La Boqueria Market

Barcelona’s busiest market and arguably one of Europe’s most popular food markets, La Boqueria Market, or Mercat de La Boqueria, is a vibrant hub of Barcelonian culture. The market boasts a long history, with the spot being used as a meat market as far back as the 13th century, but today the market is held in the Mercat de Sant Josep market hall in La Rambla, a Modernist iron and glass canopy built in 1914. Whether you’re sourcing ingredients for the perfect paella or just soaking up the unique atmosphere, few experiences are as quintessentially Barcelonian as haggling for produce in the city’s liveliest market.

Over 200 stalls stand in the market and weaving through the crowds of locals and tourists, there’s a myriad of produce on display. Piles of fresh fruits and vegetables, pails of glistening olives and huge slabs of cheese and foie gras line the stalls, alongside an array of local seafood and varying cuts of meat, including the odd pig head. You’ll find plenty of exotic fruits and rarities in the market too with everything from ostrich eggs to freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice on sale, but if you only buy one thing, pick up some Jamon Iberico de Bellota, a Spanish delicacy of dry-cured ham sourced from wild Iberian race pigs, or Catalan specialty Fuet, a dry-cured sausage.

Once you’ve scoured the market stalls and peeked into the laden baskets of the locals, refuel at one of the market’s many tiny tapas bars, where you can sample a range of bite size Catalan delicacies while perching on a bar stool and watching the world go by.