127 Best Places to Shop in Barcelona, Spain

This Aladdin's Cave of design, housewares, furniture, clothing, and accessories bursts with creativity and color. The carefully curated collection includes everything from vases by cult ceramics maker Apparatu, cabinets rendered in Technicolor lacquers, African bead necklaces, and tables covered in antique tiles. The emphasis is more on craftsmanship than the latest trends—just about every item has an intriguing backstory.

This modern shopping complex sits on an artificial "island" in the harbor and is accessed by Rambla del Mar, a wooden swing bridge. The shops inside are fairly run-of-the-mill, but this mall is one of the few places in Barcelona where you can be sure to shop on Sunday. On the first floor, there's a good food court with fine water views.

Made locally, this casual-chic clothing for men and women is constructed with natural cotton and wool in loose silhouettes to create an effortlessly cool look loved by El Raval’s armies of hipsters. Lovely leather bags and backpacks are available, too.

The Mercado de San Vicente, a Moderniste gem built in 1911, with an ornamental brick facade, wrought-iron girders, and stained glass windows, is worth a quick visit, if only to pick up a bit of picnic fare before or after a walk to the Monestir de Pedralbes.

A browser's bonanza, this interesting if somewhat pricey Thursday market (10 am–8 pm) for antique clothing, jewelry, and art occupies the plaza in front of the cathedral. In December, a Christmas market takes over the space. Most stalls aren't open during the vacation month of August.

As the name suggests, Miscelanea shows a mix of art disciplines, including both emerging and established artists. The window display features a new artist every month.

A lover of both traditional methods and exuberant design, Nani Marquina makes textural rugs that look just as good on a wall as they do on the floor. Some of her rugs re-create ancient Persian or Hindu styles; others are trendy compositions by designers like Sybilla or the Bouroullec brothers. 

The Spanish Natura chain has branches around the city and stocks a good selection of global crafts, including incense, clothing, tapestries, candles, shoes, gadgets, and surprises of all kinds.

Even if you're not in the market for retro-style furniture, it's worth popping into this large, loftlike space to check out all the sleek Scandinavian designs, from upcycled and renovated lamps to sofas, chairs, and mirrors from the 1950s to the present day. International shipping can be arranged.

A standout primarily for being so out of place among all the design emporiums and fashion denizens on this great white way of high commerce, Novecento is an antique jewelry store with abundant items from all epochs and movements from Victorian to Art Nouveau to Belle Époque.

Oriol Balaguer is surely running out of room to store all the "Spain's Best…" trophies he's collected over the years. He's a consultant to some of the world's most famous restaurants, and the heart of his empire is this little shop of chocolate-making magic. Bring your credit card and prepare to have your mind blown. Some of the confectionery creations are so beautiful you'll feel bad about biting into them—at least until you taste them. There's a second boutique at Travessera de les Corts 340, which also sells bread and pastries.

Hidden away down one if the tiniest alleyways behind the Santa María del Mar basilica you will find this delightful treasure trove of interior design, photography, and craftsmanship. From the Balinese furnishings to the Moroccan rugs and Cuban artwork, everything in this concept store has been sustainably made and carefully selected to shine the light on the work of local artisans from all over the world. 

Exquisite hand-printed papers, marbleized blank books, and writing implements await you at this tiny, medieval-tone shop.

Barcelona’s wave of creative cake makers owe a lot to Antoni Escribà, a pastry chef who elevated the craft to an art form, especially in the field of chocolate sculptures. His three sons—Cristian, Joan, and Jordi—keep his spirit alive in the Casa Figueras, a jewel box of a shop awash in mosaic murals, curly copper work, and other fanciful Art Nouveau detailing. Tortes, chocolate kisses, and candy rings are just some of the edible treasures here that delight and surprise. A second Escribà shop, which has a café area, is at Gran Vía 546 in the Eixample.

Barcelona's most famous paper and stationery store, Pepa Paper (Pepa is a nickname for Josefina and Paper, Catalan for—you guessed it—paper), carries a gorgeous selection of stationery and more. In addition to the Balmes location, the chain has two other downtown shops including one on Avenida Diagonal and another on Avenida Paris.

