Like a human river, waves of people flow down the Las Ramblas, Barcelona's famous pedestrian area. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Like a human river, waves of people flow down the Las Ramblas, Barcelona's famous pedestrian area. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A tourist has her picture taken with one of the human statues on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain. The pedestrian area is known for its street artists. Here the statues seem to move more than they do in other cities. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A statue of Christopher Columbus tops the Mirador de Colom, a monument to the explorer on a square at the seaside end of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
One of the human statues on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain. The pedestrian area is known for its street artists. Here the statues seem to be livlier than they are in other cities. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
One of the scarier human statues on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain. The pedestrian area is often filled with street artists, from the comedic to the ornate and artistic. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Palau Guell, just off of Las Ramblas, was one of the first important buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi. Built for industrialist and politician Eusebi Guell, it now houses a museum with works by Gaudi and contemporaries. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A vendor holds up an octopus at a fish and seafood stand in the Boqueria Market. If you like food, the market, just off Las Ramblas, is a site and sight in Barcelona you will not want to miss. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Street musicians entertain diners under the colonnades that surround the lively Boqueria Market, just off of Las Ramblas. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Two cars of the Transbordador Aeri del Port, or port cable car, approach the support tower on Barcelona's port as seen from Las Ramblas. The cable car runs from Barceloneta to Montjuic. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
People enjoy food and drink under the colonnades that surround the lively Boqueria Market, just off of Las Ramblas. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A Chinese dragon adorns a corner of a facade of the Casa Bruno Cuadros on Las Ramblas. The house once was home to an umbrella shop and umbrellas also adorn the facade. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
An artist draws a caricature of a boy on Las Ramblas. The Barcelona pedestrian thoroughfare is a magnet for street artists of various kinds hoping to make some change off the thousands of tourists who stroll down it. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Models pose for a shoot in the Gothic section of Barcelona's old town, just off of Las Ramblas. Barcelona's pedestrian avenue and the area surrounding it have much to offer tourists in sights, food, drink and shopping. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Las Ramblas is divided into many parts. On the Placa de Catalunya end it is still rather narrow, but widens out by the time it gets to the Mirador de Colom plaza. There is a flower shop section, an artists' section where you can get your portrait drawn, a section that has outdoor restaurants and a section where human statues fascinate pedestrians. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
One of the many statues and fountains on the Placa de Catalunya, at the top end of Las Ramblas, in Barcelona, Spain. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Barcelona cathedral is just a short walk from Las Ramblas, and well worth the stroll. It dates to the late 13th century and took about 150 years to build. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Walking along Las Ramblas, heading away from Placa de Catalunya. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
There is a lot to see and do in Barcelona.
The Spanish city, the capital of the province of Catalonia, is famous for its amazing Gaudi buildings, Montjuic Park with the sites of the 1992 Olympics, Camp Nou stadium, the Picasso Museum and Las Ramblas.
This avenue, stretching from Placa de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus monument, is a pedestrian paradise squeezed in between the bustling traffic of the city.
A confusing aspect is its name. Signs and maps refer to it as La Rambla, La Rambles or Las Ramblas. The last might be most accurate, as a close look at some maps and the street signs along the way will show that it is made up of many Rambla.
Starting from the Placa de Catalunya, walking toward the Columbus monument, Las Ramblas starts out wide, but as you walk it becomes narrower.
As it does, flower shops appear, selling their blooming bounty mostly to the locals.
Traveling on, you come to a section populated by artists, selling the sights of Barcelona or a portrait of yourself.
In the next section, as the lane gets wider again, you will see tourists dining and sipping large glasses of sangria.
While there is nothing wrong with eating here, we do have a tip for a more interesting food experience. More on that later.
Toward the end of Las Ramblas, you come to what the street is perhaps best known for today — human statues. They stand in fantastic costumes, posing for the tourists and hoping for some of their coins.
Las Ramblas ends at the Columbus monument with old Chris at the top, far above the bustle below, pointing out to sea.
No need to stop there, though. Mosey on down to the port and check out the boats moored there. From here you can take a cable car up to Montjuic.
As fun as Las Ramblas is, there is plenty else to see without wandering too far afield.
Hungry after all that walking? Head back up Las Ramblas and keep a lookout for the Mercado de La Boqueria, Barcelona’s famous food market. Here you’ll find a concoction of sights and smells. Seafood, meat and fish meet fruit, vegetables and wine.
At many of the market’s stands you can sit down and enjoy a freshly prepared meal, or just tapas and wine. This is a popular pastime, and seats aren’t always easy to find.
After satisfying your hunger, walk up the same side of the street and look for Palau Guell, just off Las Ramblas. It was one of the first important buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi.
Cross back over Las Ramblas and delve into the narrow lanes that make up the Gothic quarter, Barcelona’s old town. Check out the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi, and farther in, the Barcelona Cathedral.
Despite the throngs of tourists, almost unavoidable in Barcelona, rambling up, down and around Las Ramblas is a great way to see a slice of Barca life.
