Plaza Catalunya (Barcelona)

The Plaça de Catalunya is Barcelona’s busiest square and the beating heart of this modern city. Within its sprawling boundaries, teems of locals go about their daily business while hordes of tourists soak up its lively continental atmosphere. Barcelona has two famous thoroughfares, the Rambla and the grand Passeig de Gracia, both of which start from the Plaza along with seven other major avenues. It is surrounded by the grand classical architecture of imposing buildings such as the Olivia Plaza Hotel, the Banco de España and a huge branch of the El Corte Inglés department store. Holidaymakers on a Barcelona short break are bound to gravitate here several times during their visit, due to its proximity to excellent shopping, nightlife and its importance as the major city transport hub.

 

In addition to the ubiquitous pigeons which have made home here, the Plaza Catalunya has many decorative features with attractive neo classical and avant garde sculpture. The underground section of the square features vibrant mosaic tiling and colourful murals, and in each corner of this oval shaped plaza is an elegantly carved stone fountain. For a complete exploration of the city, visitors on a Barcelona city break need only to head to the Plaza Catalunya and jump on a popular ‘hop-on hop-off’ bus tour, as the Plaza is a major terminus for both buses and metro.     

 

The Plaza Catalunya exhibits the convergence of centuries of Catalan history, and links the old town of the Gothic Quarter and La Raval with the elegant 19th century boulevards of L’Eixample. The square itself was only created in the 1920’s, however it exudes a regal status that belies its tender age. There are numerous pavement cafes at the edges of the plaza serving as animated rendezvous points and are perfect for soaking up the modern vigour of Barcelona life or people watching. The Plaza is a popular starting point for a Barcelona weekend break of clubbing and typically has a lively ambience after dark.