The 14 best things to do on La Rambla in Barcelona

Encircled by the neoclassical Plaça Sant Josep, the Boqueria doesn’t boast the imposing iron superstructure of the Born market, or the grandeur of Sant Antoni. But it’s become the most flamboyant and busiest market in the city, bringing together long-term residents and newcomers, vendors of local produce and importers of exotic delicacies, chefs in search of the finest ingredients and tourists in search of a market-fresh meal or snack. The Boqueria is Barcelona’s true centre of gravity.

Flower-sellers have been adding a splash of colour to La Rambla for centuries. Celebrated in prose by playwright Josep Maria Sagarra, in song by Miquel Porter and Joan Manuel Serrat, and the inspiration for painters like Ramon Casas, the flower-sellers are an essential part of La Rambla’s heritage. As Serrat sings in ‘Floristes de les Rambles’, ‘flowers for tourists, flowers for lovers, flowers for the rich and the poor...’

Put your preconceptions aside: a night at the opera can cost less than tickets to see the ‘in’ band of the moment. And though the Gran Teatre del Liceu is known as an opera house, you can also get your culture on with a ballet, and occasionally, indeed, concerts – featuring not just classical but pop music as well. So why not pay a visit to Barcelona’s great temple of song?

Cafè de l’Opera has stood the test of time, still in the same spot on La Rambla where it first opened its doors in 1929. With its lovely stained-glass windows, this café harks back to the days of the old Viennese coffeehouses, and the quality of coffee served is much higher than many modern equivalents. One of Barcelona’s few remaining historical cafés, it opened in the 18th century as a tavern, before being converted to a 'chocolatería' a century later. More recently, it’s been treated to a very Barcelona modernista makeover. When the weather suits, there's nothing better than having chocolate with churros on the terrace and doing some of the best people-watching of your life.

For decades, the Antiga Casa Figueras, probably the prettiest modernista shop in the city, was a pasta-makers. In the 1980s it was acquired by the Escribà family, who restored it and turned it into a branch of their patisserie empire: now the cakes on display are as delicate and elaborate as the mosaics on the façade. Morning coffee and a pastry on their terrace in Carrer Petxina are ingredients for a great start to the day. Though don't feel you have to stop at breakfast.

Louro is the ultimate speakeasy. You find this delightful restaurant through a majestic marble staircase, tucked away in a spacious lobby at the foot of La Rambla. Bermúdez and his team know what they're doing: in 2010, they opened Arume and Cera 23 in the heart of Raval, and they're champions of the wave of new Atlantic cuisine in Barcelona. Taste the best Galician food in town, from creamy lobster rice to spiked bread pudding. 

Canaletes opened in 2022 as the restaurant for the Yurbban Hotel. Leading the kitchen is chef Germán Lérida, a meat expert who has also worked with Xavier Pellicer. Lérida serves up sensational meat dishes from the grill like boneless chicken thigh, cooked low and slow and finished on the grill, or a rack of pork with Catalan barbecue sauce, made with ratafía. Oh, and the team here have ditched the deep fryerl the patata brava is a large roasted potato with spicy sauce. Vegetarians will love it here too; try the grilled cabbage with mayonnaise and sour cream.

It's not one of the city's most important museums, but if you're strolling along La Rambla and you fancy a bit of local art, drop in to Arts Santa Mònica. The centre is something of a grab bag, with space for exhibitions as well as for creators to work on projects related to art, science and technology. You never know what you might find, as exhibitions cover various disciplines, among them architecture, performing arts, visual arts, music, literature, design, gastronomy and more. If what you find isn't up your street, you won't have lost a thing, as it's free in.

The first thing most Catalans used to see when visiting Barcelona for the first time is Nuria, a restaurant which has been open for almost a century on the corner of La Rambla and Pelayo. Now, the owners, grandchildren of the founders, have renovated it inside and out to make it a meeting place for local Catalans once again. The project aims to recreate how the place was 90 years ago, with a great selection of tapas and lots of €5 wine, and they also pay special attention to delicious sandwiches (shoutout to the Roman-style calamari with aioli). It's worth admiring the illustrations that brilliant artists like Nazario have dedicated to the history of the place.

Cent Onze in the Le Meridien hotel offers good modern cuisine with a full and varied wine list. At night you can sample the tasting menu, which balances a repertoire of tapas and small dishes, where the ingredients are bought from nearby Boqueria Market. Sit by the large windows and relax in this bubble of tranquility, surrounded by the bustle of the busiest boulevard in the city. Oh, and veggies and gluten-free peeps are very catered for. 

It's all about image at La Virreina, located in an 18th-century palace built for a Viceroy of Peru and named for his wife ('virreina' is Catalan for vicereine). You've got not reason not to stop in and admire the architecture and adorning sculptures, as there's no admission fee, meaning the exhibitions are free too. The works on display are mostly photography and paintings, but there's some film and interactive bits too. There's often courses, workshops and talks happening too, or if you're lucky, live music and other performances. 

As much as gourmets despise the poor-quality soft-serve ice-cream that squirts out of those old machines, they do bring back memories of summers gone by. And thinking of their childhood, the famed Roca brothers came up with their idea for Rocambolesc, with ice creams inspired by the desserts at their Celler de Can Roca. The ice-cream here is made instantly from an artisan base and into fun shapes, like the finger of the Columbus statue you see at the foot of La Rambla. There's six flavours you can get with toppings; we highly recommend the baked caramelised apple flavour and the ice-cream-stuffed buns.

Sheet music for flute, harp, organ. Classical and modern. If Casa Beethoven doesn’t have it in stock, they’ll find it for you. Tucked away round the corner from the Palau de la Virreina, this is one of the city’s musical treasures, a fixture since 1880. If you're looking for an original gift or souvenir, pick up something here for the musicians in your life.

The building where the Poliorama Theatre now stands first opened in 1899 as a cinema, and changed hats over the years until it ended up as a theatre in 1982. Even if you feel like your Catalan or Spanish skills aren't up to snuff to enjoy a full theatre play, check the schedule for performances where no language knowledge is required, including concerts, flamenco shows, or visual comedy acts.