Plaça Del Pi And Plaça De Sant Josep Oriol

The Plaça del Pi is one of the city's smallest but most charming squares. Its name is owed to the hundred year-old pine tree that grows in the square. You can also visit the Gothic church of the same name, which dates back to the 15th century. Around the corner is another square, stylistically much like Plaça del Pi, called Plaça Sant Josep Oriol. The space is usually filled with street musicians, fortune-tellers and painters. There is also a share of shadier characters whose eye is trained on the tourists' wallets rather than the atmosphere in the square. However, if you are simply a little careful, the café terraces in the square are amongst the most pleasant at any given time of day.

Much like the Born and the Raval, this area is full of designer boutiques and handicraft shops that will definitely tempt you into buying one caprice or another. The streets Ferran and Avinyó are the best address for this kind of shopping: shoes at La Manual Alpargatera (Avinyó, 5), contemporary design objects at Dom (Avinyó, 7), avantgarde clothing at Loft Avignon (Avinyó, 22) etc.