architectural mastery of this UNESCO World Heritage Site on your own, or book onto a guided tour for a full insight into the site’s artistic, cultural and historic significance. Recommended visit: 1h – 1h30 Avinguda Diagonal – One of Barcelona’s most popular and important streets, Avinguda Diagonal runs diagonally right through the city, cutting it in two. A vast array of stores and restaurants are dotted throughout the length of the avenue. Recommended visit: 45m Casa Milà – Also known as La Pedrera (‘the stone quarry’), this modernist building was the final residence designed by renowned architect Antoni Gaudí. As per its nickname, it’s most famous for its rough-hewn exterior façade, somewhat resembling an open stone quarry. Recommended visit: 15m – 1h30 Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó i Morera – This trio of modernist buildings are widely considered the most important on Barcelona’s famous Illa de la Discòrdia, or ‘Block of Discord’. Showcasing the masterpieces of Barcelona’s prominent modernist architects Antoni Gaudi, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, these buildings ooze eccentric design both inside and out. Recommended visit: 15m – 2h Plaça de Catalunya – Considered to be Barcelona’s most central point and the meeting point of both the old and modern city, this square is a favorite for social gatherings thanks to its wealth of shopping outlets and restaurants. Recommended visit: 15m – 2h La Rambla – Perhaps the city’s most famous street, La Rambla spans from Plaça de Catalunya all the way to the Columbus Monument on the seafront. You’ll find a vast array of streetside cafés and souvenir stands across the length of the street. Recommended visit : 30m – 2h Mercat de la Boqueria – Often considered one of the best markets in the world, this historical market houses all sorts of fresh, local produce along with stands to get yourself a hearty lunch while on the go. Recommended visit: 45m Plaça Reial – Particularly popular in the evening, this square is home to a whole host of bars, restaurants and some of Barcelona’s most famous nightclubs. Why not finish your day here with some fresh Catalan cuisine and a glass or two of the local region’s renowned wines? Recommended visit: As long as you want Day 2 – History & Culture Your second day in Barcelona – should you choose to follow our itinerary – will take you on a cultural tour of the city and the local region. If art, history and music are up your alley, then the following are sure to give you a real kick. Palau de la Musica Catalana – A true marvel of modernist architecture, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been host to a magnificent array of musical performances since its opening in 1908. Bask in its colorful exterior from outside, book onto a guided tour of the venue, or even attend one of its legendary musical performances for yourself. Recommended visit: 1h – 3h Gothic Quarter – Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter sits immediately north of La Rambla and houses a number of the city’s best sights. It’s worth spending a decent period of time here to explore everything its historic streets have to offer. Some popular attractions within the Gothic Quarter include Barcelona Cathedral, the Museu Frederic Marès and the Museu d'Història de Barcelona. Recommended visit: 3h – 5h Museu Picasso – This museum possesses one of the world’s most complete collections of Pablo Picasso's artworks, housing over 4,000 of the renowned painter's famous pieces Recommended visit: 2h Carrer de Sant Domenec del Call – Replete with charming bars, restaurants and cafés, this street at the heart of the Gothic quarter is a perfect rest stop to draw your day to a close. Recommended visit: As long as you want Day 3 – Montjuïc Day three of our itinerary will take you up Montjuïc, a prominent hill by the Barcelona harbor overlooking much of the city. The surrounding park is rich with popular attractions and cultural sites, such that it would be difficult to visit them all in just one day. We’ve listed some of the most noteworthy sites atop and around Montjuïc. Feel free to pick and choose those which seem most worthwhile for your own visit. Montjuïc Castle – On the peak of the hill sits Montjuïc Castle, a former military fortress dating back to the 17th Century. Offering both insights into the region’s history and stellar views over the entire city, you can ride the cable car up here to start your day or set it as your end destination and make the climb yourself. Recommended visit: 1h30 Museu d'Art de Catalunya – Housed within the impressive halls of the Palau Nacional, this museum exhibits one thousand years of visual art pieces from throughout the Catalonia region. Recommended visit: 2h Fundació Joan Miró – This modern art museum honors the works of local contemporary artist Joan Miró, offering rich insights into both his art and his life, alongside those of comparable artists of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Recommended visit: 1h30 Olympic Ring – Host to the 1992 Olympic Games, this park now serves as a monument to the event and to Barcelona sports as a whole. Sporting fans can also spend some time at the on-site Olympic and Sports Museum. Recommended visit: 2h Poble Espanyol – Translated literally as the ‘Spanish Village’, this open-air architectural museum is made up of replica buildings from across the country and serves to emulate a genuine Spanish town. Complete with charming traditional stores, restaurants and cafés, the Poble Espanyol aims to provide you with a near-authentic experience of traditional Spanish life. Recommended visit: 2h Las Arenas de Barcelona – Built into a former bullfighting arena, this commercial center offers an impressive selection of stores and restaurants, along with 360-degree views of Barcelona from the rooftop. Recommended visit: 2h30 Magic Fountain of Montjuïc – Located at the base of Montjuïc, the Magic Fountain is most renowned for its spectacular light shows in the evening. See out your tour of Barcelona’s highlights in style by catching one of its famed displays for yourself. Recommended visit: As long as you want Getting Around Our recommended attractions are listed in such an order to allow you to easily walk from one to the other, though most are also within short walking distance of transport hubs should you prefer to take public transport. Alternatively, a Bus Turístic will also allow you to hop on and off along a similar route while offering an audio commentary of the sights along the way.
