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Photo: Stefano Mortellaro from Catania, Italy, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Often the first landmark that people identify with the city. It is the central and most famous boulevard cutting through the heart of the city centre — a vibrant promenade filled with Barcelona life at its best. It stretches from the harbour to La Plaça Catalunya, running through the Ciutat Vella like a spine. Come here to see street performers, enjoy the flower and pet stalls, or just sit back and watch all of Barcelona walk by. During the day La Rambla is packed with tourists; at night the atmosphere shifts and the locals come out, along with newspaper and book stands, musicians, and street artists that all contribute to a lively and unique atmosphere. Be aware that the area attracts pickpockets, particularly after dark. If you happen to be here after Barça win, you are in for a treat. A few blocks south of its north end you will find La Boqueria, a very large covered market.
La Rambla is considered the most well known street in central Barcelona. A tree-lined pedestrian street, it stretches for 1.2 kilometres connecting the Plaça de Catalunya in its center with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. La Rambla forms the boundary between the neighbourhoods of the Barri Gòtic to the east and the El Raval to the west.
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A gorgeous tree-lined pedestrian walkway, the busiest and most lively street of the city. Mostly occupied by tourists, expect to pay higher prices for food and drink which tends to be low-quality and/or inauthentic. Avoid the groups of people supposedly betting on a game played on a cardboard table, they are thieves. Head off into some of the side streets for a cheaper, more local, and authentic experience of Barcelona. Often called Las Ramblas, because it is actually a series of several different streets, the sections also have distinct feels. As you get closer to Placa Catalunya, you find more street performers doing stunts. In the middle, you will find street performers in costumes. Towards the pier, there are artists who will do pencil drawings, paintings, etc.
Museum dedicated to erotic and sensual works. A huge tourist trap. The tour is not worth it, unless you wish to see old paintings of the Kama Sutra. The only interest is the huge phallus in the hallway, which makes for funny pictures.
This square next to La Rambla is one of the prettiest parts of the quarter. It has a pine tree in the middle (Pi mines pine tree), the church of Santa Maria del Pi, which is a very pretty Gothic church with a huge rose window. Many concerts are held here. The Pi square and its twin square, called Sant Josep Oriol, have several bars and artisans, painters, musicians, who are there to sell their products. Entrance into the church costs €6.50/person, or €8/person if you want a tour to the top of the church with plenty of uninterrupted views across Barcelona.
This narrow street, that starts in the Plaça del Pi has a very special atmosphere. It is famous because of its chocolate shops, where you can drink a hot chocolate since the 18th century. It has also very important art galleries (Sala Parés, the place where Picasso made a dedicated exposition for the first time). You can enter for free and see, if you are lucky, nice expositions. The street is decorated with flagstones that represent scenes of a modernist book called L'auca del senyor Esteve, by Santiago Rusiñol, which is a critic to the bourgeois society of that time and that he had to live.
This square is famous for the nightlife and the uniform architecture, and features fountains and palm trees. It was built during the 19th century on the site of a monastery, after the Mendizábal law expelled the monks. After some years Antoni Gaudí designed the streetlights which are still there. It has lots of activity during the day, thanks to the many terraces of the bars and restaurants.