Street shopping
Barcelona has a very good range of shops, from the low cost to the most exclusive and expensive fashion brands. The most important street of luxury and fashion is Passeig de Gracia, which is a long boulevard, starting at Cataluña square and going up to Gracia and continuing at the left hand side on Diagonal street. Gracia used to be a single town then was converted into a neigborhood full of cafes and restaurants with the growth of Barcelona. You can find Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Apple and many other important international brands as well as Spanish brands like Loewe, Mango or Zara.
Close to Cataluña square but running in the opposite direction and parallel to La Rambla, there is El Portal del Angel, the locals’ shopping area. Clothes, shoes and accessories from brands such as Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, H&M, Zara, Mango, Uterqüe, and small ‘kioskos’ selling handmade crafts. At the end of Portal de Angel you will find Portaferrisa street on the right hand side, offering even more shops.
Crossing La Rambla at the other corner of Cataluña Square on Pelayo street you can find the shoes area and also other shops.
Shopping centres
On the other hand if you prefer shopping centres, the most important ones are:
The benefits of these malls are the flexible hours (from 10 am to 10 pm), as well as the connected restaurants. However most of them are located away from the centre, except for Maremagnum which is located directly at the old port and is the only one opening additionally on Sundays and holidays.
The most important department store is El Corte Ingles. The biggest one is located at Cataluña square and offers corners from the most important brands and many other things like a restaurant, a supermarket, a money exchange booth, etc.
Outlets
The Outlets are another option to get good prices for famous brands. La Roca Village is one of them: located 30 kilometres away from Barcelona it offers a nice environment to shop in. More small Outlets are spread around the city of Barcelona.
Markets
If you like markets, Encants is an interesting option. It opens Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 8pm and offers a large variety of new and second-hand things, clothes, tools, furniture, toys and many other things.
On Sundays in Zona Franca there is another market with clothes, shoes and household articles.
Boutiques
In the Borne and Gothic neigborhoods there are many small shops from young designers where you can find nice hand-crafted jewellery, clothes, accessories and – of course – restaurants or cafeterias, since shopping is an exhausting sport 😉
On Tallers street close to La Rambla and parallel to Pelayo street, there are some alternative and gothic shops, as well as some record and music stores.
Rocking down La Rambla is the paradise of souvenirs, plants and flowers. On Sundays or holidays handmade craft objects are sold at the small market situated at the end of La Rambla (close to the Colón monument).
Depending on your style and budget, Barcelona has many options for your shopping needs.
Tips and Information:
- Sales (“Rebaixes”) run from 6th January to 15th February and 1st July to 1st August depending on the shop.
- Take care of your belongings in the fitting rooms and inside the shops.
- Some shops outside of the centre often close for lunch from 2pm to 5pm. In the centre they usually open non-stop from 10am to 9pm.
- All shops are closed on Sunday and holidays except Maremagnum mall, Opencor supermarket, some small groceries and some souvenir shops.
- In most places you can pay with credit cards, and with this method you usually have to show your ID for security reasons.
Attention:
Please do not buy the big hats (sombreros). They are NOT typical from here. Well, they are typical for tourists, which the locals call ‘ guiris‘. The official FC Barça Store is at Ronda Universidad 37, at the corner of Cataluña square.