las ramblas hotels

Las Ramblas is a lively and entertaining spectacle, justly renowned throughout the world. The Ramblas area is beautiful tree-lined parade of outdoor cafes, performance artists and budget hotels. It´s a great place to stay and soak up Barcelona street life at its finest. Running through the centre of the old city from Placa Catalunya (the central square) down to the harbour and seafront, the pedestrianised Ramblas keep locals and tourists occupied day and night.
Running through the centre of the old city from Placa Catalunya (the central square) down to the harbour and seafront, the pedestrianised Ramblas keep locals and tourists occupied day and night. The Ramblas area is beautiful tree-lined parade of outdoor cafes, performance artists and budget hotels. It´s a great place to stay and soak up Barcelona street life at its finest.

Top 3 reasons for staying in a Ramblas hotel
1. Strolling down the tree-lined Ramblas taking in the street performances
2. Sampling the fresh produce at the Boqueria market
3. Climbing to the top of the Christopher Columbus monument taking in the sky high views.

Rambla sounds like the English verb ´to ramble´ but the word has a very different meaning. It actually means ´sand bed´ in Arabic because in the 14th century a small stream flowed along what is now the pedestrian median of the street. To create the long gentle slope that is now the Ramblas, the stream was paved over. Looking at the newspaper stalls, cafes and hotels on the Ramblas today, you would never guess that this area was once a stream!
Befitting its important location bisecting the old city, the street was decked out with handsome classical-style buildings and plane trees were planted to provide a shady walkway from the main square to the harbour. You´ll appreciate the shade these trees provide on a hot summer´s day.

Ramblas bars and restaurants
There are hundreds of cafes and bars in the Ramblas area, many of which are popular as venues for Stag and Hen nights. The sheer volume of tourists in the district means that all restaurants have an international menu with english translations.
Once a run down area, the small streets running off the Ramblas contained the city´s red light district, popular with sailors from the nearby port and harbour. Nowadays the seedy part has been cleaned up and the Raval district to the right of the Ramblas as you face the sea has been gentrified and attracts many international residents. Yet rent prices in this neighbourhood are still reasonable by Barcelona strandards so you´ll find a mix of funky clothes shops, hip cafes and lively bars, along with many hotels near the Ramblas. The multicultural atmosphere leads to a diverse options for eating and drinking – Irish bars screening football matches stand cheek by jowl with Arabic and Moroccan cafes.

Shopping in the Ramblas
Look out for the Boqueria fresh market halfway along the Ramblas on the Raval side. It sells delicious fruits and juices bursting with flavour which will have you coming back for more! Further down the Ramblas heading towards the harbour the neo-Baroque Liceu theatre is an architectural highlight to look out for – don´t be fooled by the facade: the building had to be rebuilt in the 90s after being destroyed by fire.

Sights and attractions
Just walking down the Ramblas is an attraction in itself. There are dozens of street performers at work. The human statues and mime artists are particularly entertaining.
At the harbour end of the Ramblas you reach Placa Colon which is dominated by a tall monument to the great explorer Christopher Columbus who stopped off in Barcelona after discovering America. We recommend taking the lift to the top and enjoy 60 metre-high views of the old city.
The Raval area is home to Barcelona´s air-conditioned Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) which can be a good place to cool off for an our or two in a pleasant modern square.

Hotels in las Ramblas
There are a range of hotels near the Ramblas to suit every budget, as well as hotels on the Ramblas itself.

Getting to las Ramblas
Metro line 3 (Green line) runs under the Ramblas with stops at Catalunya, Liceu and Drassanes.