Robert Heaney
Firework display over the Font Magica de Montjuïc on New Year's Eve
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Barcelona in January

When planning a trip to Barcelona, your mind likely goes straight to summer, when the city sees its peak tourism. However, should you find yourself looking to take a trip in winter, you may see a side to the Catalan capital that most outsiders rarely do. Barcelona in January may be quieter than during the rest of the year, but that makes it a fantastic time to see the city in its most authentic state. What's more, should you be partial to a party or two, there's plenty of festivity to get you through the month. Tourism in January So long as you’re prepared to pack a raincoat and put your ideas of a beach holiday on the backburner, visiting Barcelona in January may prove a real treat. Throughout the wee months of the new year, the city sees its lowest rates of tourism, which for the most part should work very much in your favor. In the absence of the bustling droves of summer tourists, Barcelona is as tranquil as it gets come January. That means those choosing to visit in this period will get the pick of the litter when it comes to hotels, with the added benefit of comparatively lower prices. What that also means for you in your winter wanderlust is that you’ll get to experience everything that the city has to offer without much hassle at all. With fewer crowds, you won’t have to book attractions as early as you might in summer, with some often even available to book on the day. Take yourself on a tour of Barcelona’s attractions without having to fight for the sights. Bask in the awe-inspiring architecture of the Sagrada Familia, and explore the city’s ancient markets like a local. And if you’re an early riser, why not catch the sunrise over at Park Güell, too? That isn’t to say Barcelona is devoid of any tourism throughout this period, though. On the contrary, there’s often still a very healthy buzz to the city around this time. In place of the usual tourist crowds, you’ll find many more locals frequenting bars and restaurants in the center than most other times of the year, giving the city a real authentic buzz. Ski Season With the local ski season in full swing, a good portion of visitors to Barcelona in January are naturally there to take advantage of its prime location. With as many as 14 fantastic alpine resorts within a few hours’ drive from the city, Barcelona serves as a perfect hub for skiing enthusiasts. Take a day or two to gear up before a week's trip to one of the nearby resorts, or embrace the best of both worlds in skiing through the day and returning to Barcelona in the evening. New Year’s Eve Right from the get-go, both visitors and locals to Barcelona come together to see in the new year in style. Known as as Nochevieja in Spanish, New Year’s Eve celebrations take place throughout the city, with the most notable celebration taking place on Plaça d'Espanya by the Font Magica on Montjuïc, complete with the obligatory countdown and firework display. In the leadup to the countdown, one of the biggest parties takes place at the Poble Español close by, offering various different music zones for fans of all genres. Up to a thousand people typically come from the world over to party until dawn. Down in the city, many others still gather on Plaça Catalunya, often with a bottle of Cava in hand. At the stroke of midnight, many will then collectively throw their bottles into the street in celebration – much to the dismay of those who have to clean up in the morning! Kings’ Day The rest of January isn’t without its fair share of festivity either. Right away, just as the streets have been cleared up after New Year’s Eve, the city celebrates Kings’ Day. In tribute to the day that the Three Kings visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, Barcelona welcomes their ceremonial arrival on the evening of 5 January. The Three Kings arrive by boat before beginning their annual procession through the streets of Barcelona. Traditionally, children in Spain write letters to the kings in place of Santa Claus, and on Kings’ Day they receive their gifts. If you happen to be visiting around Kings’ Day, be sure to catch the parade and take part in some of the many local festivities. Locals are likely to be throwing parties, and stores and bakeries will be full of festive sweet treats to try out, such as Tortells de Reis, or Kings’ Cakes. La Festa dels Tres Tombs Kids and animal lovers alike are bound to get a kick out of this Catalan celebration. The Festa Major de Sant Antoni is celebrated on 17 January in honor of Saint Anthony, who was said to have used his healing capabilities to save a number of animals. On the first Saturday following this feast, La Festa dels Tres Tombs sees a procession of animals such as horses and donkeys parade through the streets around the Escola Pia de Sant Antoni. Alongside the parade, you can also expect to find the streets lined with stalls selling various treats and local crafts. Wrapping Up Barcelona in January may not typically top everyone’s bucket list, but that doesn’t mean you should rule it out. The beginning of the new year is a perfect time to experience all that the heart of Catalonia has to offer without having to battle the summer crowds. Whether you’re an avid skier, a fiend for festivities or simply want to see Barcelona at its most tranquil, January is a fantastic time to plan a visit. Just be sure to pack for the weather!
Robert Heaney

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