The Gothic Quarter and the Rambla Tour - Barcelona...

Plaça Catalunya and the Rambla are right in the city centre; the
Rambla is a boulevard known around the world. Pure Mediterranean in
nature, it leads visitors down to the sea through a variety of contrasts:
old-style shops, ultramodern cafes, landmark buildings like the Liceu
Opera House, and, in the centre of the boulevard, there are, street artists,
newspaper, flower, and bird stalls, etc.

Boqueria Market: Barcelona’s most popular and exotic market, it dates
back to the 12th Century when farmers started to sell fruit and vegetables
in the Pla de L’Os. Later, in the 16th Century, the first flower stalls
appeared. Open from 8 to 8, the market sells quality fresh produce from around the world.

Plaça Reial (Royal Square) Lamp posts: Inspired by neoclassic French urban architecture, in the centre of the colonnaded square is the Fountain of the Three Graces and the 2 lamp posts designed by Gaudí.

Carrer Ferran: This was one of the main commercial centres in the 19th Century. There are no street trees and the lamp posts hang from the buildings so there is nothing to block the view of the shop windows.

Plaça del Pi: > Charming square with a beautiful gothic church, Santa Maria del Pi, with a 10m diameter rose window. Notice the sgraffito (patterns) on the façades of the houses.

Carrer Petritxol: One of the narrowest streets in the city, it is full of art galleries and cafes where you can have a “suïs” (hot chocolate topped with cream). The ceramic tiles depict historical events that have happened in this street.

Plaça Sant Jaume: > Historically, the city’s two major Roman roads, the cardo and the decumanus crossed here. This square is the centre of the city’s political activity with the City Hall facing the Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of the Autonomous Catalan Government.

Plaça del Rei (King’s Square): > Right in the centre of Barcelona we find the Gothic Quarter, medieval marvel, which includes: the Look Out of King Martí, a rectangular tower, 5 floors high which was built for king Martí the Humane in 1555; Santa Àgata’s chapel (15th Century), built for Bertran de Riquer, and the Saló del Tinell (medieval hall) (1359-1362), built for king Pere the Ceremonious. The hall is large (35 metres long by 17 wide and 12 high) and was used to receive ambassadors and hold banquets. It is said that the Catholic Kings, Isabel and Ferran, received Columbus here on his return from America.

Plaça Sant Felip Neri: > One of the city’s most beautiful squares, away from
the tourist circuit, it is framed by the baroque church Sant Felip Neri, and the
façades of the houses of the shoe makers’ guild (now the shoe museum) and
the boiler makers’ guild (now a public school).

Cathedral: > Gothic cathedral with 3 naves, built on top of an early Christian
basilica (4th Century). Started in the 13th Century and finished 6 centuries
later, the Sant Iu door marks the oldest part and the façade, the newest.
Take note of the chapels and the 15th Century cloister guarded by geese.
We recommend visiting the Cathedral between 8 am and 12 am and 5 pm and 7 pm on a working day, if no celebration prevents it.