I'm thinking about taking trip to Barcelona, with quick visits to Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Toledo. I usually go to France, Italy, Germany or UK, but figure I should probably see Spain. Any shopping tips, must sees, etc.? I'm not too excited with what I'm seeing in the guidebooks/web. Maybe I'm missing something? (The tapas, art and culture sound like fun!!) Thank you!!!!!
Shopping in Spain
- Thread starter Lenzo
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I was in barcelona in may.. Lots of chain stores which honestly do not excite me at all.
La corte ingles is a huge department store.
The gothic and el born areas will have the smaller more specialty boutiques, which is the kind of shopping i like to do on vacation.
La corte ingles is a huge department store.
The gothic and el born areas will have the smaller more specialty boutiques, which is the kind of shopping i like to do on vacation.
Not sure what you're interested in but I was in Barcelona and Madrid over the summer and actually spent most of the time hunting for home goods and lace fabrics with my mum. Spain has lots of really beautiful and vibrant home linens and their lace industry turns out some beautiful shawls, collars, etc. And while a chain store, we had lots of luck finding Camper shoes we couldn't find elsewhere.
Well, I would seek out 'Barada' bags...they are made in the same factory as famous high-end brand bags as I understand- and are much cheaper. My freind just bought one from ebay uk..its sooo amazing. So, really just lap up the atmosphere in Madrid...wonderful warm people...enjoy!
Thank you!!! I wasn't sure if the Gothic and El Born areas were cheezy-touristy areas or had some nice shopping options. It sounds like I should plan on working in some retail therapy time while looking at the sites. Gracias, OlgaMUA. And I'm definitely checking out the La Corte Ingles store--at least one of them. I like to look at the local department stores as well as the "hyper-mercados". Sometimes you get good pricing on souvenirs and small gifts to take home. Do you stop at super-stores when in Europe? I've done very well at Carrefour, etc. in France & Italy, finding soaps, sweets, etc. to bring back to the USA.
Que excetante, BagLover29! I just googled Barada bags and am loving what I'm seeing!!! Do they have free standing shops, or do I need to track them down in other retailers? Thanks!
Both. And knowing me, my best intentions at serious sight seeing could be subverted by an interesting store window!
IrisSix, thanks so much for your reply. Were the lace shops easy to find? Any suggestions? I'd love to find a beautiful mantilla (then I'd need to figure out where to wear it!). Gracias!!
I'd looked up a couple before we arrived in Barcelona, so can't speak to whether they're easy to find. We went to Casa Felix in the Barri Gotic and found several lace collars for dresses and shirts, as well as the more traditional mantillas my mother bought as gifts. They also had lace-edged linens and absolutely darling lace dresses if you have little girls to buy for.
Barada Hand bags, they are only sold through retailers and priced at around Euros 250-400 for a bag...but, found this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291266383979?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
Thank you, thank you. I'll be on the look out for them. Interesting that I can get one via the ebayUK. It looks like there is a shop in Boca Raton that carries them, but you have to contact them for pricing. I spent some time yesterday checking out your and other Purseblog reccs--it looks like there could be some nice finds. Thanks again!