hi there - i am trying to find out where to shop for espadrilles in barcelona when i am there in the fall... i have heard la manual alpargatera is great, and i want to check out castañer, but does anyone else have any favorites? my searches didn't turn up much. can you just find them anywhere? and are they common in madrid as well? thanks for your help, someone here on fodor's always knows!

La Manual is the best and you can have them made for you (choosing fabric and such) which is a great way to get shoes for those hard to coordinate outfits. I have a few pairs from there and they have held out nicely.

Aside from that, you can get them pretty much anywhere. I bought my first pair at a shoe store in Plaza Francesc Macia and I still have them and they still look good. I always see them in the summer time along Pelai street (between Universitat and Catalunya).

I would think you can buy them in Madrid as you can also get them in the US, but la Manual is really the best.

good point about madrid, laclaire... silly question on my end! oh well.

There are only silly answers, miss emery!

For anyone interested I order mine from France in the Basque area.

i'm interested, cigalechanta... who do you order from?

I'm happy to share miss_emery. I've ordered the newest that's under hi heel espadrille-The Nina for my Provence trip later this year.

http://www.123voyage.com/realsw/tresors/espadrilles.htm

those are really cute! good choice! i also came across www.espadrillesetc.com - based in spain - if you're interested. (am i obsessed or what! tee hee...) but really what i want is to buy them in spain, because that will mean i am on vacation... finally!

miss_emery thank you too, that's another good source.

Madrid: last Spring the NYTimes featured Casa Hernanz, off the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, at Calle Toledo, 18, (34-91) 366 5450, (open Monday to Friday year round from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

A quote: Lightweight and inexpensive at Casa Hernanz, a basic pair costs about $5.50, the artisanal $30, at $1.28 to the euro.

Hopefully this link will work for you
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/06/0...2b&ei=5070

If not, try this one and scroll down for the article:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/featu...rid/guide.html

Can anyone give me the website for La Manual

Thanks

www.lamanual.net

There are some very cool styles that are made for dancing the sardana.....you can get two-tone that criss-cross across the front of the shoe and around you ankles..I only wish I could remember exactly how to tie them correctly. Now there's another thing to bring home from Spain!

I will look for espadrilles in spain, can't wait!

To be honest, they can be found less expensive in the US at places like Zappos.

Just watch out-just like the fans,many cheap ones are made in China................!

Well someone has been walking barefoot for six years because that is how old this thread is.

But we go to Casa Hernanz whenever we are in Madrid and they make all things hemp except what you can smoke. And I can assure you that the shoes are made on premises.

Auduchamp-a few years ago at the end of June I was walking by the Casa Hernanz and couldn't believe the line that spilled out into the street! They were all buying their shoes by the armload for the entire family for summer vacation.Next day, I came early, and the line was there but not as long as the day before. The people that work there are super human,working non-stop all day! I bought my espadrilles and spotted key chains w/tiny espadrilles.They were a great hit with my friends and I buy quite a few to give as gifts every visit!

The last time I was at Casa Hernanz, they guy in front of me bought rope that looked like you could use to tie up an ocean liner. And I wanted to get shoes for a friend and her daughter so I had them make an outline of their feet and I brought them with me.