Las Ramblas is the biggest and best pedestrian experience one can imagine - the culmination of culture and activity in Barcelona. You want colour? You want humanity? You want to shop? You want to while away time? Las Ramblas awaits you. This famous avenue is a bustling centre from the early morning to the wee hours of the night.
You can find nearly everything under the sun on Las Ramblas and its street performers are spectacular. There are: lizards in cages, huge bunches of roses, newspaper sellers, Chinese buildings with dragons, unbelievably elaborate water fountains, artists doing portraits, street cafes, flower sellers, break-dancers and prostitutes touting for business after dark. Added to these are mime artists, puppeteers with skeletons dancing to Blue Suede Shoes, horses and traps and living statues. The human statues are creative and eerily 'real'! The street attracts tourists in their milling thousands and unfortunately beggars.
This colourful strip of Barcelona divides the old town from the new. Here the city wall once stood by the banks of a stream running through the centre of the old city. The space created with the wall’s removal in the 19th century, the riverbed and existing paths combined to create this wide avenue. The tree-lined island between the traffic lanes is now full of entertainment to satisfy even the most jaded of travellers. It is also a tourist trap with prices to match - food and drink are three times more expensive than anywhere else. On ordering a Pepsi I felt robbed when the bill arrived. Speaking of robbery there is a good chance of that happening as well. My first experience of someone trying to lift my wallet happened here. Take my tip and don’t bring it.
Las Ramblas stretches for one mile. It runs from Placa de Catalunya, a main square full of shops, restaurants, and banks, found at the centre of the city, down to the Columbus Monument on the waterfront. The avenue has five distinct sections, each with its own name and characteristics. First is Las Ramblas de Canaletes, named after the Font de les Canaletes. Folklore has it that whoever drinks from this fountain will forever keep returning to Barcelona. This is where you will find many, but not nearly all, of the Ramblas’ street performers.
The next section is Las Ramblas dels Estudis, after the Estudi General, or Universitat. Along its length bird and small animal sellers ply their trade. Further down is Las Ramblas de les Flors, where a jungle of florists and their colourful stands line the streets with exotic bouquets. Here also is found the century-old Boqueria Market where you can find the freshest produce, meat, fish, and dried fruit around.
Las Ramblas del centre comes next followed by Las Ramblas de Santa Monica, which comes out directly on Barcelona’s port. At the seafront Las Ramblas de Mar takes over. On and around this pier are the beach, an aquarium, restaurants, movie theatres, as well as popular nightclubs.