Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas is one of the most famous streets in Spain, where young and old, locals and tourists alike meet to chat or simply to sit and watch the world go by. The street stretches out over nearly three-quarters of a mile, and is lined with flower stalls, street theater, bars, musicians, monuments, magicians, painters, kiosks, restaurants and much, much more. Not far from the Pla?a de Catalunya, a busy square with neoclassical fa?ades, is the Palau Moi?, a citizens' palace dating back to the 18th century, with murals by the Catalan painter Francesc Pla in the main hall. La Boqueria (“the chasm”) is well worth a visit – this is the most famous market in Barcelona for fruit, vegetables and seafood.

The 18th-century Palau de la Virreina, which was built by a Peruvian viceroy for his wife, is now used for special exhibitions. The Gran Teatre del Liceu, built in the middle of the 19th century, is now one of the top opera and ballet houses in the world; it was reopened in 1999 after a major fire. Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe are just two of the 300 famous and infamous personalities on display at the Museu de Cera, an excellent waxworks museum.

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