Shopping

The shopping possibilities in Barcelona are enough to satisfy the most demanding consumer. Its shops are on par with those in the world's major cities, and fashionistas here tend to look outward for inspiration (to other parts of Europe), rather than toward the rest of Spain.

Yet in spite of the increasing publicity the city receives, many visitors still arrive with a mental picture of a few dusty old establishments and department stores. Thus, the glittering avenues of top-name boutiques, polished and well-kept specialty stores, cutting-edge designer showcases, fascinating markets, and modern malls come as a pleasant surprise. Some of the leading global fashion names (Zara and Camper, to name a couple) are in fact Spanish, and stock a larger range of their offerings -- at more competitive prices -- in Barcelona.

Travelers not au fait with Barcelona's scene tend to max out their credit cards in London or Paris and then kick themselves for not waiting to arrive in the city where, in addition to the world-class shopping now available to them, the euro goes a lot further. So if you have been sensible enough to set aside some reserve funds, you could well find yourself spending more time shopping than gallery-hopping -- not of course that there's any reason to feel guilty about that!

The Shopping Scene

The elegant Passeig de Gràcia contains some of the most expensive retail space in Spain. Along its wide octagon-tiled footpaths, the big guns of fashion have set up shop in gorgeous 19th- and 20th-century buildings; Chanel, Max Mara, and Loewe jostle for your attention alongside Benetton, Zara, and Diesel. All along the avenue there are dozens of outdoor cafes in which to relax, enjoy a tapa or two, and examine your booty. The Rambla de Catalunya, which runs parallel to the Passeig de Gràcia, has lesser internationally known -- but equally glitzy -- establishments with more focus on housewares, books, and beauty. Don't bypass the cross streets that run between the two, as they are also scattered with some of the city's top shopping, particularly Valencia, Provença, and Consell de Cent, the latter of which is renowned for its expensive antiques shops and art galleries. The top end of the Passeig de Gràcia intersects El Diagonal, one of the city's main arteries. Here you will find the housewares giant Habitat, the megamall L'Illa, and various other boutiques in between. The Metro does not service this part of town and the shops are spread out, but don't despair: The tombus is a comfortable minibus that does the "shopping line" along the Diagonal; hop on at any regular bus stop.

The throngs hit the Portal d'Angel and Portaferrisa at the top end of the Barri Gòtic on Friday evenings and Saturdays, seeking out new arrivals in fashion from the top High Street names such as H&M, Levi's, Benetton, and other global fashion labels. With the major department store El Corte Inglés in the immediate vicinity, these two streets (which intersect) make up the city's most central, convenient, and popular shopping hub.

Farther into the Old Quarter (El Raval, El Born, and the Barri Gòtic) is where you will find more one-of-a-kind retailers. One promising new hub is around the MACBA, the city's museum of contemporary art in El Raval. Smaller galleries come (and go) here at various intervals, and there are fashion and design shops springing up all the time. In the direction of the port, shops on the streets running off La Rambla (particularly Carme and Hospital) reflect the melting-pot nature of the neighborhood: Wine shops sit side by side with halal butchers and traditional Catalan bakers; other shops seem to have survived for centuries selling scissors. This is where you see the dusty, old-school emporiums of yesteryear, ones that have sadly disappeared from cities like London and New York. While not enough is done here to protect their heritage, many are still surviving the onslaught of the mall. At least for the moment.

Catalonia has largely resisted the lure of Sunday trading, mainly at the insistence of the trade unions. The good news is that most shops in the center (Passeig de Gràcia, Portal d'Angel, and Portaferrisa) stay open through the lunch hour and generally don't close until 9pm, even on Saturdays, with department stores extending this to 10pm. As a general rule of thumb, smaller shops are open Monday through Saturday 9:30 or 10am to 1:30 or 2pm then open again in the afternoon at 4 or 4:30pm to 8:30pm. You will always find exceptions to this, especially as the tourist trade fans out over the city. You may come across some that frustratingly take Monday morning off, or decide to take a 3-hour afternoon break, but even that adds to the unique experience of Barcelona's being a modern city that has retained its quaint retro feel.

Credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere, even for smallish purchases. Note, however, that you (along with everyone else) must show a form of photo ID (passport or driver's license) when making a purchase with your credit card. Don't be offended when the assistant asks for this; it is an effective guard against fraudulent credit card use.

Sales tax is called IVA; for food items it is generally charged at 7%, rising to 16% for most other goods. Cash-register receipts will show this as a separate charge (if they don't, ask). If you see a "Compra Libre de Tasas" (Tax-Free Shopping) sticker displayed in a shop, and are a non-E.U. resident, you can request a tax-free check on purchases of over 90€ ($113). Present this to the Cash Refund counter at the airport (Terminal A) when you depart the E.U. and you will be issued a cash refund. Refunds can also be made to your credit card or by check. For more information see www.globalrefund.com.

Sales (rebajas or rebaixes) start early July and early January. Discounts are extraordinary, often starting at 50%, but surprisingly you never see mad rushes. On the whole, shopping in Barcelona is a genteel affair; small business and trading have historically been a major backbone of its economy and many establishments here, in terms of both service and presentation, still feel like a piece of living history.

What To Buy

Stylish clothing and shoes and leatherwear are the items to go for in Barcelona. Leather shoes, belts, jackets, and coats are particularly good buys; whether you want a high-end brand such as Loewe or succumb to the leather hawkers on La Rambla, the quality and value of leather goods is superb. Barcelona has always been renowned for its expertise in design and has a vibrant design culture supported by the local government. Decorative objects and housewares here are original and well made and can be found in the shops around the MACBA and Picasso Museums. Artisan pieces, such as ceramic tiles and earthenware bowls and plates are cheap and plentiful. Cookware, crockery, wineglasses, and utensils in general are a great buy; a poke around a humble hardware store can unearth some great finds, too.

Antiques

Serious collectors should check out the maze of streets around the Calle Palla near the Plaça de Pi in the Barri Gòtic; while there are few bargains to be had you will find everything from bric-a-brac to old posters and lace. Consell de Cent in the Eixample houses a range of shops selling fine antiques and antiquities. Every Thursday, many of these traders set up stalls outside the cathedral, transferring to Port Vell (the port end of La Rambla) at the weekend.

Galleries

Despite showing the work of some of the world's great artists, small galleries have a notoriously hard time surviving in Barcelona. This could be due to the fickleness of the scene. At the moment, gallery hubs include the streets around the Picasso Museum, the MACBA museum, and Calle Petritxol in the Barri Gòtic.

Shopping Centers & Malls

Shopping malls are a bit of a contentious topic in Catalonia. Many small traders feel malls are squeezing them out of the market. The local government has reacted by limiting their construction, especially in central Barcelona. But there are still enough in existence to appease any mall fan.

The Zaravolución

Many visitors to Spain are already familiar with the Zara clothing label. Now with over 800 (2,100, counting the Zara offshoot brands) outlets in 50 countries, including megastores in the fashion capitals of Milan, Paris, London, and New York, Zara is hard to ignore. But many are not aware, and probably surprised to know, that Zara is Spanish-owned.

Zara was started back in the early '70s by an industrious young Galician, Amancio Ortega, now the richest man in Spain. He saw a necessity for stylish housecoats for the women in his rural village and out of that an empire grew. Today Zara is one of the few fashion empires in the world that vertically controls the entire process, from textile manufacture to design to retail. Using a global network of buyers and trend-spotters, they interpret (many within the industry use the word "plagiarize") hot-off-the-catwalk pieces for men, women, and children at astoundingly affordable prices. They appeal to the full, cross-generational, demographic, from urban tribes to executives. Zara's calendar doesn't just consist of four seasons; they produce and distribute clothing year-round in their behemoth headquarters in Ortegas's native Galicia and in Zaragoza. New, never-to-be-repeated models arrive every day, meaning converts return again and again and again . ..

