The happiest street in the world, the street where the four seasons of the year live together at the same time, the only street on Earth that I wish would never end, rich in sounds, abundant of breezes, beautiful of meetings, ancient of blood: Rambla de Barcelona.
– Federico García Lorca
Nowhere speaks to the vibrant atmosphere of Barcelona more evocatively than La Rambla, a bustling mile-long boulevard that cuts its way through the very centre of the Catalan capital. From lovers to locals, acrobats to human statues, street-sellers to florists, butchers to musicians, jugglers, artists and much more, La Rambla pulses with the sheer variety of humanity in all its guises at all hours of the day and night.
You might sometimes hear La Rambla getting a bad rap, and some of the complaints are certainly justified – many of the restaurants and bars here are tourist traps, whilst unwary visitors are easy pickings for scammers and pickpockets. But with a modicum of common sense you’re unlikely to encounter any problems on La Rambla, and no visit to Barcelona would be complete without a stroll along its length. Here are 9 things you should know about La Rambla before you make the journey!
La Rambla began life as a sewer
The name La Rambla derives from the Arabic word “ramla,” which means a sandy or muddy area. The famous street that we know today was once a seasonal riverbed that snaked its way down to the sea along the perimeter of Barcelona’s old town, and in the middle ages served as an open sewer that sluiced floodwaters from the hills as well as less desirable substances away from the Gothic city centre. In the 15th century the city authorities decided to divert the course of the sewer and pave over its meandering course. The ensuing street quickly became an important thoroughfare thanks to its strategic location dividing the historic city centre from Barcelona’s suburbs, the ‘city outside the walls’ that is now known as the Raval neighbourhood. Various churches, monasteries and markets sprang up along its route, and as Barcelona rapidly expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries La Rambla developed into the city’s principal artery.
La Rambla is actually five separate roads joined together
You might hear some people referring to La Rambla alternatively as ‘Las Ramblas,’ and for good reason. The street is actually divided into five separate sections: from its northern boundary at Placa Catalunya, these are respectively Rambla de Canaletes, Rambla dels Ocells, Rambla de Sant Josep, Rambla dels Capuxtins and Rambla de Santa Monica. Las Ramblas is the Catalan plural for La Rambla, a reference to the five stretches that make up the nearly mile-long route.