Mercat de la Boqueria

Love this place – beautiful, exciting, tasty, crowded, smelly, noisy all in the best possible way!
Chocolate stalls, fruit, fish, pancakes, beer, tapas (pintxos), ham, wine, cheese (Oh, the cheese!!!), bread, coffee, spices – everything you could ever want to eat plus things with which to cook them – heaven!
Even if you are not going to buy any food (why, you fool, why?) the photo opportunities are choice – I’ve uploaded two of my favourites from the plethora I took.
Must, must, must visit!

Mercat de la Boqueria – goodness and wellness and passion the Spanish style!
The most colourful, stylish market I’ve came across. Full of scent, flavours and sights , so many delicious options to choose from.A real celebration for the eys and the palate!

I wouldn’t shop there because I don’t live there, but useful to see peoples’ comments about the prices.

A must-see though, because of the sights, smells, noise and general ambience.

A couple more pix added… ;-)

Absolutely fabulous! The fruit smoothies are incredible and worth going in for. The fruit stands are beautiful to see, the fish is also fun. I recommend the marzipan as well!

cheap. fresh. great smoothies just for 1 euro! Amazing spot!

There are more than one other small, local markets in this area, and surprisingly not far apart. But this one is clearly the most well known, and as such, a great place to visit.

Getting there early in the morning is a good strategy to see it at more more leisurely pace. It is colorful, eccentric and jammed edge to edge with vendors.

What's not to like? It is simple to avoid, if you opt, but very rewarding to experience the sights and smells of a traditional open market.

the market is a great place to buy foods but what i like the most it is to eat in one of those bars and eat fresh seafood... the waiting is a little long but worth it, just one counsel, stay behind someone who is ready to leave and dont let anyone spot it before you, if you planning your holiday check http://www.world-rt.com/ it was very useful for me

amazing spot.. i live here and go every week if i can .. just to wander around.. do some grocery shopping.. awesome. Go and treat yourself to lunch at one of the stalls in the market.. i reccommend Quim.. the best one there.. amazing amazing food for any food lover.. try the fried eggs with baby squid and the oxtail..mmmmmmm or try Pinotxo for his lovely stews and great waistcoats. stay off the central main strip and buy stuff either side of it.. the price is half!

If you want to experience all the colours, smells and sounds of Barcelona in one hit make sure a trip to Mercat de la Boqueria is on your list. From fresh fruit and veg to bread, cakes, sweets, fish, meat and everything in between you’ll wish you were on a self catering holiday so you could make the most of all the great produce.

Everything is extremely well presented and easy on the eye, so if you’re in to photography you’ll find plenty of material here. As far as value for money goes, it’s unlikely the prices are competitive considering the market’s location slap bang in the middle of touristville but unless you live in the city or actually are self catering you’re unlikely to be buying bags and bags of food. A few extra cents for an apple probably won’t break the bank…

This place is a fantastic place to visit when you go to Barcelona. Filled to the brim with traditional catalunyan fare with hams hanging from the ceilings and oranges and seafood overflowing from every stall. Comparitively expensive from other local markets, but worth at least a look and splurging a few Euros on something that catches your eye.

A brutal assault on all the senses. Fantastic. Sit at any one of the food stalls and order a still squirming mixed fish and shellfish grill. Just fantastic. Particularly the razor clams. Staff very friendly and waiting time minimal even though it is busy

This is mecca for any wine and food lover. If you miss it, you will be sorry.

There are several dozen markets in Barcelona. Officially there are forty municipal markets, protected as cultural assets by the City Council, but the real number is ambiguous because a market can be many things, and people trade everywhere. Each district or neighbourhood of the city has its own traditional covered market, most of which were built around the turn of the 20th Century. The Boqueria, however, is a true giant among markets. It rivals the greatest markets in Europe for sheer vitality and spectacle. If trade is the life-blood of a society, the Boqueria is like a living representation of its heart.

