24 Best Shopping in Barri Gotic, Barcelona

Ceramic pieces from all over Spain are on display at this large store; more than 140 different artisans are represented, with maps showing what part of Spain the work is from. There are several other branches of Art Escudellers in the old city.

At the corner of Carrer de la Palla and Banys Nous, this café and shop sells wine and foodstuffs such as honey, biscuits, chocolates, and preserves made in convents and monasteries all over Spain. You can pop in to pick up an exquisitely packaged pot of jam, or linger over divine pastries and coffee in the tearoom.

This is the bookstore to seek out if you're interested in the Pyrenees or in exploring any part of the Catalonian hinterlands. Maps, charts, and books detailing everything from Pyrenean ponds and lakes to Romanesque chapels are available in this diminutive giant of a resource. The space doubles as a restaurant, serving wine, cheese, and a few traditional Catalan dishes. It's been family owned and operated since 1916. 

Directly opposite the giant rose window of the Santa Maria del Pi church, the knife store (ganivet is Catalan for knife) beneath this lovely sgraffito-decorated facade takes cutlery culture to a new level. Knives, razors, scissors, hatchets, axes, swords, nail clippers, tweezers, and penknives are all displayed in this comprehensive, cutting-edge emporium.

Espadrille shoes evolved in different styles in different parts of Spain. In Cataluña, the most traditional espadrille, and the kind that Salvador Dali loved, is called "Espardenya del Payes" (literally "the shoe of the peasant") and the style is open on the sides, and the typical colors are black and white. In Pamplona espadrilles are called "Pamplonicas" and they have super tight stitching (they're worn for the running of the bulls festivities so they can't be loose!), and they're traditionally white and red in color. On the island of Menorca, espadrilles are made using leather so that they can be in contact with water. When they have a heel, as is traditional in Valencia, they're called "Valencianas." Handmade Barcelona sells all of these styles and with lots of variety in terms of stitching, colors, and materials.

You can even custom-design your own at the shop's interactive 90-minute workshops, where participants choose the color, base, ribbon, and stitching style, and get to make them alongside an in-house artisan. You'll learn even more about the history of these versatile, comfortable shoes, made famous by Salvador Dalí, who wore them everywhere he went, including meetings with designers Yves Saint Laurent and Coco Chanel, both of whom later adapted the style for the international market.

This family-owned (and women-owned) store sells vintage clothing, fabrics, jewelry, and accessories, with a focus on wedding dresses, veils, and lace. Despite the found-object attitude and ambience of the place, they're not giving away these vintage baubles, so don't be surprised at the hefty price tags. You'll also find a collection of their own bridal gowns, newly made but in romantic, old-fashioned styles. Notably, the shop supplied many costumes and props for the filming of Titanic. 

If you appreciate old-school craftsmanship in footwear and reasonable prices, visit this boutique just off Carrer Ferran. Handmade rope-sole sandals and espadrilles are the specialty, and this shop has sold them to everyone—including the pope. The flat, beribboned espadrilles model used for dancing the sardana is available, as are fashionable wedge heels with peep toes and comfy slippers. The price of a pair of espadrilles here start at $22, which is far less than the same quality shoes in the United States. They offer free shipping outside of Spain on orders of €250 or more.

In the same building where Joan Miró was born, Artevistas showcases a rotating collection of contemporary art, with an emphasis on young and emerging talent. Though many of the featured artists are from or based in Barcelona, notable international artists including actor and photographer Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead and The Libertines frontman, Peter Doherty, have exhibited here.

The building may be from the 19th-century but the fine art here is very now. The focus is on street art, graffiti, and urban contemporary pieces. Originally from Los Angeles, painter and urban architect, Robert Burt, opened the creative space in 2003 as a workshop and hangout for young artists. The medieval basement is sometimes used as an event space. Paintings can be shipped all over the world.

BIBA specializes in natural leather, cotton, organic fibers, and other sustainable materials, and their leather bags and accessories are are made using traditional artisan techniques such as vegetable tanning and hand braiding. There’s even a line of products dedicated to travelers, including suitcases, toiletry bags, and wallets. The flagship shop is in Barcelona but they’ve expanded to other major cities across Spain.