A revolution needs a charismatic leader and Ortega is no exception. Until he took the company public in 2001, the press possessed only one photo of a man estimated to be worth $10.3 billion. He imposes a strict "no-press" policy on his staff, and never gives interviews. He never accepts any of the dozens of accolades awarded to him in person. What he has done, in less than a generation, is democratized fashion and made it possible to dress like a film star for a song. ¡Viva la revolución!

Located at Pelayo 58 (tel. 93-301-09-78; Metro: Catalunya), Passeig de Gràcia 16 (tel. 93-318-76-75; Metro: Passeig de Gràcia), as well as other places throughout the city.

La Boquería: One of the World's Finest Food Markets

The Boquería market, La Rambla 91-101 (tel. 93-318-25-84; Mon-Sat 8am-8pm; Metro: Liceu), is the largest market in Europe (and probably the greatest in the world) and a must-see in the Catalan capital. It's located right in the middle of any visitor's top destination: the famous boulevard La Rambla. While many markets have little to offer a visitor in terms of practical shopping, the Boquería boasts some of the best bars and cafes in the city, and a chance to rub shoulders with the people who are helping put the city at the forefront of Mediterranean cuisine.

Its central location is linked to a historical twist of fate: In the mid-1800's, the demolition of the city's medieval walls began. Pageses (Catalan peasants) had been selling their bounty roughly on the spot of the present market (originally one of the city's gates) and around the perimeter of the neighboring Convent de Sant Josep for centuries, and the authorities saw no reason to move them as the work began. When the convent burned to the ground in 1835, the market expanded, and 30 years later the engineer Miquel de Bergue finished his plans for a grandiose, wrought-iron market of five wings supported by metal columns, a project that wasn't finished until 1914. The official name of the market is Mercat de Sant Josep (a reference to the Capuchin nuns' old dwelling), although the term boquería (meaning abattoir, or butcher shop, in Catalan) has stuck since the 13th century, when the site was a slaughterhouse.

The Boquería's 330 stalls are a testament to the fertility of the peninsula (Spain has the widest variety of farm produce in all Europe) and its surrounding seas. What lies inside is a gastronomic cornucopia that changes from season to season. Early autumn sees the hues of burnt yellow, orange, and brown in the cluster of stalls selling the dozens of varieties of bolets, wild mushrooms from the hills and forests of Catalonia. In spring, the candy colors of fresh strawberries and plump peaches and in early summer the greens of a dozen different lettuces, from curly bunches of escarole to pert little heads of endives and cogollos (lettuce hearts), make an appearance. The fish and seafood section takes prime place in a central roundabout known as the Isla del Pescado (Island of Fish), a pretty marble and shiny steel affair that was given priority in the Boquería's recent overhaul. The variety here is awesome--from giant carcasses of tuna that send Japanese tourists into a camera-flashing frenzy, to the ugly but tasty scorpionfish, prawns the size of bananas, live crayfish, octopi, bug-eyed grouper, and countless other species. Other stalls range from game and delicatessens to bewildering businesses that survive by specializing in one product, whether it is lettuces, potatoes, or smoked salmon.

The best time to visit the Boquería is early morning, as it comes to life. Able-bodied men drag cartloads of produce to the stalls, while women arrange it into patterns and combinations that border on food art. Have breakfast at Pinotxo on the immediate right of the main entrance. Here you will rub shoulders with the city's main chefs before they embark on their daily sourcing spree. If you wish to do a bit of shopping yourself, avoid the stalls at the front unless you want to pay "tourist" prices.

To Market, to Market . ..

