Mercat de la Boqueria
Mercat de la Boqueria
4.5
About
Officially known as the Mercat de San Josep as it was built on a former monastery, La Boqueria is a popular food market along Barcelona's touristy La Rambla stretch. Dating back to the 13th century, this colorful market is the largest in the city, home to more than 300 stalls renowned for selling some of the freshest produce—including meats, vegetables, cold cuts, sweets, and seafood. Join a food and drink tasting tour with a local to better enjoy the delicious delicacies on display and learn more about the market's history. The market can be easily reached by the metro. – Tripadvisor
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: La Rambla
Barcelona's most famous street was once a dry riverbed. Now, La Rambla is a 1200-meter boulevard, and a major draw for visitors. During the day, La Rambla fills with pedestrians, some of which stroll past impressive human statues and artists while others take a break to people-watch while enjoying a drink at one of the many terraces. Housed here is the iconic Boqueria Market that offers one of the most varied and appetizing selections of local produce and specialty meats and treats. While it’s important for tourists to keep an eye on their belongings at all times, this area is most safely explored in the daytime and is a must see for everyone who visits.
How to get there
  • Liceu • 2 min walk
  • Jaume I • 8 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travelers are saying
  • JRMADA
    United States3,370 contributions
    Colorful and Busy
    This place looks more like a food court than a market. Perhaps it is a food court and the name is deceiving. This place is crowded and colorful, and make sure you watch your belongings here. There are plenty of food choices and the prices are budget friendly.
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 2, 2022
  • Arizonapopi1
    Florence, Italy809 contributions
    This is mainly a food market with almost everything one can imagine and most of it beautifully displayed.
    On every must-see list and it’s a must see. This is mainly a food market with almost everything one can imagine and most of it beautifully displayed. Planned our day to eat lunch here and it was great. Bar Central fish counter for garlic shrimp – excellent, scallops – excellent, plate of peppers – excellent, not spicy, fried artichoke – excellent, white fish filet – excellent, cold beer, Spanish wine. Yum! The counter surrounds the kitchen on four sides and is busy. There is a pleasant but busy maitre’d who shepherds the seating around the bar. We walked up, asked for seating for four and he immediately politely asked a person to move over one stool and we waited 3 minutes as three people were paying and voila, we sat down. Don’t be put off with how busy it looks. Definite go-back.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 27, 2022
  • FamOfFourYYZ
    Toronto, Canada188 contributions
    Must see, best food market in the world
    Must see, as it is free and has so much interesting food to experience and see. The market is bustling and truly superior to any food market we have ever seen in North America. We spent one morning walking and picking up snacks along the way.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled with family
    Written December 30, 2022
  • Apple C
    170 contributions
    It's more than just a market!
    This is more than just a market - it is 2583 sq.m of all sorts of delicious goodies, the sight and smell of which makes your head spin. It feels like you can buy everything here. There is a feeling that mostly tourists wander between the counters with their eyes and mouths open with delight, and locals come to the Bokeria market to eat and drink. 😊
    Visited September 2022
    Written January 17, 2023
  • Ninameninna
    Bordeaux, France14 contributions
    The most famous market in Barcelona!
    The most famous market in barcelona. Right off “ la Rambla” beautiful and colorful displays. Perfect for food shopping but also for a little snack or a full lunch. Fruit, veggies, deserts, olives, meat, fish, empanadas anything … and much more! Very Instagramable!
    Visited November 2022
    Traveled solo
    Written February 6, 2023
  • Maine eater
    Amadora, Portugal4 contributions
    Cool to see, avoid the mediocre food.
    Had a wonderful time walking around checking out all the wonderful sights and purchased several prepared foods that were mediocre at best. Most of the prepared foods seemed to have been prepared a day or 2 in advance. Stay away from the burritos, wraps, empanadas or fried foods. If you don't mind overspending then try some of the fruit salads, cured meats and cheeses and have a glass of wine. Would only recommend for sightseeing.
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written March 7, 2023
  • NICHOLAS T
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates5,806 contributions
    Full of life
    This was a busy, vibrant undercover market. There are lots of great small items available to buy and consume as you walk and also a few spots where you can sit and enjoy the offerings at the counter. Well worth a look.
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 23, 2023
  • candice g
    Letchworth Garden City, United Kingdom249 contributions
    We Went Twice!
    This is a very touristy open-air market. Very busy, we went both times in the evening. Some items are very pricey, others reasonable. I managed to pick up some cooking salts for souvenirs. I caved & brought some chocolate strawberries on a stick & fresh juice which was lush! A very impressive display of stalls & I loved the vibrant atmosphere!
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 27, 2023
  • tgou.
    New Waterford, Canada4 contributions
    Fast busy beautiful market
    Lovely market ! On our recent trip to Spain we did a day trip to Barcelona and this market was at the top of our list and it did not disappoint!! It’s a super busy market with people everywhere but totally worth it everything is fairly priced and all so delicious the fruit smoothies are a must same with the spicy chicken empanadas! Make sure you add this spot to your list of things to do/see
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 11, 2023
  • Jonathan S
    18 contributions
    BEST MARKETPLACE IN BARCELONA
    THE greatest place to have breakfast AND lunch!...hundreds of vendors and booths to see and taste....everything so fresh. I had baby squid and eggs at LQUIM and lunch later in the day with some of the freshest seafood we ever ate. Had to walk up and down La Rambla 3X to walk it all off. A MUST MARKET to visit.
