Plaza Reial

Plaza Reial is one of Barcelona's most famous landmarks and an amazing area to stop by and have a bite to eat or a few drinks. Any day, day or night, this place is packed with those who are looking to unwind and relax. The center of the square is decorated with the Font de Les Tres Gràcies (the Fountain of the three Graces) and two fanals (street lamps) that were designed by Antonio Gaudí, the famous Spanish artist.

Placa Reial is a great place to hangout, if not for the architectural beauty, then for the characters that come here. While we were here, I saw one of the funniest things I have ever seen. There was bed, across from the Cerveseria Colon, just laying there was a full mattress with a passed out guy laying right on it. It was hilarious!

Quick Tips:

I would highly suggest grabbing a seat at one of the many outdoor restaurants and just doing some people-watching. It's so much fun. If you can, hit up Tarantos for some amazingly cheap Flamenco or Alex's for a drink and to watch a soccer match. Also, some travel books might label Plaza Reial as a scary and dangerous place, but that was the Barcelona of the past. Now, there is always a police car stationed in the square and most people are here to relax, not to start trouble. That isn't to say that you shouldn't be careful, but it's just like any big city; keep you wits about you.

Now, if you are fluent in Spanish, you might find Barcelona a little tricky since most people here speak Catalonian, a strange dialect of Spanish. It isn't terribly hard to understand, but it'll throw you off, so be warned.

Best Way To Get Around:

Plaza Reial is located right off La Rambla in the center part of downtown Barcelona and right in the heart of the Barri Gotic (Gothic area) neighborhood. Walking around this area is the best option that I can think of, but there are scores of buses and cabs that can take you around, but they are a bit pricy, so be careful.

After bouncing around to every little flamenco place that Barcelona had to offer, we could find one that suited our financial position. We didn't want to spend more than 10 euros each and everything was near 30 euros each, so we turned to the handy map that our hostel had provided us with.

This map had everything that the financially strapped could do that was still fun. We finally gave up and headed over to the Plaza Reial to find this Tarantos place. We had just missed the 8:30pm show, but there was another at 9:30pm, so we bought two 6 euro tickets and went to find a drink.

Before we knew it, the show was going to start, so we headed into this street level bar with a basement feel. My girlfriend found our seats while I got two beers for us.

I was a little hesitant at first about what to expect from this place since it wasn't filing up with people and the lights were dimming. My fears were immediately washed away when the band came out and they were great. It was a guitarist, a drummer, and a percussionist. They tore through two instrumental songs and then the real magic started to happen. Two women came from behind stage; one in a flamenco dress and the other in a regular dress.

The one in the regular dress was the flamenco singer while the other was the dancer. And the combo of all five people on stage was absolutely amazing. After the show, which was only 45 minutes, but it was 6 euros, we both just sat there with our mouths open in complete awe. I mean, it was an amazing flamenco show for so cheap and it seemed that no one really knew about it. It was one of those well kept traveler secrets, until now that is. Enjoy!