We never praise them enough usually – but the Spanish museum shops really are great. We always spend more than we’ve planned at the Guggenheim Bilbao which has stacks of great stationery, an amazing bookstore and plenty of other gift ideas. We also love all the shops at the big 3 museums in Madrid which are perfect for gifts. See Thyssen’s great giftstorewhere the Robert Delaunay inspired bag alone makes it worth the journey. We’re not talking about the fridge magnets of the Plaza Mayor or the flamenco frilled aprons here.
Speaking of which, my favourite antiques market is Mercat Els Encants, just slightly off the beaten path on Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes; however,Mercantic up in the suburb of Sant Cugat is a real must for real antiques mavens. Instead of just learning shopping vocabulary in your Spanish language class, you are now in a position to actually visit real Spanish stores in Barcelona. Go to the retro clothes stores and antique shops in the Gothic district, the international brand stores on la Rambla, or wander around the flea market on Plaza Real. Get chatting to the sellers and shop owners about their products. Its aim is to become the leader in Spain of the design second hand market by promoting asustainability movement(an environmentally-friendly market) and connecting (design-conscious) shoppers with professionals in antiques, vintage boutiques and fairs. If you are looking for ceramics, you’ll find shops all over the country.
Grey Street maintains a local attitude and is always thinking of what is best for the environment. NoThrow design is an Eco Design collective based in Barcelona and London, purpose built for a greener future. Their collective takes care of all aspects of design, from home accessories and furniture to spaces and interiors. Located in the heart of Gràcia, their showroom features original designs side by side with other local designers they love. It’s the perfect place to find items to style your home or to get a unique gift for someone you love.
Barcelona is the perfect place to go shopping whether you're wanting to renew your wardrobe with clothes by leading brands, or want to browse shops with soul and take away some local products. As you wander through its streets, you'll find everything from fashions and hand-made items to decorative goods and gourmet produce. A love of design is part of the city's DNA so if you're interested in unique and inspiring shops, you've come to the right place. The Ebro Delta is ideally situated to visit many different cities to go shopping.
This shop is known for attracting more eccentric tastes and specializes in custom and unique pieces. This is why the idea of a design second hand furniture marketplace started to grow in her mind. Céline Maingé is a french Interior Designer who worked for years in design studios in London before moving to Barcelona in 2019.
Contemporary design, craft and handmade gets a looky-in too – from upcycled furniture to revved up bicycles and pottery. Just when you think you have seen it all, you turn a corner and find yourself inside yet another warehouse selling deceased estate bric-a-brac, which adds another hour or two to what you thought would be a morning’s visit. Market shopping for vintage stuff I don’t need is my favourite weekend pastime in Barcelona.
We mean the artisan-produced items that our clients seek out – usually to bring back to somebody else. Many of our clients love the swords made in Toledo by Mariano Zamorano. For obvious reasons, he ships anything you purchase from his workshop and even offers a tour of the production of these swords and daggers . Whilst we aren’t huge outlet shoppers ourselves, we recognise that they are very convenient for keen shoppers especially on Sundays when most other places are shut.
And don’t expect to do anything other than souvenir shopping on Sundays or Bank Holidays unless you are in Barcelona and Madrid where the opening laws have been relaxed to cater for tourism. Long before Södermalm became a modern day hotspot for hipsters, Antik was a small vintage furniture and antiques store in a neighbourhood. Twenty-four years on and the store still continues to offer unique 1920s and ’30s originals from all around Europe. Owner Tommy Widerstrom drives to Denmark, Germany, Belgium and France filling his trailer with handpicked pieces from contacts that have taken two decades to build up.
An eclectic collection of bold and beautiful vintage and designer homewares mixed with local artists and artisans carefully curated by an Italo-American couple Giovanni and Tracey Fontana. Housed in an old apartment, this charming shop is packed with the prettiest artisanal planters, vases, preserved and fresh flowers, glassware and other home décor with vaciado de pisos a vintage vibe. This antique shop specializes on vintage items from the 20th century. They have a great selection of floor lamps, and also Antique Boutique has a workshop where they recycle old wooden pieces to create new furniture, or use new materials to make vintage-looking pieces. Finally, I absolutely loved their tailor-made distressed mirrors.
Just off La Rambla in the city’s El Raval quarter, Carrer Tallers is a street filled with vintage shops and record stores, great for those looking for something a bit different to take home with them from Barcelona. Our favourites are Flamingo Market Vintage, where you pay for the total weight of your finds, and Holala Vintage, a store that has vintage goods dating all the way back to the 1950’s. Thanks to Barcelona’s great Mediterranean climate, you can now go antique and vintage shopping in the streets. Flea Markets in the city are extremely popular, and if you know where to look, you can find one every weekend of the year. Throughout its multilayered history, Spain managed to accumulate countless antiquities and curious, rare objects that now can be found in a multitude of antique shops across the country.
If you’re in the mood for a little kitsch, the easiest thing to do is head for La Rambla. The place is lined with shops that will sell you all sorts of junk. However, before you flash your cash at the merchants, have a look inside Barcelona Original, the souvenir boutique in the building of the Oficina d’Informacio de Turisme de Barcelona. It has an interesting range of quality stuff, including ceramics, watches, art prints, coffee-table books and the like.