4 Reasons why Barcelona is better for Christmas shopping
Barcelona, our beloved city, located in the mediterranean sea is not very known for its Christmas traditions, but it might just be the perfect city for your Christmas Shopping this year!
At this time of the year you can typically see all the Christmas related adverts offering shopping tours to London, New York or Paris but today we want to show you that Barcelona might be precisely the city you are looking for to get all the unique gifts for your loved ones.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Barcelona’s climate will make you smile
Tired of the cold rainy neighborhood in Amsterdam, Paris or London? Why not heat up a couple of days in the sun, next to the beach in Barceloneta and enjoy a relaxing afternoon after a turbulent shopping tour through the shops in Barcelona with a Mojito in your hands? The fantastic climate in Barcelona will make you smile, your filled shopping bags will weigh less, and you’ll enjoy the whole process a lot more.
Depending on in which hotel you stay it might be interesting to start the stroll at a certain point. The most important shops and also the leading fashion brands, sneaker stores, and urban fashion is located near Plaça Catalunya and can easily be reached by Metro, cab or by foot.
2. Many genuine brands and stores
Famous for shopping: The shopping area is not on “Las Ramblas.” Apart from the big Nike Store Las Ramblas is mostly stacked with souvenir shops, cafés, and restaurants, so if you are looking for fashion and all types of fancy stores to buy Christmas gifts this is the right area:
There’s a parallel street which leads directly into the heart of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona called Portal de l’Angel. Walking down the road, you’ll quickly see why Barcelona can comfortably hold up with top Christmas shopping locations in Europe, like Munich, Berlin, Paris or London, all big brands have lined up their flagship stores and especially local brands like Zara, Stradivarius, Bershka and others surprise with their collections.
If you are looking for the more selected goods and pricey brands you could start your stroll at Diagonal, down the Passeig de Gràcia towards Plaça Catalunya. It’s a long walk, but if you’re the Gucci type of person, you’ll be the happiest person here.
Connect your shopping with Sightseeing: Stop by the Casa Batllo or la Pedrera which are 2 of the most famous landmarks in the city, built by Architect Antoni Gaudi.
3. Small Deco Shops and Gift Ideas
If you walk down further into the Gothic Quarter, you can easily find some fun shops with plenty of funny articles and gift ideas.
The famous ones being “Ryman Ryman” located at Carrer de Santa Anna, 37, 08002 Barcelona and “El Mercadillo” located at: Carrer de la Portaferrissa, 17, 08002 Barcelona, famous for its wooden camel in front of the door.
Barcelona Insider Tip: There’s a small bar located at the end of the “El Mercadillo” store. It’s called “El Jardí”. The (open-air) bar is usually open during the opening hours of the store. It’s a small oasis in the middle of the busy city center and a perfect spot to sip a cup of coffee while we are on our shopping trip.
4. The cafés, tapas bars and ambient
Barcelona has its peculiar flair, everyone who’s ever visited the city will confirm that the Catalan capital is unique in many ways. If you come over here for a pre-Christmas, off-season visit, you’ll be surprised how much the city has to offer. There’s a lot to do even in the colder winter days in Barcelona.
The many cafés and bars in the center will never close. The weather is great most of the time during the year, so in case it might get a bit frosty on the terrace, many of the bars pull out the mushroom type of heaters to keep you warm – this is probably only necessary during the evening hours.
The ambient in Barcelona just great, I’d suggest you enjoy a Segway tour during the day morning, so you have enough energy to go shopping and end the day in a traditional tapas bar. “La Esquinica,” located a bit far out north of the city might look like a long journey but is only a few 15 min ride away from the center. Order some tapas with a glass of wine before you get back home to hustle through a cold December.
Are you looking for a particular shop in Barcelona? Have you visited one that blew you away? Ready for Christmas shopping? Leave us a comment, and we are always happy to get some feedback from our readers.
Merry Christmas!