Barcelona in Focus - Discover Barcelona: Experience the Best of Barcelona - page 551

Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood
In Barcelona, different enclaves offer different shopping experiences.
For high fashion, design, jewellery and many department stores, the main shopping axis
starts on Plaça de Catalunya, proceeds up Passeig de Gràcia and turns left (west) into Avin-
guda Diagonal, along which it proceeds as far as Plaça de la Reina Maria Cristina. The
densely packed section between Plaça de Francesc Macià and Plaça de la Reina Maria
Cristina is good hunting ground.
The heart of L'Eixample - known as the Quadrat d'Or (Golden Square) - is jammed
with all sorts of glittering shops. La Rambla de Catalunya is lined with chic stores, and it's
not just about fashion. Carrer del Consell de Cent bursts with art galleries and the nearby
streets are also busy with shopping options, from specialist wine purveyors to bookstores.
Shopkeepers in the Barri Gòtic think of their area as 'Barnacentre' (from Barna, slang
for Barcelona). Some of the most curious old stores, whether milliners or candle-makers,
lurk in the narrow lanes around Plaça de Sant Jaume. The once-seedy Carrer d'Avinyó has
become a minor fashion boulevard, with creations by up-and-coming designers for a young
(and young at heart) clientele. Antique stores abound on and around Carrer de la Palla and
Carrer dels Banys Nous.
Over in La Ribera there are two categories of shops to look out for: some fine old tradi-
tional stores dealing in speciality foodstuffs, and a new crop of fashion and design stores
(particularly along the stretch of Carrer del Rec between Passeig del Born and Avinguda
del Marquès de l'Argentera), catering to the young professionals who have moved into the
barri . Old-time stores abound in El Raval, where you'll also discover a cluster of
preloved-clothes shops on Carrer de la Riera Baixa.