Travel News

Barcelona Shopping & Outlet Stores: Postcard from Sarah Lahey

Locations in this article:  Barcelona, Spain Paris, France

Dear Peter,

Like you, I’m always ready to hop on a plane, so a quick trip through Europe to check out the summer sales seemed like a fine idea at the last minute.

The combination of a strong dollar, seasonal discounts and factory outlets was too good to resist. “Bring on the bargains!” I said.

First up: Barcelona.

PACK – FLY – SHOP

I ignored jet lag and hit the streets running in order to make the most of my short, two-day visit. Fortunately, my favorite neighborhoods are within easy walking distance of one another.

Loewe Outlet Store - Barcelona, SpainI began my shopping trek in Eixample, where most of the big international fashion labels (Chanel, Cartier, etc) can be found on the central Passeig de Gracia, along with Spanish luxury brand flagships. From my hotel (a brand-new W property on Barcelona’s waterfront), I took a taxi to the top of Passeig de Gracia, at Avenue Diagonal.

It’s much easier to walk north to south, as it’s all downhill. I knew I’d be visiting La Roca outlet village the next day, so my visits to Tous for jewelry, Loewe for handbags, and Camper for shoes were for research only! These are among the most famous Spanish brand names I know, so I really wanted a fix on prices.

Vincon, a three-story art gallery and temple of cutting-edge homestyle design was also a must-see; I loved the inflatable shopping bags!

The Passeig de Gracia ends at Barri Gòtic, the medieval district, where I browsed the antique shops on Banys Nous (great art, textiles and furniture).

The small shops on and around Placa Sant Jaume offer unusual crafts, candles, toys and tchotchkes, and on Avinyo, there’s plenty of affordable chic clothing for teens and moms alike.

Don’t miss the Off the Brochure Travel Guide: Barcelona Spain

Custo BarcelonaCarrer de Ferran is home to trendy T-shirt king Custo and its less-expensive impersonator Desigual.

By lunchtime, I’d arrived at the famous La Boqueria, the largest food market in Europe. It’s huge, but orderly, with more than 300 vendors.

Fruit and veggie stalls are around the outside, olive and pickles next, and towards the center, there’s bakeries, seafood and meat. The vendors on the main aisle sell mini fruit salads (with plastic utensils and napkin) and smoothies or almond drinks for immediate consumption, all at outrageous prices. But, who cares when it’s all sooo fresh and tempting! Stall #466, just inside the main entrance is a good one-stop shop for tapas and picnic fare. The market is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

In the area surrounding Passeig del Born, there are small lanes packed with trendy, creative boutiques offering local crafts, clothing, shoes, and accessories. This is where you’ll find Barcelona’s on-the-move local designers, as well as some innovative international brands. Nearby Argenteria, named for its resident silversmiths, offers unique (and often affordable) gems and trinkets.

Boqueria Barcelona SmoothiesFor specialty shoppers, there’s a small Catalan artists’ market at Placa de Sant Josep Oriol on weekends, an antiques market in Placa Nova on Thursdays, and a coin and stamp collectors’ market at Placa Reial on Sunday morning.

ON TO THE OUTLET

One day of my Barcelona visit was dedicated to La Roca outlet village, located about 45 minutes outside the city. Like its other European counterparts, La Roca is designed as a pedestrian mall of intimate designer boutiques offering collections at deeply discounted prices, usually at least 60 percent off retail.

These shops aren’t the crowded, cramped menageries we see at outlet malls in the U.S.; rather, each airy boutique offers collections in a full range of sizes and helpful personal shopper style staff. Antonio Miro, Bimba & Lola, Custo Barcelona, Desigual, and Camper are among Spanish labels represented at La Roca, along with international big names like Burberry, Hugo Boss, Versace, Petit Bateau, and La Perla.

Learn more: Barcelona Art & Architecture Guide + Barcelona Hotels

Welcome to Barcelona, SpainI was told that all goods are from past collections, but I saw current designs in several shops. I wanted to buy every shoe I tried on at Camper; most styles were reduced 70 percent to 80 percent and I saw a lot of the same shoes at the outlet that I’d seen the day before at the retail store back in town. I found Liberty print skirts and shirts, all less than €35, at Cacherel.

Transportation from Barcelona to La Roca is easy. A shuttle service runs from Plaza Catalunya Monday through Saturday, €12 round-trip for adults and can be booked on the La Roca Web site.

BARCELONA SHOPPING TIPS

Shops are generally open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., with a lunch break between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Large stores usually don’t close for lunch and almost all shops are closed on Sundays.

There’s a special bus line running the most popular shopping routes: The TomBus departs every 7 minutes from Plaça Catalunya, traveling up Diagonal to Plaça Pius XII and stopping at 28 locations.

con un abrazo apretado,
Sarah

By Sarah Lahey for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com: