La Rambla (plural Les Rambles) is the tree-lined boulevard running about 1.2 kilometres from plaça de Catalunya down to the port, separating the Gothic Quarter from the Raval. The poet Federico García Lorca said it was the only street in the world he wished would never end. Today it is mostly a river of tourists, but it is still worth seeing at least once, with some of the city's key monuments. It is part of the Barcelona guide.
A stream turned boulevard
The name comes from the Arabic ramla, sandy bed: the Rambla was a stream running along the medieval walls, outside the city. In the 15th century it was filled in and became a street lined with convents and the university. In the 18th century, with the walls demolished, it became an elegant promenade with noble mansions, theatres and cafés. Each section has its own name, tied to its history.
The five sections
- Rambla de Canaletes: the top section, with the Canaletes fountain. Legend says whoever drinks its water will return to Barcelona; Barça fans celebrate here.
- Rambla dels Estudis: named after the old university, once the section of caged birds, with the baroque church of Betlem.
- Rambla de Sant Josep, or dels Flors: with flower kiosks, the Palau de la Virreina, an exhibition venue, and above all the Boqueria market. Halfway down, near the Bruno Cuadros house decorated with umbrellas and a Chinese dragon, is Joan Miró's mosaic set in the pavement, by Liceu metro.
- Rambla dels Caputxins: with the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona's opera house, opened in 1847 and rebuilt after the 1994 fire, and the historic Cafè de l'Òpera opposite. A few steps away on calle Nou de la Rambla is Gaudí's Palau Güell, and on the other side plaça Reial.
- Rambla de Santa Mònica: the last section, with the Santa Mònica arts centre and portrait painters, down to the Columbus monument.
The Columbus monument and the port
At the bottom of the Rambla, in plaça del Portal de la Pau, the sixty-metre column erected for the 1888 Exhibition holds the statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing out to sea (actually towards Africa, not America). A lift goes up to the top. Beside it, the Drassanes, the Gothic shipyards, among the largest surviving in the world, house the Maritime Museum. Across the road begins Port Vell: the undulating Rambla de Mar footbridge leads to the Maremagnum mall and the Aquarium. The golondrinas tour boats and the cable car to Montjuïc also leave from here.
Around the Rambla
- To the east, the Gothic Quarter, with plaça Reial and the cathedral.
- To the west, the Raval, with the MACBA, the old Hospital de la Santa Creu and Palau Güell.
- At the top, plaça de Catalunya, the heart of the modern city, starting point of the Aerobús and many buses, with El Corte Inglés; from here Portal de l'Àngel leads to the cathedral and Passeig de Gràcia to the Eixample.
The Rambla today and its makeover
The Rambla is the subject of a major city regeneration project to give it back to locals: wider pavements, less traffic, new green spaces and restored traditional kiosks. On 17 August 2017 the Rambla was hit by a terrorist attack, a van driven into the crowd, killing 16 people: a memorial on Miró's mosaic remembers the victims.
Tips
- The Rambla is pickpocket territory: keep bags and phones under control, especially in crowds, at the Boqueria entrance and on the metro.
- Beware of the shell game and of people offering flowers or asking you to sign petitions.
- Don't eat or drink on the Rambla: frozen paella, sangria and giant beers at very high prices. A few steps into the side streets you'll find better places.
- At night the lower Rambla and surrounding streets are less pleasant: stay in well-lit areas.
See also what to see in Barcelona.