Plaça de Catalunya is located at the northern edge of central Barcelona, marking the southern border with the Eixample.
Plaça de Catalunya, or equivalently Plaza de Cataluña in Castilian, is one of the most important squares in Barcelona. It is located at the end of Las Ramblas, in the opposite direction to the sea, and we guarantee that sooner or later during your visit to Barcelona you will pass by here. Its importance is more logistical than touristic, as it is certainly not here that you will find the city’s most beautiful monuments.
However, spending some time here will allow you to admire some of the sculptures, fountains and fine buildings that line the square, and relax by shopping in some of the large shops that line the square such as Apple Store, Zara, Fnac and the El Corte Inglès shopping centre. In addition, it is from Plaça de Catalunya that some of the city’s most important arteries, such as Passeig de Gracia or Ronda de la Universitat, as well as the aforementioned Rambla, wind their way.
And as if that were not enough, Plaça de Catalunya is a key transport hub in Barcelona. This is where the Aerobus, the bus that connects the city with El Prat airport, stops, while below the square is an important railway station, connecting Barcelona with the surrounding cities; at the same time, the tracks are used by some of the city’s metro lines.
As mentioned above, Plaça de Catalunya may not be the most beautiful square in Barcelona, but it certainly has its uses. At first glance, what is surprising is its size: in fact, it covers about 50,000 square metres, and although the streets that intersect it are very busy, in the central part it is totally pedestrianised and has very wide pavements, making it a pleasant area for a stroll.
Numerous sculptures and monuments can be found in the square, mainly from the Catalan Noucentisme and neo-classical period; these include Deessa, or Goddess in Italian, a marble statue by Josep Clarà, set on a pedestal on a fountain in front of Las Ramblas, and Pablo Gargallo’s Pastor de Pau, on the north side, depicting a shepherd playing the flute. There is also an important monument to the Catalan politician Francesc Macià, a work by Josep Maria Subirach in travertine, concrete, iron and bronze with a succession of blocks on top of each other, representing the history of Catalonia.
On the other hand, a series of bronze statues placed more or less throughout the square are dedicated to the cities and main landmarks of Catalonia, such as Montseny, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona and, of course, Barcelona, the latter created by Frederic Marès and placed in front of the Passeig de Gracia, consisting of a nude female figure seated on a horse.
As far as buildings are concerned, the most representative of the square is undoubtedly the one that closes it on the north side, today used as a hotel of the Iberostar chain, from whose terrace with an infinity pool you can admire a beautiful panorama of Plaça de Catalunya.
It may not be at the forefront when it comes to monuments, but Plaça de Catalunya wins hands down when it comes to shopping in Barcelona. Its perimeter is lined with some really important shops, some even unmissable: there are flagship stores of major brands such as Apple, Huawei, Desigual, Zara, Fnac, Havaianas, Foot Locker, Adidas and Primark, among others. In addition, the eastern side of the square is completely occupied by a modern building that houses one of the headquarters of the El Corte Ingles shopping centre, which has 6 floors; inside are shops and corners of major clothing brands, as well as home, beauty care and food products.
For a break from shopping, the square is overlooked by the historic Café Zurich, present since 1920 and one of the city’s most important meeting places, the tapas bar Txapela, the well-known Farggi Café, the newer fast food Five Guys and the iconic Hard Rock Café.
Plaça de Catalunya is undoubtedly the main transport hub in the central area of Barcelona. In addition to countless bus lines that stop or terminate here (including 24, 55, 67, H16, D50, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N11, N12, N17, N18 and certainly others), there is an important railway station under the square, which occupies practically the entire surface and also has some shopping areas.
This is where the R1, R3 and R4 lines of the Rodalies de Catalunya trains stop, a kind of regional train operated by Renfe Operadora, connecting Barcelona with neighbouring towns in Catalonia such as Molins, L’Hospitalet, Manresa or Puigcerdà, as well as trains on the Barcelona-Vallès line connecting the city with Sant Cugat, Sabadell Plaça Major and Terrassa Nacions Unides.
The station’s platforms are also used by the following 4 Barcelona metro lines:
It’s possible that Plaça de Catalunya is the first thing you’ll see when you arrive in Barcelona: in fact, if you land at El Prat airport and want to get to the centre, you can take the Aerobus departing from both terminals in front of the arrivals area, which ends its journey at this large square, on the eastern side, opposite the El Corte Ingles shopping centre.
The Aerobus fleet consists of 27 cars, operating every day of the year, and connects Barcelona International Airport with the city via two lines called A1 and A2; the first leaves from Terminal 1 of the airport, the second from Terminal 2; both make a few intermediate stops, including Placa d’Espanya and Gran Via, before arriving at Plaça de Catalunya.
On the way back to El Prat airport, the Aerobus Barcelona leaves from Plaça de Catalunya, exactly where it dropped you off on the outward journey, i.e. in front of the El Corte Ingles centre. There are two platforms from which the A1 and A2 lines depart, and a series of automatic machines where you can buy your ticket, if you have not already bought it online before departure or if you do not have your return ticket in hand.
Plaça de Catalunya is located at the northern edge of central Barcelona, marking the southern border with the Eixample.
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