SHOPPING IN BARCELONA
Shopping in Barcelona is such a pleasurable experience. Browsing through the shops will take you on an adventure down many cobbled streets, past galleries and artisan workshops. Being Spain’s second largest city, shoppers have a range of districts to shop in and all sorts of shops. One of the main shopping areas is located between the Plaça de Catalunya and C. Portaferrissa and along Av. Portal de l'Ángel. You’ll find two large department stores and lots of shops selling everything from the latest fashions to accessories.
Barri Gotic District
Barcelona’s Barri Gotic district is the old part of the city. It may not be the largest shopping area but it is definitely one of most enjoyable. There are three main shopping streets: C/ Portaferissa, Av. Portal de l’Angel, and C/ Boqueriaare. There you’ll find popular brands such as Mango and Zara, perfect for high street shopping. In fact the whole area, with its maze of winding streets, is perfect for window shopping with plenty of clothes boutiques and jewellery stores.
Eixample District
In the Eixample region, Pl. de Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, and Av. Diagonal make up the largest of Bracelona’s shopping districts. Here you’ll find numerous select fashion stores and jewellery shops. On the Passeig de Gràcia and in other parts of the Eixample, there are lots of galleries to visit. Pay a visit to Av. Diagonal if you want to shop in high-end designer brand boutiques such as Calvin Klein, Versace, and Armani.
Circuit del Born District
One of Barcelona’s lesser known shopping gems is Circuit del Born which is tucked away in Ciutat Vella’s Ribera district. The area is concentrated around the historic Mercat del Born and is full of small artisan and jewellery shops, speciality silk boutiques, as well as several designer brand shops. Also, for those art lovers, C/ Montcada has many art galleries, design studios, and craft shops sprinkled among the district’s popular museums.
Barcelona's Markets
If you are the type of person that enjoys picking up a bargain and a real find in flea-markets, Barcelona has plenty to offer. Three in particular are very popular. In Plaça de las Glòries Catalanes is the Mercat de les Encants, a flea market selling all kinds of old (sometimes antique) and new articles. It’s open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8am to 7pm.There is also the Mercat de San Antoni and Mercat at Pl. Villa de Madrid open on the same days as the Les Encants flea-market and with the same hours. On Sunday mornings there is an unusual flea-market of old books, collector cards, movie posters and records.
|