Glazed tiles, glass objects, and colorful sets of cups and saucers are on sale at this little shop just off Plaça Sant Jaume. Translatable as "Box of Mud" in Catalan, Caixa de Fang shows handmade earthenware cooking vessels from all over Spain, as well as boxwood and olive-wood kitchen utensils.

In 2010 the Catalan government created the registered trademark Empremtes de Catalunya to represent Catalan artisans and to make sure that visitors get the real deal when buying what they believe to be genuine products. The official shop now sells jewelry re-created from eras dating back to pre-Roman times, Gaudí-inspired sculptures, traditional Cava mugs, and some bravely avant-garde objects from young artisans—all officially sanctioned as fit to represent the city.

Known as the city's oldest shop, having remained open since 1761 (though it was not always a candle store), this "waxery" (cereria) offers candles in all sizes and shapes, ranging from wild mushrooms to the Montserrat massif, home of the Benedictine abbey.

The 19th-century windows of this lovely corner shop overlooking Plaça del Pi burst with all sorts of home textiles—from humble, superb-quality tea towels to country-chic patchwork quilts. If they don’t stock the cushion cover you're after, it probably doesn’t exist, although the most unique take-home item is a gingham bread bag—a sausage-shaped carrier for your morning baguette.

Whether you're planning a trek through the Pyrenees or a beach yoga session, this mega–sports emporium should be your first port of call. From waterproof clothing to footballs to bike repairs, it caters to every conceivable sport and active hobby. Affordable and always busy, Decathlon is the best place to pick up practical travel clothing, such as that forgotten fleece jacket for a sudden cold snap.

Scotswoman Katherine McLaughlin has put together the Gothic Quarter's most delightful cheese-tasting sanctuary on the site of an ancient buttery. (A 19th-century butter churn is visible in the back room.) A dozen artisanal cow, goat, and sheep cheeses from all over Spain, and olive oils, can be tasted and taken home. La Seu is named for a combination of La Seu Cathedral, as the "seat" of cheeses, and for cheese-rich La Seu d'Urgell in the Pyrenees. Katherine's wrapping paper, imaginatively chosen sheets of newspaper, give a final flourish to purchases.

The storefront and interiors of this ancient little glove and accessory shop is well worth the visit. Lovely antique cabinets painstakingly stripped of centuries of paint display gloves, fans, shawls, mantillas, and a miscellany of textile crafts and small gifts.

As you can guess from the name, which is decorated with cod-fishing memorabilia, this shop specializes in bacalao—salted and dried salt cod, which is used in a wide range of Catalan recipes (such as esqueixada, in which shredded strips of raw salt cod are served in a marinade of oil and vinegar). Slabs of bacalao can be vacuum-packed for portability, and there are lots of recipe books if you're looking for inspiration.

A browser's bonanza, this interesting if somewhat pricey Thursday market (10 am–8 pm) for antique clothing, jewelry, and art occupies the plaza in front of the cathedral. In December, a Christmas market takes over the space. Most stalls aren't open during the vacation month of August.

Exquisite hand-printed papers, marbleized blank books, and writing implements await you at this tiny, medieval-tone shop.

The days for the natural-produce market are a bit unpredictable—usually the first and third Friday of the month—but when it happens, the little square fills with interesting tastes and aromas (look for local honey and cheese); the neighboring Plaça Sant Josep Oriol holds an art market every weekend.

Currently the largest stationery store in Europe, Raima opened in 1986 and continues to be a go-to spot for everything paper-related, from journals and travel notebooks to office supplies. The store covers three floors plus a rooftop terrace and bar.

The dean of the city's art galleries is also the oldest one in Spain. It opened in 1840 as an art-supplies shop; as a gallery, it dates from 1877 and has shown every Barcelona artist of note since. Picasso, Dalí, and Miró exhibited their work here, as did Rusiñol before them. Nowadays, artists like Magí Puig and Carlos Morago get pride of place.

This hat shop is as much part of the Barri Gòtic’s landscape as any of its medieval churches. It occupies a busy corner in El Call (the old Jewish district) and has curved glass windows with displays of timeless, classic hats—from traditional Basque berets to Stetsons and Panamas—that have been dressing heads in Barcelona since 1924.