This broad boulevard was laid out in 2000 as part of the city's plan to open up this formerly sleazy neighbourhood, with some success. Now lined with palm trees and terrace cafes, it hosts a craft market every weekend and is presided over by the glossy Barceló Raval hotel. Fernando Botero's 7m-long, 2m-tall bronze sculpture of a plump cat, El Gat de Botero, which stands near the bottom of the Rambla, is something of a Barcelona icon.
©Esme Fox/Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.72 MILES
The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…
2.54 MILES
Visitors and locals alike love Park Güell. The waving balcony and the colorful Guard’s House, with the imposing Barcelona skyline and sea in the…
0.92 MILES
One of Europe's strangest residential buildings, Casa Batlló (built 1904–6) is Gaudí at his fantastical best. From its playful facade and marine-world…
1.2 MILES
In the top tier of Gaudí's achievements, this madcap Unesco-listed masterpiece, with 33 balconies, was built in 1905–10 as a combined apartment and office…
0.27 MILES
Barcelona's most central fresh-produce market is one of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe. It's housed in a packed-out Modernista…
0.75 MILES
Located along the grand, medieval street of Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is dedicated to one of the world’s greatest artists, Pablo Picasso. Born…
0.86 MILES
Joan Miró was a Catalan painter and sculptor born in Barcelona who combined abstract art with surrealism. He is considered one of the most influential…
0.27 MILES
La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented (and…
Nearby El Raval attractions
0.15 MILES
The Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu's 15th-century former chapel is now an exhibition space, with frequent temporary exhibitions.
2. Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu
0.16 MILES
Behind the Mercat de La Boqueria stands the Gothic Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu, which was once the city’s main hospital. Founded in 1401, it…
3. Institut d’Estudis Catalans
0.18 MILES
The Institute for Catalan Studies sits in the 17th-century Casa de Convalescència, once part of the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu. The building,…
4. Església de Sant Pau del Camp
0.19 MILES
The best example of Romanesque architecture in Barcelona is the dainty little cloister of this small 11th- or 12th-century church, which was founded in…
0.24 MILES
If you can’t catch a night at the opera, you can still take in the awe-inspiring architectural riches of one of Europe’s greatest opera houses. Opened in…
0.26 MILES
Built off La Rambla in the late 1880s for Gaudí's wealthy patron the industrialist Eusebi Güell, the Palau Güell is a magnificent example of the early…
0.27 MILES
Barcelona's most central fresh-produce market is one of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe. It's housed in a packed-out Modernista…
0.27 MILES
At Plaça de la Boqueria, where four side streets meet just north of Liceu metro station, you can walk all over a colourful 1976 pavement mosaic, with one…