The square outside the door
Plaça Reial after dark
A short guide to Plaça Reial, the Barcelona square where Los Tarantos sits: how it was built, who designed its lamps and how La Rambla fits around it.
Reserve your Los Tarantos night ↗A convent that became a square
The square's original building was the Capuchin convent of Santa Madrona, which was demolished in 1835. Later in the nineteenth century the architect Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó designed the square that took its place: a regular space ringed by arcaded buildings, in the middle of the Gothic Quarter. The arcades are still its best feature, because they give shelter and a rhythm of arches all the way round. The fountain at its centre is the Font de les Tres Gràcies, the Three Graces.
Gaudí's lamps
The square's lampposts were designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Look for the ornate lamps among the palm trees. They are among the first things people photograph here, and at night, when they are lit, they give the square its warm, low light. It is worth arriving a few minutes early just to walk once around them.
Who is on the square
Wikipedia describes a square with many restaurants and several of Barcelona's best-known nightclubs, a hotel and plenty of outdoor tables. It is a popular place to meet in summer, and it is busy during celebrations such as New Year's Eve. In September the La Mercè festival brings open-air concerts to the square. Los Tarantos is one of several music venues in the arcades, which is part of why the square stays busy after dark. The square is twinned with Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City.
The old quarter around it
Plaça Reial belongs to the Gothic Quarter, the historic centre of old Barcelona in the Ciutat Vella district. The quarter runs from La Rambla to Via Laietana, holds the oldest parts of the city, including remains of the Roman wall, and is a maze of small streets opening onto squares. Most of it is closed to regular traffic. That is why the square feels enclosed and quiet from the street, even when it is full. The street plan around it is part of the charm: you reach the square along a lane, not along a boulevard.
La Rambla at the end of the street
La Rambla runs about 1.2 kilometres from Plaça de Catalunya to the Columbus monument at the old harbour, and the Gothic Quarter lies on its eastern side, with El Raval on the west. The Liceu opera house, opened in 1847, and the Boqueria market stand on it. The walkway down the middle is crowded for much of the day and night, so allow time to cross it before a session.
Getting there and getting home
The nearest metro stops are Liceu and Drassanes on line L3, both near La Rambla, and the venue lists several bus and night-bus routes that stop close by. The square is in the middle of the old city, so most visitors arrive on foot from La Rambla. The venue has no parking and advises against arriving by car, which makes the metro or a walk the practical choice, before and after the show. Several night-bus routes also stop nearby, so getting home after a late session does not depend on the metro.
Before and after the show
If you have time before a session, spend it on the square itself: walk the arcades, find the lamps and sit for a drink or a meal. Then allow time to find the venue's door in the arcade and to arrive before the time on your ticket, because seats are first come, first served. The show runs about 40 minutes, so you leave in the middle of the evening, with the square at its liveliest. Like any busy square after dark, it rewards ordinary care with bags and phones.
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