Photo Story: A walking trail from Avinguda Diagonal to Placa de Catalunya

We chanced upon this simple walking trail from Avinguda Diagonal to Placa de Catalunya by accident. After visiting La Sagrada Familia, our next stop was Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter.

We decided to alight at the Diagonal metro station which was along the same line as the Sagrada Familia metro station. Our walking trail started from Avinguda Diagonal to Placa de Catalunya, then onwards to Las Ramblas. We figured that a walk would allow us to capture some sights of the city that we would have been missed, if we had taken a metro directly.

Time spent

From Avinguda Diagonal to Placa de Catalunya it’s a short walk (1.3km) and will take you about 15 minutes if you don’t make any stops.

From Placa de Catalunya to Las Ramblas it’s another 800m and will take you about 10 minutes.

Avinguda Diagonal

According to Wikipedia, Avinguda Diagonal is one of Barcelona’s broadest and most important avenues. It’s called Diagonal because it cuts Barcelona from east to west, according to the city’s compass.

Today, it remains to be a much-transited avenue and many companies and hotels treat it as a privileged location, which can be seen from its architecture and international brands that ply the sidewalks.

Avinguda Diagonal apartments barcelona
Grand apartments along Avinguda Diagonal – it must be nice to live there.
Avinguda Diagonal barcelona statue
This reminds me of statues of bulls outside Stock Exchanges. This is an ant-eater?
Avinguda Diagonal barcelona
Came across this interesting scene along the way to Las Ramblas. It does seem that the building does not have a lift. Hence the makeshift one here.
barcelona zara store diagonal
Zara, along the way to Las Ramblas. We passed by many more international brands along the way.

Placa de Catalunya

According Wikipedia, Plaça de Catalunya means “Catalonia Square” in English. It is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the old city (see Barri Gòtic and Raval, in Ciutat Vella) and the 19th century-built neighbourhood of Eixample meet.

Some of the city’s most important streets and avenues meet at Plaça Catalunya: Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya and Las Ramblas. The plaza is well-known for its fountains and statues, its proximity to some of Barcelona’s most popular attractions, and for the flocks of pigeons that gather in the centre.

Placa de Catalunya
It’s hard to get a good shot without people around.
placa de catalunya fountain
Love this statue and the fountain.
Placa de Catalunya fountain
At the heart of Placa de Catalunya, which was also a place for protests in 2011.
banco espanol de credito barcelona placa de catalunya
Passed by the Banco Espanol de Credito (Banesto) near Placa de Catalunya
Catalunya metro barcelona
You can get to Placa de Catalunya from the Catalunya metro station
Avinguda diagonal las ramblas
Walk along from Placa de Catalunya to get to Las Ramblas
Avinguda diagonal las ramblas
Hmm, wonder what they are waiting for.
Placa de Catalunya
El Corte Images is just right next to it.
Placa de Catalunya rented bicycles
You can rent bicycles and drop them off here.
Placa de Catalunya
The statue in question is covered by shadows. The entrance to the Placa de Catalunya is also located there.

The Travelling Squid’s Take

Getting around Barcelona is easy, with its extensive metro system. But the 30 min walk from Avinguda Diagonal to Placa de Catalunya was a good alternative. Being new to the city, we didn’t know where the shops were exactly, and I was very happy to pass by Zara along the way. Apart from the shopping, we were sheltered from the afternoon sun by trees which lined the pavements. There are also many cafes for you to sip a coffee or nurse a beer and rest the legs, while taking in the city at the same time.

To me, a walk down Avinguda Diagonal was just nice – there were not too many people, like in Las Ramblas. The street was wide and I was happy to take each step at a leisured pace. Hope you will enjoy the walk as much as I did, if you ever choose to take it.

Watch this space for the next post on Las Ramblas!

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