The present building, a relatively unremarkable shell with little embellishment other than modernista stained glass in the entrance arch, was erected in 1914 on the site of the original market, founded here, exactly half way down the Rambla, in 1836. No doubt there have been markets within half a mile of this spot since the Romans founded the city in the 1st Century BC, so the origins of this market and the others in the Old City dissolve into a long history of food trading.

On a sunny spring morning, mid-week, from the Rambla, the entrance is impossible to ignore. Its cast-iron arch, sandwiched between unexceptional buildings, frames a symphony of fruit, vegetables and human movements that is simply irresistible to the visitor who loves to see human activity at its most honest and unselfconscious.

One will find fruit from all over the Mediterranean and beyond, from farms all over Catalonia and Valencia (oranges, lemons, melons, watermelons, grapes) to Africa and the Middle East (passion fruit, guavas, papayas, mangoes, lychees). There are nuts, herbs and spices of every description, and in the autumn, mushrooms of many kinds, especially the Catalan passion, rovellons, the price of which can fluctuate wildly from one day to the next depending on demand, availability and quality.

Further in, around the central pillars, are the fishmongers, most if not all of whom are women, who call out at you in fierce but friendly competition with their neighbours. Their wares are displayed prominently before them: enormous open-mouthed fresh fish and succulent shellfish. Living crabs and lobsters writhe on ice, their claws firmly fastened in rubber bands. The scene condenses the great Catalan marriage of opposites, “seny” (a kind of orderly, prudent reason) and “rauxa” (an anarchic love of festive disorder).

There are traders who sell nothing but eggs, others who sell entrails and offal, others who sell only tuna.

The Boqueria market is not on any account to be missed. Fish is at its most splendid on Wednesday-Friday mornings. Saturday mornings are very busy and best avoided if you don’t like crowds.

This is an absolutely fabulous food market off Las Ramblas. Obviously it is right in the middle of the tourist area but it is a must. As soon as you enter, the colours and smells hit you immediately and you wish that we had markets like this at home. It is filled with fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and cheeses and unfortunately there is not a great deal that you can actually buy to bring home, which is probably just as well as it is priced for the tourists. However, just the sight and smells does tend to bring you back each time you visit Barcelona and you never sicken of it.

I have been to this market twice, and each time I visit I am amazed. as you enter your senses are assualted by a combination of vibrant colours, exotic smells and a barrage of sound. The amount of fresh produce, fruit, vegetables, fish and meat is awesome, there are things there that I have never seen. There is also a fanastic tapas bar, which is worth visiting the market for. The serrano hams are the best you will get anywhere and they are priced accordingly.
I am envious that we have nothing in the uk to compare to this fabulous place.

WOW What a market! Great! Really amazing and delicious produce - but Watch your bag!!! Don’t be put off by that though - every where we went the barcelona residents warned us of this so once warned we kept up the vigilance and really enjoyed this fabulous city and the market was definitely a highlight!

Famous market in the centre of Barcelona, just off the famous La Rambla avenue. Yes, the prices are steep. But it’s got the most gorgeous fish, meat and produce I’ve ever seen. The sights and smells are fantastic. Splurge just once - especially if you’re staying somewhere where you can use the items to make your own meal with the ingredients. But even if you can only buy a fresh fruit juice, do it.

as a barcelona citizen, i can say La Boqueria is a place not to miss in your visit to the city: enjoy this market in all its senses, and if you have the possibility, visit “Pinotxo” restaurant bar: its cuisine is one of the best you can try in the city and its charm will get you…. for sure…. even if you have to eat elbow to elbow with your neighbour…....

It’s a very cute market on La Rambla. The nearest tube station is Plaza de Catalunya. It’s all about food, everything looks yummy but it is very very very expensive. Example is a kg of cherries in April: 68 euros!!! The good deal is to come at about 8 pm when it is about to close because it’s the time when you can bargain.

La Boqueria market is absolutely amazing but filled with tourists, which kept me from doing my shopping there. Also the prices are higher because of the tourists. But having said that there’s nothing like it.