Department Stores / Malls, Barcelona

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The Maremagnum shopping center was built in the middle of the port at the end of what is called Moll 15 d'Espanya (sort of like Pier 51 in San Francisco).
A walkway was added to make it accessible from the end of Rambla street and not only can you enjoy the varied shops they have to offer, but also a cup of coffee and watch the yachts sail in and out of the harbor.
The entire front is covered in mirrors, or at least a mirror like material, you can see Zohara and I standing below that enormus facade and getting our reflections photographed.
The last photo shows what the mall looks like from the Barceloneta/Montjuic cable car.

What to buy: We found a nice souvenier shop and got a few things there along with a cup of coffee at one of the coffee shops.

What to pay: On the website of the Maremagnum mall you can find hours and things.
http://www.maremagnum.es/index.php?idioma=eng

I found the best department store of Barcelona to be Diagonal Mar, located off-center, in the east end of the Av. Diagonal. It has all a real shopper wants :) And that included a good meal after the walk and shop :)

What to buy: Clothes, shoes, electronic and household items (I spent over two hours looking at some photo equipment), music .. all in one big department store.

What to pay: I found here shops that sell own names, like C&A, with very nice prices. You can't shop from another place :) Diagonal Mar it's simply the best shopping place in Barcelona.

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This is a big shopping mall, with a lot of different shops, restaurants and cafés. Whatever you are looking for you can find it here!

Don't do what we did though, going there on a Sunday, slowly wandering about, thinking that "it is nice with so little people in the mall, but when does the shops open?" The problem was that they didn't ofcourse, it was a Sunday!

What to pay: Anything

Why would anyone want to waste time in Barcelona (or Prague, Budapest, Vienna, etc.) shopping in a shopping mall which is like the one back home and offering pretty much the same stuff you can easily buy at home? I think this has something to do with female genes. :)

Anyways, my wife insisted on a little shopping and found the Glories shopping mall with all the standard international department stores (Zara, Pull & Bear, H&M, C&A, W&X&Y&Z,...etc.), as well as the usual plethora of small clothing stores therein. Heaven....for her. Torture for me. Why don't these stores have chairs/stools for us husbands to sit on while our wives shop?

Anyways, there were benches in the public areas outside the stores and I parked myself comfortably on them while my wife went through her 'religious ceremony' inside. I wasn't bored as there were other husbands waiting with me - some even from Israel, kvetching in Hebrew with me. :) After my wife had her 'fix', I went inside to OK the purchase (at her request) and pay the bill. And when I mentioned to my wife that I gave up seeing the Barcelona FC stadium for 'this', she couldn't see the dilemma.

What to buy: Nothing.

What to pay: As little as possible.

The famous store is situated at Plaza Catalunya so if you are interested in electronic gadgets, books, cd/dvds you know that this is your place. It was quite packed with people in some parts of it thought.
It is also the place that you can buy tickets for major events/concerts. I have booked my tickets for the Priest Feast online and I came here to take my tickets.

It is open Monday-Saturday 10.00-22.00 and there are some more at Avenida Diagonal 3-35 and Avenida Diagonal 549

There are more than 100 shops here with many cafes and restaurants. You will find both expensive and reasonably-priced articles.

Its also so a wonderful place to visit the restaurants and cafes.

What to buy: Everything you want-clothes, food, sport wear, stationary, and all other things. This is probably the best place for shopping in Barcelona for tourists with limited time.

Open: Monday-Sayurday: 10:00-21:30

What to pay: As much as you can afford

If youwant to pick up some bargains while you are in Spain, you might want to try outlet shopping. There is quite a big designer outlet just outside Barcelona called La Roca Village - there are tons of bargains to be found there. See 'www.larocavillage.com' to decide if you think it's worth a visit (there is a bus that goes directly to it, too; the bus times etc are on the website). The only downside to the place is having to carry everything home (and paying the duty on your return to Canada!)!

What to buy: La Roca has tons of different shops selling everything from homewares and furnishings to clothes and shoes. There are over 100 big brand name shops, including Miss Sixty, Nike, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Diesel and Adolfo Dominguez... there are even shops that sells luggage (mandarina duck, kipling & samsonite) for you to take home all your bargains!

What to pay: Heavily discounted prices on everything - sometimes more than 50% off, depending on when you go. If you go during a sale period, you can pick up clothes cheaper than they're sold as second-hand on ebay!

Mare Magnum is a department store on the seaside. To reach it you go on the nice bridge that is called Rambla del Mar. Useful note though: that bridge retracts during the midday to allow the private boats from the harbor to go out. Then Rambla del Mar is closed to traffic and you have to make a detour to reach Mare Magnum.