La Rambla accommodation Barcelona
Whatever type of accommodation you are looking for in La Rambla, Barcelona, you will find it in the maze of streets which run off the main thoroughfare. Hostels, hotels and guesthouses sit side by side and you can find accommodation to suit all budgets and requirements, from five star hotels to cheap bed and breakfast accommodation.
La Rambla is the city's favourite, and liveliest, promenade - the main artery feeding its animated street life. Originally a drainage channel (a rambla is a watercourse), it is now a wide, tree-lined pedestrian esplanade, with a single lane of traffic and a sidewalk on each side, running at a gentle downhill angle from the Plaza de Catalunya to the harbour.
Though popularly known simply as La Rambla or Les Rambles, the boulevard in fact changes its name en route (Rambla dels Caputxins, Rambla de Sant Josep, Rambla de Canaletes, and so on). A brisk 20-minute trot will cover it all, from the Plaza de Catalunya to the harbour, but the whole idea is to take it
much more slowly, examining the flower stands, thumbing through books and magazines at the numerous news-stands (which sell everything from Arabiclanguage newspapers to German brides' magazines), reading a favourite newspaper or magazine at a sidewalk cafe, or merely strolling and chatting with friends amidst the inevitable din. Notice the sidewalk mosaic by Mira at the Plaza de Boqueria, and be sure to visit La Boqueria, the city's extraordinary main food market.
On the right side of La Rambla (facing the sea), almost at the harbour, is the new Centre d'Art Santa Monica, not a museum, but a beautiful contemporary art exhibition space designed by Albert Viaplana and Helio Pinon on the site of a former convent. Hours vary according to the shows. Also see Gaudi's first major modernista work, the Palau Guell (3 Carrer Nou de la Rambla), a few steps off La Rambla and now serving as the Institut del Teatre. Unlike some of his later work, the Palau Guell interior tends toward the massive and heavy. Of particular note is the remarkable roof, crowned by 20 cone-shaped mosaic chimneys. Guided tours are available. Just off the port, the triangle between La Rambla and the Avinguda del Parallel, with its little alleyways, is known as the Barri lines (Barrio Chino in Spanish), literally "Chinese district" or "Chinatown"-but it is actually the red-light district and should be avoided at night, when it can be quite dangerous.
La Boqueria Barcelona
Officially known as the Mercat de Sant Josep (St. Joseph's Market), this is one of the most attractive and richl
y stocked public food markets in Europe. A huge, covered 19th-century ironwork structure that looks quite a bit like a turn-of-the-century French train station, it features displays of the finest food products of Catalonia and the rest of the world in an abundance and variety that are simply breathtaking. Mountains of bright vegetables, mounds of earthy mushrooms, oceans worth of fish displayed on ice, treasure chests of candied fruit and nuts, thick screens of sausages dangling from the butcher stalls-it's one glorious sight and smell after another. Merchants are happy to sell a single piece of fruit or a tiny bag of olives or almonds, so even the casual visitor can sample the wares. The market building itself is open 24 hours a day, but the individual shops and stands are open mostly from early morning to mid-afternoon.
Waterfront Barcelona
Waterfront Barcelona is by far the largest port in Spain, and has become a port of call for major international cruise ships. The Moll de la Fusta (Wooden Wharf), the quay where the Barri Gotic meets the harbou
r, boasts a pedestrian promenade complete with palm trees, park benches, and unusuallooking contemporary bridges, as well as a row of indoor/outdoor restaurants and bars. Many locals consider most of these restaurants too expensive to patronize. Continue walking along the waterfront and beach of Barceloneta to the Port Veil (Olympic Port), site of Platja Barcelona. There's also a yacht basin here and a long, raised pier featuring several good restaurants that offer fine meals at moderate prices and lovely views of the sea. Below the pier along the edge of the yacht basin are more modest cafes with tapas and outdoor seating. Barcelonans flock to this seaside spot to swim, sunbathe, and stroll.
