Las Ramblas: What to do on Las Ramblas

Ten Best Things to Do on Las Ramblas, Barcelona

Though much of the buildings on Las Ramblas are taken up by commercial stores at ground level, a lot of them have some impressive architecture one or two storeys up. My favorite is the Chinese-influenced architecture about the Sabadell bank.

La Boqueria is Barcelona's flagship market. If what you got there wasn't the freshest and best in town, it would be an embarrassment to the whole city!

Towards the back of La Boqueria there are some very good little restaurants serving excellent tapas, using ingredients bought from the market. It's a little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Alternatively, get a fruit juice or fruit salad from the stalls at the front. But be careful - the stalls right in front of the entrance charge double what the stalls just two or three to the right charge.

Everyone has seen human statues before - but nowhere are they more in abundance than on Las Ramblas. It's like walking through a sculpture museum, only the sculptures might jump out at you! Due to the high number of performers, they can be quite competitive. Every time I visit the performers' costumes get more and more outlandish.

There's more to the Ramblas street performers than just human statues, though. I've seen all sorts of acrobatics and dancing at various times of year. Look out for the clown near the seafront.

See pictures of Las Ramblas Street Performers

A very picturesque plaza just off Las Ramblas in the Barri Gotic. A nice place to have a coffee and look at the Gaudi lampposts, the first public works attributed to the architect.

There are also some great nightclubs in Placa Reial - my favorite is Sidecar (pronounced See-Deh-Car by the locals!).

A part of what gives Las Ramblas its character is the bird and flower markets on the central promenade. I've never seen anyone actually buy anything, but the cute bunnies get lots of attention from the passers-by.

At the bottom of Las Ramblas is the Colon Monument - dedicated to the explorer, Christopher Columbus. I had heard you could go up it but couldn't believe it until I got up close. A small lift takes up to a very small viewing tower. Not for the claustrophobic. One of the best views of the city can be seen from here.

The Liceu is Barcelona's most famous theater. Though it is most famous for opera, there are a number of other performances throughout the year.

Unlike many performance spaces in Spain, Liceu has actually published its itinerary for the next year. Bravo! See it here: Gran Teatre del Liceu.

See also Teatre Poliarama

Contemporary art exhibitions right on Las Ramblas. Next door is a the Barcelona Cultural Information Center, with some very helpful English-speaking staff.

Another art exhibition, this time at the bottom of Las Ramblas, is the Centre d'Art Santa Mònica.

The austere church is a stark contrast with the extravagant commercialism on the rest of Las Ramblas.

There are two museums on Las Ramblas - one dedicated to wax replicas of famous people (a la Madame Tussauds) and one all about erotica.