La Boqueria

The Boqueria market, a Barcelona institution

The Barcelona audio-guided tour has you pass through the fine metal entrance of coloured glass of the Boqueria market. One of the largest covered markets in Europe, it is a true institution of the city, where an extraordinary variety of products is on offer, from national specialities to exotic flavours.

Stalls since the Middle Ages

Such a culinary gathering is nothing new: documents attest the presence of meat stalls from 1217. Merchants, farmers and street vendors settled on this square, then outside the city walls, to sell while paying fewer taxes. In 1827, the market already had two hundred stalls. Today, more than three hundred stands spread over more than two thousand five hundred square metres.

What there is to see

Under its vast glass roof, the Boqueria offers a festival of colours and flavours: fish and seafood, hams and Catalan charcuterie, cheeses, fruit, fresh juices and tapas stalls. The lively, popular atmosphere makes it as much a place for shopping as a gourmet stop. It is the ideal place to taste local produce in the heart of La Rambla.

Practical information

The Boqueria market is in the middle of La Rambla, near the Liceu metro station, in Barcelona. It welcomes the public according to its own opening hours, generally during the day and except Sundays; access is free. Very busy, it calls for vigilance against pickpockets.

How long has the Boqueria market existed?

Meat stalls are attested there from 1217; the market already had two hundred stalls in 1827 and today brings together more than three hundred.

What can you find at the Boqueria?

Fish, seafood, hams and Catalan charcuterie, cheeses, fruit, juices and tapas, in one of the largest covered markets in Europe.