The Columbus Monument Barcelona
Barcelonans are very fond of Christopher Columbus (Cristofol Colom in Catalan, Cristobal Colon in Spanish), who allegedly first reported on his exploration of the Americas to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in this city (some even claim Columbus was actually Catalan himself). This 200-foot high column and statue at the harbour end of La Rambla, anchoring one end of the Moll de la Fusta, is the tallest tribute in the world to the noted explorer. Together with Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, it is an emblematic symbol of Barcelona. Take the elevator to the top floor for an extraordinary view.
The Maritime Museum Barcelona
The old low, stone buildings with the gables behind the Monument a Colom are the Drassanes Reials (Royal S
hipyards), fine examples of medieval Catalan industrial architecture. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, they are believed to be the largest intact medieval shipyards in the world. Ships carrying the red-and-yellow Catalan flag to the far corners of the world were launched from these yards years before Columbus's bold discovery. Fittingly, the Museu Maritim, considered one of the city's finest museums, now occupies the yards. The immense and varied collections include old maps (including one drawn by Amerigo Vespucci) and navigational instruments, ships' figureheads, models of ancient fishing boats, freighters and other vessels.
Barceloneta
Created in the early 18th century on what had been an empty spit of land jutting into Barcelona harbour, lively "Little Barcelona" was originally a resettlement area for citizens who had been displaced by the huge citadel built by Felipe V to keep rebellious Barcelonans in line. Today, it is virtually its own lit
tle town, bustling and colourful, and almost romantically tacky. The Passeig Nacional, lined with bars and every kind of eating establishment imaginable, forms the area's waterfront promenade on the city side. Behind it is a grid of streets strung with laundry drying from balconies and encompassing a few leafy plazas stretching to the Platja de la Barceloneta, the beach on the Mediterranean side. To reach Barceloneta, walk all the way around the waterfront from the Monument a Colom past the Moll d'Espanya; take the subway (Line No.4) to the Barceloneta stop and walk from there; take any of several buses; or take the Barceloneta teleferic from Miramar, at the foot of Montjulc.
La Rambla is the city's favourite, and liveliest, promenade - the main artery feeding its animated street life. Originally a drainage channel (a rambla is a watercourse), it is now a wide, tree-lined pedestrian esplanade, with a single lane of traffic and a sidewalk on each side, running at a gentle downhill angle from the Plaza de Catalunya to the harbour.
Though popularly known simply as La Rambla or Les Rambles, the boulevard in fact changes its name en route (Rambla dels Caputxins, Rambla de Sant Josep, Rambla de Canaletes, and so on). A brisk 20-minute trot will cover it all, from the Plaza de Catalunya to the harbour, but the whole idea is to take it
much more slowly, examining the flower stands, thumbing through books and magazines at the numerous news-stands (which sell everything from Arabiclanguage newspapers to German brides' magazines), reading a favourite newspaper or magazine at a sidewalk cafe, or merely strolling and chatting with friends amidst the inevitable din. Notice the sidewalk mosaic by Mira at the Plaza de Boqueria, and be sure to visit La Boqueria, the city's extraordinary main food market.On the right side of La Rambla (facing the sea), almost at the harbour, is the new Centre d'Art Santa Monica, not a museum, but a beautiful contemporary art exhibition space designed by Albert Viaplana and Helio Pinon on the site of a former convent. Hours vary according to the shows. Also see Gaudi's first major modernista work, the Palau Guell (3 Carrer Nou de la Rambla), a few steps off La Rambla and now serving as the Institut del Teatre. Unlike some of his later work, the Palau Guell interior tends toward the massive and heavy. Of particular note is the remarkable roof, crowned by 20 cone-shaped mosaic chimneys. Guided tours are available. Just off the port, the triangle between La Rambla and the Avinguda del Parallel, with its little alleyways, is known as the Barri lines (Barrio Chino in Spanish), literally "Chinese district" or "Chinatown"-but it is actually the red-light district and should be avoided at night, when it can be quite dangerous.
