La Boqueria - Barcelona

Situated just off Las Ramblas, Barcelona's Boqueria (or more correctly Mercat de San Josep) market is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. I think it says a lot about the enduring attraction of food markets that the Boqueria is still so popular in spite of the fact that our supermarkets now stock excellent produce from all over the world and that air travel and border restrictions have made it more difficult to take fresh produce home from trips abroad. When I first visited the Boqueria I was filled with excitement at the array of colourful fresh produce - fruit and vegetables, herbs, fish and shellfish, meats - fresh and cured, bread, nuts and dried fruit ...  Read the complete review

As per my previous review on the city of Barcelona, La Boqueria is surely one if not "the" best place to visit in Barcelona. To me a visit or a staying in Barcelona is not complete withouth some shopping at this fabolous market. Let's start from the beginning though. The market was in place since the 15th century, pretty much in the exact location where it is today, it has always been a popular market. Situated on the right side of the Ramblas, if you go down from Placa Catalunya towards the sea, its proximity with the sea, and also with what at that time were the boundaries of the city, made it the natural place to go for food, ...  Read the complete review

Barcelona is a city I have visited so many times that I lost count. There are few places I like to go back to, each time I manage to spend few days in Barcelona, and the marquet of La Boqueria is surely one of these. It is not sure when the market started, but it is thought that the first market dates back to the 13th century. At that time there were still green areas within Barcelona and farmers used to gather to sell the products of their orchards. The market went through different periods, but it has always remained close to its popular origin. Some of the current stall holders boast that they can trace back to more than 10 generations the ...  Read the complete review

I have just come back (last night) from 3 days in Barcelona and loved it. I will write few reviews on the places I visited, but the one which excited me the most was this market, called La Boqueria. It is a real market, although it is also mentioned on virtually any guide book about Barcelona I have read. To find it it is easy. If you go to Placa de Catalunya, then go down the Ramblas and stay on he right side. Once you pass the Hotel Meridien, and after you pass the theatre, on your right, you will see the large gate which is the entrance to the market. The gate itself has got a long history, since it was brought to Barcelona from North ...  Read the complete review

Before settling in London, I have lived in Italy, Greece, France and Spain. In Spain I lived in few cities, but I was lucky enough to spend 6 months in Barcelona. I have many memories of those days, but surely few are so precious like those of my weekly or bi weekly shopping at the market of Boqueria. La Boqueria is a covered market situated on the Ramblas. I was living only 10 minutes away from there and used to shop at least once a week on Saturday. After few trips I began to know the best stalls for this and that, and, much to my surprize, the stall holders also recognized me. I used to buy fish, which was cooked on the same ...  Read the complete review