Shopping – Fashion – Gifts Barcelona

Timetable

Small shops are generally open Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 8.30pm, Saturday from 10am to 2pm. As for the big brands, they are open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 8.30 pm. In the summer, most shopping malls open until 10pm. Shops are generally closed on Sundays, except for the Maremagnum shopping centre and a few signs in the historic centre and along the coast.

Budget & Tips

Zara, Massimo Dutti, Mango, Pull and Bear, Zara Home, Bershka, Oysho, Desigual: all these Spanish brands are between 20 and 30% less than in France.

In Spain, end-of-stock or discount stores are called outlets. There are several brands in the Carrer de Girona (Eixample). If you have the time, don't miss a trip to La Roca Village (larocavillage.com), a real village dedicated to discount shopping located about 30 kilometres from Barcelona and accessible by bus.

Sales

Private sales, promotions, Black Friday, sales... As in France, you can do good business almost all year round in Spain. Seasonal sales last about six weeks: they start in early January for the winter sales and end of June for the summer sales

What's very local

For food lovers, you will obviously have to stock up on local specialities. In addition to Iberian ham, don't forget to bring back some Catalan cold cuts: botifarra (large sausage), fuet (dry sausage), llonganissa (sausage)... In the city markets, most traders will be able to vacuum-pack your purchases.

In the wine cellars you can buy olive oil, Catalan wines (D.O. Penedès, Priorat, Montsant...) and cava.

In the Eixample you will find many queviures. These are small modernist grocery stores where you can find the canned products that the Spanish love: squid in ink, boquerones (pickled anchovies), almejas (clams), etc. It's cheap, easy to transport, can be kept for years and is a great idea for a gift for your friends and family!

Tourist traps

Beware of street vendors and illegal vendors (manteros) who sell their wares in the tourist areas of the city. These migrant vendors sell cheap bags, sports shoes and other accessories to tourists. This practice is illegal and all their products are counterfeit!