La Boqueria Barcelona
Officially known as the Mercat de Sant Josep (St. Joseph's Market), this is one of the most attractive and richl
y stocked public food markets in Europe. A huge, covered 19th-century ironwork structure that looks quite a bit like a turn-of-the-century French train station, it features displays of the finest food products of Catalonia and the rest of the world in an abundance and variety that are simply breathtaking. Mountains of bright vegetables, mounds of earthy mushrooms, oceans worth of fish displayed on ice, treasure chests of candied fruit and nuts, thick screens of sausages dangling from the butcher stalls-it's one glorious sight and smell after another. Merchants are happy to sell a single piece of fruit or a tiny bag of olives or almonds, so even the casual visitor can sample the wares. The market building itself is open 24 hours a day, but the individual shops and stands are open mostly from early morning to mid-afternoon.Waterfront Barcelona
Waterfront Barcelona is by far the largest port in Spain, and has become a port of call for major international cruise ships. The Moll de la Fusta (Wooden Wharf), the quay where the Barri Gotic meets the harbou
r, boasts a pedestrian promenade complete with palm trees, park benches, and unusuallooking contemporary bridges, as well as a row of indoor/outdoor restaurants and bars. Many locals consider most of these restaurants too expensive to patronize. Continue walking along the waterfront and beach of Barceloneta to the Port Veil (Olympic Port), site of Platja Barcelona. There's also a yacht basin here and a long, raised pier featuring several good restaurants that offer fine meals at moderate prices and lovely views of the sea. Below the pier along the edge of the yacht basin are more modest cafes with tapas and outdoor seating. Barcelonans flock to this seaside spot to swim, sunbathe, and stroll.The Columbus Monument Barcelona
Barcelonans are very fond of Christopher Columbus (Cristofol Colom in Catalan, Cristobal Colon in Spanish), who allegedly first reported on his exploration of the Americas to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in this city (some even claim Columbus was actually Catalan himself). This 200-foot high column and statue at the harbour end of La Rambla, anchoring one end of the Moll de la Fusta, is the tallest tribute in the world to the noted explorer. Together with Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, it is an emblematic symbol of Barcelona. Take the elevator to the top floor for an extraordinary view.
The Maritime Museum Barcelona
The old low, stone buildings with the gables behind the Monument a Colom are the Drassanes Reials (Royal S
hipyards), fine examples of medieval Catalan industrial architecture. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, they are believed to be the largest intact medieval shipyards in the world. Ships carrying the red-and-yellow Catalan flag to the far corners of the world were launched from these yards years before Columbus's bold discovery. Fittingly, the Museu Maritim, considered one of the city's finest museums, now occupies the yards. The immense and varied collections include old maps (including one drawn by Amerigo Vespucci) and navigational instruments, ships' figureheads, models of ancient fishing boats, freighters and other vessels.Barceloneta
Created in the early 18th century on what had been an empty spit of land jutting into Barcelona harbour, lively "Little Barcelona" was originally a resettlement area for citizens who had been displaced by the huge citadel built by Felipe V to keep rebellious Barcelonans in line. Today, it is virtually its own lit
tle town, bustling and colourful, and almost romantically tacky. The Passeig Nacional, lined with bars and every kind of eating establishment imaginable, forms the area's waterfront promenade on the city side. Behind it is a grid of streets strung with laundry drying from balconies and encompassing a few leafy plazas stretching to the Platja de la Barceloneta, the beach on the Mediterranean side. To reach Barceloneta, walk all the way around the waterfront from the Monument a Colom past the Moll d'Espanya; take the subway (Line No.4) to the Barceloneta stop and walk from there; take any of several buses; or take the Barceloneta teleferic from Miramar, at the foot of Montjulc.
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