Barcelona Las Ramblas Guide & Attractions

Description of Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona and a must see on any tourist itinerary. It is a very active and noisy part of town lined with hotels, hostels, tourist boutiques and restaurants. Along the length of the boulevard are some of Barcelona's most well know attractions.

Las Ramblas with a distance of 1.3km, is a long pedestrianised, tree lined, boulevard running through the centre of the medieval part of the city and divides the neighbourhood of El Raval from El Gotico. Las Ramblas Links the Port of Barcelona at the Columbus monument "Tore Colom" all the way up to Plaza Catalunya and La Eixampla neighbourhood via Passeig de Gracia.

Starting at the bottom of Las Ramblas we find the torre colom, a monument dedicated to Columbus that can be visited and gives excellent views of the port. At Drassanes we often find market stalls selling trinkets and handmade artisan products such as jewelry, purses, ornaments and figurines. In this area are the living statues, artists dressed in costume who are perfectly motionless until a tourist makes a donation. My favorite is the Dragon Man.

After Drassanes, we come to plaza Reial, One of Barcelona's grandest and largest squares. Inside you will find fountains, palm trees, restaurants and night clubs such as Jamboree, Sidecar, and The Pipa club cocktail bar. On the opposite side of the street is an Antoni Gaudi building called palau Guell, distinctive from his later works in Passeig de Gracia for its square and boxy castle like exterior facade.

At Liceo we find an the liceo theatre, still active today, and one of Barcelona's most prestigious opera houses. Also in this area is La Boqueria Barcelona's oldest and most famous food market.

Las Ramblas boulevard is lined with news kiosks where you can find some international newspapers. After passing Liceo there are also stands selling flowers and seeds for every type of vegetable and flower. My terrace garden has several plants grown from seeds purchased here.

Because of the high density of tourists in Las Ramblas, it has a reputation for being a haven for pickpockets so take care to ensure your pockets and all bag zips are closed and do not leave anything unattended. Historically, the lower end of Las Ramblas was particularly seedy at night with dealers and prostitutes catering to the night clubbers. However today it is a lot less seedy because the council and police have cracked down on these activities.

For transportation, the Metro green line runs under Las Ramblas with a stop at Drassanes near the port end Columbus Column, a stop at Liceo in front of the theatre and a stop at the top in Plaza Catalunya.

Happy Exploring!