    Visited May 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 13, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Mairwen1
United Kingdom9,315 contributions
Jan 2020
There are probably other less touristy food markets in Barcelona but this is the most famous one and it’s right in the middle of Las Ramblas so is very easy to get to. If you were coming here to buy your weekly groceries, then you might want to seek out a more local, cheaper market but otherwise this one, touristy or not, is a great experience full of colour, smells, noise and activity.
We wandered through the seafood section, intrigued by the huge slabs of salted cod and some of the more curious looking things like goose barnacles, snails and razor clams.
We stopped to look at the stalls with big flanks of jamon or ham, hanging up, hooves and all.
We bought small paper cones with sticks of cheese and Iberico ham to eat on the spot and took away a mixed bag of empanada and croqueta for later. If you were doing a picnic at Ciutadella Parc, this would be a perfect place to come to gather things.
Several mornings, we came to the market early and had breakfast at the bar at Pinotxos. Pinotxos is an institution at the market and was our favourite but it was often hard to get a seat because it’s very popular. The prawn omelette and cigali (chickpeas) were my favourites here. Before leaving the market, I would choose a freshly squeezed juice from one of the many stalls selling them. The going rate for a grab-and-go juice seemed to be €1.50 which was such good value.
Written August 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gaurav S
Glasgow, UK364 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
I am very fond of local market. This is the real local market where you can buy some good stuff for immediate consumptions, fruits, shakes, fruit based sweeties, and lot more things. You would be gasped for breath as it's bit tight and too much of rush. My suggestion is to go empty stomach so that u can enjoy the food .
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Angelo M
Prince Albert, Canada82 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
I was rather disappointed by this. I had high expectations and thought this
Would he the highlight of my day. But it was the same kinda of foods at most booths. Food was decent but nothing em overly exciting. Definitely more money. We had purchased empanadas at a restaurant about 6 blocks prior to getting here and they were 2 euro. Here they were all 3 or 3.50 and no better. It was also their festival week so the amount of people in there was absolutely nuts. Just was far from enjoyable and relaxing.
Written April 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nesligül D
Istanbul, Türkiye6,136 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
Many big cities have similar markets but this one is more organized and looks more sophisticated. It is crowded with tourists so be careful about your belongings.
There are many stalls selling everything from fruit and olives to fish, from tea to candy. There are also quite a number of tapas bars but it was impossible to get a seat and the prices looked very expensive. It is definitely a good idea to see the market, take some photos and eat somewhere else.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Randall K
Canberra, Australia1,252 contributions
Mar 2019
We only had less than 24 hours in Barcelona between flights from another part of Europe back to Australia, so caught a bus here to explore. Visually stunning with all of the produce on offer. Even though I know the prices here are not as cheap as other markets, they are certainly cheaper than the prices we would pay back home. An easy place to kill a couple of hours.
Written February 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Malav Shah
Navi Mumbai, India28 contributions
Oct 2019
Located on the famous La Rambla street, This is the most popular and must-see market in Barcelona. It's basically a gathering of shopkeeper selling fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, pickles, candies, smoothies, juices and what not. It's a delight to see so many colours in one place. Visit early in the morning before 10:30 to ensure there aren't many tourists. One doesn't need to be shy to take multiple pictures of shops - the shopkeepers are accustomed to this even if you don't end up buying anything. For a foodie, it would be hard to resist tasting a few delicacies here.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kiki Marie
4 contributions
Aug 2019 • Friends
Every time I go to Barcelona this is a must. You just want to buy everything and anything there. You will find a great selection of meats, fish, fruits, nuts, candy, veggies, tapas bars and much more. If you are a foodie like me this is the place to be. Go early in morning on a weekday if you like to avoid the crowds of people.
Written July 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BalkrishnaShroff
Mumbai, India20,885 contributions
Oct 2022
If you on Las Rambla then it is THE place to visit. It's a very colorful market selling almost everything you can think of food. They sell ready food and also fresh produce which can be cooked at home. The shops in the end are little cheaper than those in the front. If you are a serious buyer then compare the price before you buy anything. More than 90% crowd are tourists so its going to be little costlier than any supermarket. We ended up buying a fruit platter which we enjoyed thoroughly. It's always very crowded and it's closed on Sundays.
Worth visiting...
Written November 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GMAC2020
15 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We spent 5 days in Barcelona and this was a stop at least once a day! Put this on your list of sites. You can eat as you wander the aisles or sit down at one of the restaurant stalls.

We bought presents for family and friends here. We still miss our favorite vendors for fruit, artichokes, seafood lunch, chocolates, pastries, nuts, and more. Trust me, do not go to Barcelona with a stop here ❤️
Written January 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sssvmd
Newburyport, MA134 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Beautiful food displayed, music played Quintessential! There are several similar to this most to beautiful architecture buildings done by famous architects in their heyday. Make sure to get a paper cone there’s signature meats and Manchego cheese. Not to skip!
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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