Barcelona
Shopping
Be sure to bring your credit card, because Barcelona shopping is by
far some of the best in Spain. The country’s second largest city, Barcelona
is truly a multicultural metropolis. With influences from throughout
Europe as well as the East, the city’s designer clothing, artisan workshops,
and extensive galleries are a wonderful reflection of Barcelona itself.
Walking the bustling main avenues, cobblestone streets, and winding alleyways
of Barcelona’s shopping districts will ensure not only a wonderful adventure,
but also a small glimpse into the many beauties the city has to offer.
• C/ Portaferissa,
Av. Portal de l’Angel, and C/ Boqueriaare the three main shopping avenues
of Barcelona’s Barri Gotic. Along C/ Portaferissa
one can find an array of popular clothing stores, such as Zara, Mango,
and United Colors of Benneton. The area is also perfect for window-shopping.
It’s historic, winding streets branch off into a maze of smaller roads
lined with clothing boutiques, accessory and jewelry shops, as well as
various antique stores.
• Pl. de Catalunya,
Passeig de Gracia, and Av. Diagonal comprise the largest of Bracelona’s
shopping districts. Located centrally, these three main
avenues provide an endless number of mainstream clothing, shoe, and
accessory stores. Av. Diagonal, in particular, houses many of the high-end
designer
name boutiques, such as Calvin Klein, Versace, and Armani.
• Circuit del Born,tucked away in Ciutat Vella’s Ribera district, is
one of Barcelona’s lesser known shopping gems. The area, which is centered
around the historic Mercat del Born, is full of small artisan and jewelry
shops, specialty silk boutiques, as well as several designer shoe and
clothing storefronts. Also, for those interested in purchasing art,
C/ Montcada offers a stylish community of art galleries, design studios,
and craft shops sprinkled among the district’s many popular museums.
• Barcelona has
several open flea markets that offer a wide variety of
books, antiques, jewelry, and other curiosities, old and new. Three
of the most popular sites are the Mercat de les Encants in the Pl.
de las
Glories Catalanes, the Mercat de San Antoni, and the Mercat at Pl.
Villa de Madrid. In general, the markets are open every MWFS from around
8am-8pm.
• If you’re in need
of a department store or shopping center, Barcelona has several. El
Corte Ingles stores are located in the center of Pl.
de Catalunya, Pl. Francesc Macià, and Pl. Maria Cristina, with
a number of smaller branch shops scattered throughout the city. In
addition,
there is El Triangle, a shopping center housing FNAC and several other
stores
in Pl. de Catalunya, and the Centre Comercial de les Glories at the
Pl. Glories Catalanes.
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