We propose you a complete tour of the most important streets of Barcelona
Barcelona is a unique city. Strolling through its neighbourhoods means discovering the history and essence of one of the most avant-garde, multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in Europe. We propose you a tour through the most famous streets of Barcelona so that you can get to know the soul of the city through its urban area. Are you in?
Main streets of Barcelona
1. Passeig de Gràcia
In contrast to its origins (it was a car path that connected Barcelona with the old town of Gràcia), Passeig de Gràcia is now one of the most glamorous and crowded streets in the city.
Famous for being one of the main shopping areas in Barcelona, it is also one of the main centres of Barcelona’s modernism. In this sense, you can start the tour visiting the Milà house (also known as La Pedrera), an architectural wonder designed by Gaudí. You will fall in love with its sinuous curves, impossible shapes and a decoration that imitates elements of nature.
Continuing with the treasures of modernism, the next stop is La Manzana de la Discordia (Block of Discord), located between Aragó and Consell de Cent streets, it is an authentic open-air museum of architecture that brings together in a single façade three of the top works of the main architects of the time. Those three buildings compete with each other in beauty since its construction: Casa Lleó Morera (by Lluís Domènech i Montaner), Casa Ametller (by Joan Puig i Cadafalch) and Casa Batlló (by Antoni Gaudí).
After discovering the secrets of modernism, it may be a good time to shop in one of the fashion boutiques that make Passeig de Gràcia the perfect place for those who are looking for luxury and design in the centre of Barcelona.
In addition, Passeig de Gràcia is also a fantastic place to eat in which you will find everything from fast food restaurants to the most select restaurants in the city.
2. La Rambla
La Rambla (where the Hotel Arc is located) is the most famous street in Barcelona and one of the main arteries of the city. Travelling along its 1.3 kilometres (which connect Plaça Catalunya with the sea) you will find beautiful kiosks of flowers and local products, ice cream parlours, centenary shops, souvenir shops, street artists and a relentless tide of people that fills it with life. These are some of the must-visit places in La Rambla:
Mirador de Colom
At the beginning of La Rambla, next to the port, you will find the statue of Columbus, one of the main tourist icons of the city. Inaugurated in 1888 on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, the sculptural ensemble consists of a statue dedicated to Christopher Columbus (who chose the port of Barcelona to disembark after his journey through America) and an iron column of Corinthian style at the summit of which is located the viewpoint, from which you can enjoy spectacular panoramic views of Barcelona at 60 meters from the city.
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Very close to the hotel you can find the Gran Teatre del Liceu, considered one of the most important opera houses in the world (with a capacity of 2,292 seats) and an authentic cultural and architectural icon of Barcelona.
Since its inauguration in 1847, some of the best singers, ballet and dance companies in the world have passed through the impressive stage of the Liceu and continue to do so. You can find here the complete programme for 2017.
Plaça Reial
A little before the Liceu can be found Plaça Reial, a beautiful neoclassical jewel in which nineteenth century buildings and traditional shops coexist with restaurants, cafés, shops and nightlife places ideal for relaxing and having a drink.
Mercat de la Boqueria
Less than 10 minutes walk from the hotel is the Boqueria Market, one of the most important gastronomic markets in Europe. In its more than 300 stalls you will find everything from typical Catalan products to the most select and exotic delicacies from different parts of the world.
If you feel like eating right there, La Boqueria has excellent restaurants and food stalls, such as El Quim de la Boqueria or the Bar Central de la Boqueria, where you can taste tapas and dishes made with fresh products from the same market.
Canaletes Fountain
The fountain of Canaletas, which is also a street lamp, is famous for being the meeting point where FC Barcelona fans celebrate the club’s titles.
In addition, tradition has it that those who drink from it fall in love with Barcelona and are condemned to return. At Hotel Arc la Rambla we will always welcome you with open arms ;).
3. Plaça Catalunya
At the end of La Rambla you will arrive at the always lively Plaça de Catalunya, a boiling place for civic, commercial, cultural and leisure activities in which a multitude of activities are organised, making it the heart of Barcelona.
In addition to being a meeting point for the people of Barcelona, Plaça Catalunya is a central axis in which the city’s main roads converge: La Rambla, Rambla de Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, Portal de l’Àngel and Avinguda Diagonal.
4. Portal de l’Àngel
Another of the main shopping areas in Barcelona. In this pleasant pedestrian street you’ll find shops from practically all the big franchises, as well as shoe shops, accessory stores and El Corte Inglés (such as a Spanish version of Harrod’s, Galeries LaFayette or Macy’ s).
Its privileged location (next to Plaça Catalunya and the magnificent Cathedral of Barcelona, connecting with the Gothic quarter) and the large influx of visitors that it receives have turned the Portal de l’Àngel into one of the 20 most expensive streets in the world in which open a shop.
Also, as a curiosity you can admire the giant Cottet thermometer, 22 meters and two tons of weight, which has been showing the temperature of Barcelona for more than 50 years.
5. Avinguda Diagonal
Honouring its name, this large avenue (11 kilometres) crosses Barcelona diagonally from the mountain to the sea, following the urban plan with which the engineer Ildefonso Cerdá transformed the city in the nineteenth century.
As you can imagine, crossing the Diagonal you can find everything from some of the main shopping centres in Barcelona to classic palaces, parks and emblematic buildings.
Among them, the Casa de les Punxes, wich stands out as one of the best-kept treasures of Catalan modernism. The building, declared a National Historical Monument in 1975, owes its name to the six towers shaped like a spike (“punxes” in Catalan) that preside over its imposing façade.
Another must see is the Royal Palace of Pedralbes and the beautiful and aromatic gardens that surround it.
The final stretch of the avenue is presided over by the Agbar Tower (an impressive skyscraper that illuminates the nights of Barcelona with its multicoloured facade). This final stretch also houses a multitude of technological companies and avant-garde buildings such as the Diagonal Zero Tower, an architectural wonder 110 metres high that occupies the number 0 of the avenue.
6. Plaça d’Espanya
Designed by the modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and built during the Universal Exhibition of 1929, the Plaça d’Espanya is another of Barcelona’s principal points connecting the Sants neighbourhood, the Gran Vía, the Paral-lel and the Montjuïc Park.
In the center of the square is the monumental Font dels Tres Mars (fountain of the three seas), which symbolizes the three seas that surround the Iberian Peninsula.
Nearby you will find the ancient bullring of the Arenas converted into a shopping mall and, as a background image, the impressive National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) and the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, whose shows of light, music and water delight hundreds of visitors every night.
In the same square is the Fira de Barcelona, which hosts major events and fairs of all kinds, and very close by the two Venetian towers that serve as a beautiful gateway to the park of Montjuïc.
So far our tour of some of the main streets of Barcelona. If you need more information, the hotel staff will always be happy to help you. We are waiting for you!