The days for the natural-produce market are a bit unpredictable—usually the first and third Friday of the month—but when it happens, the little square fills with interesting tastes and aromas (look for local honey and cheese); the neighboring Plaça Sant Josep Oriol holds an art market every weekend.

With more than 1,000 products on offer, this must be widest variety of teas and infusions available in Barcelona. Planeta Te sell herbs and blends by weight from pretty tin boxes and drawers that line the walls. You will also find organic tea bags, a colorful range of teapots and other tea-making paraphernalia, and a seductive aroma as soon as you enter this old-fashioned shop.

Known as a gifted fabric expert whose creations are invariably based on the qualities and characteristics of her raw materials, Galicia-born Purificación García enjoys solid prestige in Barcelona. Understated hues and subtle combinations of colors and shapes place this contemporary designer squarely in the camp of the less-is-more school, and, although her women's range is larger and more diverse, she understands men's tailoring.

Founded in 1890, this historic Moderniste shop, its windows decorated with reproductions of Catalan artist Ramón Casas paintings, has a superb selection of some 200 cheeses, sausages, wines, and conserves from Spain, Catalunya, and beyond. This work of art–cum–grocery store (queviures means foodstuffs, literally, "things to keep you alive") is definitely worth a stop.

Currently the largest stationery store in Europe, Raima opened in 1986 and continues to be a go-to spot for everything paper-related, from journals and travel notebooks to office supplies. The store covers three floors plus a rooftop terrace and bar.

Purveyor of fine hams in Spain and abroad for more than 30 years, Reserva Ibérica has a shop in the Eixample where it not only sells a selection of its best, all-acorn-fed products, but also offers the opportunity for customers to taste the hams, accompanied by a glass of wine.

The dean of the city's art galleries is also the oldest one in Spain. It opened in 1840 as an art-supplies shop; as a gallery, it dates from 1877 and has shown every Barcelona artist of note since. Picasso, Dalí, and Miró exhibited their work here, as did Rusiñol before them. Nowadays, artists like Magí Puig and Carlos Morago get pride of place.

The history of this luxury fashion superstore goes back to 1843; today, it's run by the fourth generation of the founding family and features one of the best luxury brand selections in the country. When you're done browsing, refresh with some tea and cake at the fabulous café-terrace on the first floor.

The small Tuesday flea market/antiques fair in Sarrià's town square is another good reason to explore this charming once-outlying village in the upper part of the city. 

It's a hardware store, yes, but one like you've never seen before. Servei Estació is situated in a rationalist-style landmark building dating from 1962. For decades it served the city's builders and handymen with tools and materials, but more recently the huge inventory has expanded to modern design and housewares, and sells everything from ropes of string to designer shopping carts.

The local Catalan designer Sita Murt produces smart, grown-up women's wear under her own label in this minimalist space in the Eixample. Colorful chiffon dresses and light, gauzy tops and knits characterize this line of clothing popular with professional women and wedding goers.

This hat shop is as much part of the Barri Gòtic’s landscape as any of its medieval churches. It occupies a busy corner in El Call (the old Jewish district) and has curved glass windows with displays of timeless, classic hats—from traditional Basque berets to Stetsons and Panamas—that have been dressing heads in Barcelona since 1924.

International footwear designers and domestic shoemakers alike fill these stores with trendy urban footwear from brands such as Camper, United Nude, and Audley, as well as more sturdy models from Timberland and the like. Models designed in-house and made locally offer high style at reasonable prices. You'll find other branches of Tascón in strategic shopping hubs.

Earl Grey, black, white, red, green: every kind of tea you've ever heard of and many you probably haven't are available at this encyclopedic tea repository on Gràcia's main drag. The Taller de Cata (Tasting Workshop) held periodically will stimulate your tea culture in the event that you are interested in learning how to distinguish a Pai Mu Tan (white tea) from a Lung Ching (green tea) or how to correctly prepare and serve different varieties of this universal world brew and beverage.

A regular at Madrid Fashion Week, Teresa Helbig designs feminine and elegant pret-a-porter women's collections. Yet she is better known, and worth visiting, for her bespoke bridal wear and evening gowns, timeless haute couture she concocts for her well-heeled clients at her Barcelona studio-showroom. It may not come cheap, but you'll be able to hand it down through generations.