Shopping in Spain
Shopping Guide in Spain…
Fashionistas go berserk when they are shopping in Spain because Spain is the birthing place of well-established clothing lines like Zara, Mango, Stradivarius and Bershka. Zara and Mango, in particular, have a strong following of women of all ages all over the world due to the well-made, trendy, couture and yet very affordable pieces they offer. So it’s no wonder that wandering around the major cities of Spain, it is highly likely you’ll see women (and men) lugging around bags and bags of purchases from these well-known stores.
Madrid and Barcelona are the shopping meccas of Spain. Barcelona alone is home to around 35,000 shops and the famous five-kilometre shopping strip of La Ramblas. Along La Ramblas several high-fashion brands adorn the streets like Chanel, Cartier and Versace. If you want to go Spanish, Massimo Dutti and System Action offer well-tailored apparel at fairly reasonable prices. At Custo and Paramita, also on La Ramblas, you can find good quality Spanish designs that are a bit on the colourful and wacky side. For the mall experience, head on down to El Corte Ingles in Placa Catalunya, where you can find virtually everything under one roof.
For outlet shopping in Barcelona, great and very cheap finds can be made at Lefties, the outlet store for Zara and other brands from the Inditex branch including Pull & Bear, Mango and Bershka. One such store is located in the centre of Barcelona, on the corner of street Pelayo and Plaza Universitat. Just outside of Barcelona is the outlet shopping village of La Roca del Valles. Branded goods are on sale with about a 60% reduction in prices all year round. Leading brands like Loewe, Cacharel and Ralph Lauren are among the ones you will find here.
Madrid too has several great places to shop. One of its main shopping streets is Calle Goya, located in the Barrio de Salamanca area, where you can find high-street fashion outlets and luxury boutiques. The Goya-Serrano area in particular, features chich signature fashions from designers like Gucci, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and influential Spanish designers including Adolfo Dominguez and Elena Benarroch. The shopping streets of Calle Orense in the heart of Madrid’s financial and business area and Calle de la Princesa, as well as the Puerta del Sol shopping area offer a multitude of shops of all types including fashion stores, departmental stores, shoe shops and much more.
For a uniquely Spanish experience, shopping at the side-street stalls and open-air flea markets are definite items on your shopping agenda. On Sunday mornings in Madrid, head to El Rastro, a street that becomes a makeshift open-air flea market. You can purchase virtually anything here from live chicken to gypsy antiques. Barcelona too has exciting flea markets with one of the most popular ones being Mercat de las Encants. A wide array of books, handicrafts and jewellery can be found here. Getting a good price depends on your bargaining prowess at these places so don’t be afraid to haggle.
If what you seek are typically Spanish items, then you can get leather particularly in Andalucia, lace and textiles in Catalonia as well as handmade jewellery in Cordoba. Valencia is known for its furniture and Alicante for toymaking and if you’re looking to bring home some gorgeous pottery, Fajalauza in Granada specializes in using traditional techniques to create blue, green and purple glazes. For food and drinks, wine is especially cheap in Spain, particularly from Rioja and spices, especially saffron, are much cheaper in Valencia and Granada. Alpujarras is also well-known for jamon, or the best ham in Spain.
