Friday, November 12, 2010

Placa Reial

Directly off La Rambla is one of my favorite spots in Barcelona, the Placa Reial or Royal Plaza.
Built in the 1850s, the central fountain in the plaza has become one of the prime meeting spots in the city.Admittedly very touristy, as is much of La Rambla area, the arcades surrounding the plaza are filled with countless (mediocre) restaurants. However, if you don't speak Catalon or Spanish, the menus are available in English and it's a wonderful place to spend an hour absorbing a beautiful space in a central location. It's not all tourists though; while not mealtime, locals gather here to soak up some Spanish sun under the stately palms!
Of course, it wouldn't be Barcelona without a touch of the modernisme; the Neo-Classical lamps were designed by the cities' most popular architect, Antoni Gaudi.
Be sure to walk through this enormous and beautiful square while in Barcelona!

8 comments:

David Toms said...

You are so right about the restaurants and it being touristy. we made the mistake of having lunch here on our first day. However it is a great people watching spot.

La Petite Gallery said...

Thanks, I have traveled alot and never had the urge to see spain or Germany. Very pretty.

Barbara Wells Sarudy said...

Funny, I don't remember the food there, but those lamps are not easily forgotten. Thanks for the photo, as I did not take one.

Francine Gardner said...

I so miss Barcelona, my favorite city in the world!

Renée Finberg said...

it is looking pretty glamorous to me.

xx

Concrete Fencing said...

Its Look Amazing... I love it...

Unknown said...

love these photos of Barcelona--I'm tore and hopeyou can help me. We are planning ten days in Spain this June-do we do Barcelona and surrounding area or Madrid, Granada and southern Spain? I would love to know what you think.

Kevin said...

This is such a beautiful square. I stayed in one of those long term apartments just off it.

Hampton, there's so much to see... if I was planning my first trip to Spain and it was 10 days I would probably fly into Madrid, take the train to Barcelona and spend a few days there (2 days), then return to Madrid and see the sights (2 days), then go to Toledo (day trip) and El Escorial (day trip) near Madrid, and then plan maybe one more side trip to Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, or Valencia, which are all lovely and only a few hours from Madrid by train. You'd have plenty of time to dilly dally. Enjoy your trip!