Shopping

About Shopping in Barcelona

If you considered Madrid and Barcelona to be Spain’s sister fashion capitals, Barcelona would be the funkier, more stylish twin. In addition to the mega-fashion stores you’ll find in both cities (H&M, Zara, Mango, Adolfo Dominguez, etc.), the Barcelona shopping experience entails lots of quirky boutiques and unique designs.

Store Hours
Shops generally open at about 9am, close for lunch from 2-4pm and reopen until 8 or 9pm, Mon-Fri. Saturday schedules are generally the same, though many stores opt to only close at lunch time. Some shops open on Sundays and Holidays, but it is not the norm.

It’s also good to keep in mind that the low season for Barcelona shopping is August. Smaller stores make close for a week or more while the weather is scorching.

Sales

Sales usually run from the second week in January to the end of February, and during July and August. Don’t get in the way of the natives at the Cortes Inglés on the first day of "rebajas" ("sales" in Spanish). There are first "rebajas", then a bigger mark down for second "rebajas", and finally remate – final clearance sales in Barcelona.

Tombbus
This bus (T1) follows a circular route for shoppers from Plaça de Catalunya up the Passeig de Gràcia to Avinguda Diagonal and back again. The tombbus hits all the major Barcelona shopping spots, as these wide avenues are packed with a variety of international and local stores.

Do you plan to come to Barcelona to enjoy its amazing sales? Rent an apartment next to the main shopping streets of the city.