The Mercat de la Boqueria, also known as the Mercat de Sant Josep is a magnet for tourists.
This superb food market is situated between La Rambla and the plaza of Sant Josep, it’s a busy, bustling and vibrant place.
We tried twice during the afternoon and again in the evening to find vacant stools at one of the tapas bars in La Boqueria, without success. So that mission remains top of our list for our next visit to Barcelona.
The 300 stalls are beautifully laid out and you can’t help but want to take photographs, although the stallholders must be fed up with the hoards of tourists taking shots and shuffling through the passages.
Some have addressed this and offer cheap refreshments, the latest craze appeared to be iced fresh fruit smoothies at 2 for €2. The fresh strawberries and cartons of fruit also proved very popular.
As with any markets, the stalls on the outside tend to be the more expensive, venture further into the middle for the best prices.
The market is open from 8:00 and most stalls are ready for business by 10:00. Some shut as early as 14:00, although many stay open until the official closing time of 20:30.
Did you know that La Boqueria food market in Barcelona is twinned with the Borough Market in London!