Memorial Rambla

La Rambla is a historic promenade about 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) long in the heart of Barcelona, connecting Plaça de Catalunya with the Old Harbor. The name comes from the Arabic word for riverbed, since the street was probably built over the drained course of the Malla River or an old sewer channel. From the late Middle Ages, a city wall here marked the boundary of the old town; it was not torn down until the 18th and 19th centuries, to make room for a modern boulevard. Today, magnificent historic buildings line the plane-tree-shaded street, with the Gothic Quarter stretching to the northeast and the El Raval district to the southwest.

Visitors experience La Rambla as a lively meeting place with a rich history that you can feel in the different sections of the street. At the start, near Plaça de Catalunya, stands the Font de Canaletes, where legend says you should take a drink to ensure you always return to Barcelona. Farther south is the famous Mercat de la Boqueria, whose vendors also sell their goods on the adjoining Rambla de Sant Josep, known as the Flower Rambla for its many flower stalls. Another highlight is the Rambla dels Caputxins, home to the Gran Teatre del Liceu and Plaça Reial. Here, waiters hurry back and forth between the restaurants and their guests on the promenade, lending this stretch a special charm.

At the end of the promenade, on the Rambla de Santa Mònica, street performers in elaborate costumes dominate the scene. Just past the end of La Rambla, at the harbor, stands the 68-meter-high (223-foot) Columbus Monument, which has an elevator up to a small observation platform. The street is not just a thoroughfare but a cultural symbol of the city, spanning everything from the medieval city wall to the modern promenade, and today it is frequented by tourists and locals alike.