About this place
Properly called the Mercat de Sant Josep, but known to everyone simply as La Boqueria, this is the most famous market in Barcelona and one of the greatest food markets in Europe. A market has stood near this spot since medieval times, when traders set up just outside the city gate, but the grand covered hall with its soaring iron structure and colourful stained-glass entrance sign dates from the nineteenth century. Step inside and the senses are overwhelmed: pyramids of glistening fruit, whole legs of cured Iberian ham, mountains of olives and spices, tanks of live seafood, counters of chocolates and sweets, and little bars where cooks turn the freshest produce into tapas before your eyes. It remains a genuine working market where the city's chefs and home cooks shop, as lively today as it has been for centuries.
Key facts
- 1840 year — The present covered market was officially inaugurated on this site just off the Rambla
- 300 stalls — Traders fill the vast iron hall with produce, seafood, meat and prepared food
- 1217 year — Records mention traders selling at a market near this spot as far back as the thirteenth century
📍 La Rambla 91, 08001, Barcelona