There are various outdoor markets on the streets of Barcelona. Practice your bartering skills before heading for El Encants flea market, held every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday in Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes (Metro: Glòries). Go anytime during the day to survey the selection of new and used clothing, period furniture, and out-and-out junk (although the traders will try to convince you otherwise). Coins and postage stamps are traded and sold in Plaça Reial on Sunday from 10am to 8pm. It's off the southern flank of La Rambla (Metro: Drassanes). A book (mainly Spanish-language) and coin market is held at the Ronda Sant Antoni every Sunday from 10am to 2pm (Metro: Universitat) with a brisk trade in pirated software and DVDs taking place around the periphery. All types of fine quality antiquarian items can be found at the Mercat Gòtic every Thursday 9am to 8pm, on the Plaça Nova outside the city's main cathedral (Metro: Liceu), although don't expect any bargains. More like a large car-boot sale is the Encants del Gòtic, Plaça George Orwell; Saturdays 11am to 4pm (Metro: Drassanes). The wide promenade the Rambla del Raval (Metro: San Antoni) is taken over by hippie-type traders all day, every Saturday hawking handmade clothing, jewelry, and other objects. Nearby, the vintage and retro clothing traders of the Riera Baixa (Metro: San Antoni) drag their goods out to the street (some real bargains are to be found here). Over 50 painters set up shop every weekend in the pretty Plaça del Pi (Metro: Liceu) in a Mostra d' Art that is of a surprisingly high standard. If food is more your thing, over a dozen purveyors of artisan cheese, honey, biscuits, olives, chocolate, and other Catalan delicacies can also be found in the Plaça del Pi, on the first and third weekend of every month from 10am to 10pm.

Specialty Stores in the Barri Gòtic

The streets around the Barri Gòtic are packed with traditional establishments specializing in everything from dried cod to dancing shoes, some of them remnants from when mercantile activity and trading was Barcelona's lifeblood. If you see a shop window that entices, don't be shy; most of the shopkeepers welcome curious tourists, and a brief exchange with one of them just may be one of those fleeting traveler's experiences you cherish long after its over.

Dating from 1761, the Cereria Subira, Baixada de Llibreteria 7 (tel. 93-315-26-06), has the distinction of being the oldest continuous shop in Barcelona. It specializes in candles, from long and elegant white ones used at Mass to more fanciful creations. It's worth popping in to see the two torch-bearing Maure figures alone. Magicians and illusionists love the Rei de la Magia, Princesa 11 (tel. 93-319-39-20), a joke and magic shop dating from 1881. Behind the ornate Art Nouveau facade of Alonso, Santa Ana 27 (tel. 93-317-60-85), lie dozens of gloves, from dainty calfskin to more rugged driving gloves plus pretty fans and lace mantillas (Spanish shawls). More traditional Spanish garb is to be found at Flora Albaicín, which specializes in flamenco dancing shoes and spotty, swirly skirts and dresses. The Herbolisteria del Rei, del Vidre 1 (tel. 93-318-05-12), is another shop seeped in history; it has been supplying herbs, natural remedies, and cosmetics and teas since 1823. Casa Colmina, Portaferrisa 8 (tel. 93-412-25-11), makes its own turrones, slabs of nougat and marzipan that are a traditional Christmas treat. Nimble fingers will love the Antiga Casa Sala, Call 8 (tel. 93-381-45-87), which has an enormous range of beads and trinkets just begging to be turned into an original accessory. In the old Born food hub, Angel Jobal, Princesa 38 (tel. 93-319-78-02), is the city's most famed spice merchant, from Spanish saffron to Indian pepper and oregano from Chile. Ganiveteria Roca, Plaça del Pi 3 (tel. 93-302-12-41), has an enormous range of knives, blades, scissors, and all sorts of special-task cutting instruments. Xancó Camiseria, La Rambla 78-80 (tel. 93-318-09-89), is one of the few period shops remaining on La Rambla: They have been making classic men's shirts in cottons, wools, and linens since 1820. If you get caught in the rain, head to Paraguas Rambla de Las Flores, La Rambla 104 (tel. 93-412-72-58), which stocks all manner of umbrellas and walking sticks. And finally, you never know when you may need a chicken feather; the Casa Morelli, Banys Nous 13 (tel. 93-302-59-34), has sacks of them, for simple stuffing or decorating a party outfit.