La Boqueria Market

Officially the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, this market on La Rambla traces its roots to 1217, when meat stalls first set up outside the city walls to avoid entry taxes. The current building opened in 1836 on the site of a former Carmelite convent and was roofed over in 1914. Today more than 200 stalls sell jamón, fresh seafood and fruit under the ironwork, with tapas bars packed shoulder to shoulder; regulars head for the counters toward the back, away from the juice stands nearest the entrance.