Las Rambla/Port Vell- Barcelona

A Quick note on how to travel in Barcelona:  The best and cheapest way to get around Barcelona is to travel using metro. They are cheap and efficient. If you are there for 1-2 days its better to get those tickets called “T-10” tickets which is a SINGLE ticket valid for 10 journey in Metro,TMB bus(free) and the night bus(free). It is not valid of AEROBUS. You can use the same ticket to get to city centre from the BCN airport (Barcelona–El Prat Airport).

T-10 Metro ticket

Las Ramblas, the buzzing street of Barcelona famous for its living statues, stretches for 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) connecting Placa de Catalunya in the Centre with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. The street is very much alive and can get overcrowded if the tourist season is at its peak. It has got various cafes, tapa bars, kiosks, souvenior shops and florists on each side (and pick pocketers if are unlucky!). The famous ‘Mercado de La Boqueria‘  market is in this street .

Where Las Ramblas ends, the beautiful Port  Vell begins. It is the waterfront harbour of Barcelona which was built as part of the renewal programme prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It is now the forefront attraction of this great waterfront city, incorporating the Maremagnum (a mall containing shops, a multiplex cinema, bars and restaurants) and Europe’s largest aquarium. The Port Vell and the marina is connected via a swing bridge for the use of pedestrians. It is amusing to watch the bridge swing by when the boats needs to enter the harbour. It is lovely to take a stroll through the Port Vell in the evening. The colour contrast of the dark green shades of the lined up palm trees against to the bright blue shade of the sea is quite breathtaking!

If you want to get away from the crowded streets of Las Ramblas and have a bit more privacy, then you can head towards the Maremagnum shopping centre which has specialised restaurants with beautiful view of the Port (but little pricier). Dont forget to try some tapas and cocktails 🙂

Address and opening times of the Maremagnum complex is as follows:

• Address: Edificio Maremagnum, Moll d’Espanya, 5, 08039 Barcelona Phone:932 25 81 00
• Opening Hours: From Monday to Sunday 10:00 am – 10:00 pm