Barcelona Souvenirs: Where to find something authentic

Let us help you to decide, what to bring from Barcelona, when you are going home and want to bring the best Barcelona souvenirs for your family and friends! This way you can stay away from all the typical tourist JUNK!
Barcelona, much like all the other capitals and touristic places have plenty of those famously tacky souvenir stores and stands that offer you mostly cheap variations of popular magnets, pencils, ashtrays and miniatures of the Sagrada Familia. You can buy those if you want... just something small and easy for your weird uncle Bob or your cousins. If you want something actually Spanish or special, you should avoid the stores on La Rambla and instead explore a bit deeper into the Gótico or the Raval. Here we have some tips for you, what Barcelona souvenirs will your friends and relatives love.

Food and drink

Starting with the easiest part – you can't take a wrong step if you bring some nice Spanish wine or food, because, well, it´s delicious.

Sweets

If you decide for chocolate, you should visit the chocolate museum at c/ Comerç 36.  You will learn about turning the cocoa bean into a chocolate bar or a rabbit with a funny face and you can buy some pralines there as well. Another place that we love is the café and store Demasié at c/Princessa 28. They specialize in chocolate and cookies and their gift boxes are really beautiful and make the perfect present. Something sweet and traditional in Spain is turrón. Turrón is a Christmas sweet, but you can get it normally any time of the year in special turron stores (there are plenty of them in Gótico) and sometimes in supermarkets too. There are more types of turrón that differ in texture and flavor. One from Alicante is a hard, white sugar-like base with whole almonds in it; The one from Xixona is the most famous, it's soft, beige and made mostly from almond paste.

The pig´s leg and more

For Barcelona souvenirs for men, maybe you'll prefer something less sweet such as “Fuet”, the Spanish white-skin salami, red-coloured sausage “chorizo”, sausage-meat “sobrasada” or the very typical ham “pernil”. All of these meats are very strong in flavor and for someone, who is not used to them could be difficult to like them. For a meat lover though, they are quite the delicacy. Another food souvenir with a great reputation is the “queso de cabra” – goat´s cheese. It is very nice to bring a piece of the traditions and flavors as a souvenir from Barcelona, so what about buying some “brava” sauce. “Patatas bravas” are the easiest and most authentic tapas you can make for your friends.

Fashion

Desigual is a fashion brand that is very easy to recognize, because it is known for its colorful designs and patchwork style fashion. The brand has its quarters all over the world, but it´s originally from Barcelona. You will find less mainstream and more underground clothes in the streets of Raval, for example at c/Tallers and its surroundings. There are little fashion stores of young designers, funky hipster stores with second hand clothes or the black and metal gothic-style stores with clothes and accessories. Awesome design fashion is sold in the library and gallery Mutt at c/Comerç 15 where you will love the shopping and browsing. If you're looking for something old, original and on budget maybe go to the flea markets. Read about antique and second hand paradise in Barcelona. A more traditional type of Barcelona souvenirs might be a belt, handbag or handmade leather shoes, because leather is one of Spain´s most highly valued products. Have a look in Acosta, at Avingun Diagonal 262. It´s a family-run chain that offers a well-priced selection of leather goods. And if you can´t wait to stroll around at home in a genuine Catalan "barretina"  or a traditional low-key "campesino's beret", the place to look is Sombrería Obach in the old Jewish quarter of El Call.

Traditional items

Remember one thing when buying  Barcelona souvenirs such as fridge magnet and such things. The bulls are a spanish symbol, but the animal of Catalonia is a donkey, because it has a long tradition of helping on the farms. One very famous and a traditional item is the "Porrón", the special glass wine pitcher. Visiting Barcelona during Christmas? You won´t miss this weird Catalan Christmas character "Caganer" an Caga Tío. Read about them in Ben´s blog about The strangest Catalan Christmas traditions

Design Barcelona Souvenirs

If you decide that Flamenco dress, Gaudí style ashtray and the salamander magnet is not what you are looking for, you can find curious Barcelona souvenirs in the bookshops of the MACBA and CCCB museums and the art libraries such La Central at Muhba – that one is of our favourites as they have a lot of books, many cool design things and toys. You will find great Barcelona souvenirs in the store Wawas at c/ Carders 14, or Art Montfalcon at c/Boters 4 and Barceloning at c/ Mallorca 332.

Do not, we reapeat, do not buy a Mexican Sombrero!

This has to be one of our biggest pet peeves. Many drunk, or just unaware, tourists parade around Las Ramblas wearing very expensive Mexican sombreros to bring home as a souvenir.  News flash people!! There is nothing SPANISH about a Mexican hat! Just as we don't use the Peso here, you might wanna wait to make your next Mexican sombrero purchase when you're on that vacation in Cancún. Have you already found something really cool to bring home? Did we help you to decide? Leave us a note on the fridge, or better underneath the blog :) Sharka