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Is La Rambla the most famous street in the world ? Probably. Here is a street that somehow showcases all that Barcelona has to offer within just two kilometres.

That fact was relegated to the back of my mind as I started walking down La Rambla from Placa Catalunya. I had bigger things to think about - like protecting my wallet. My guidebook implored me to hold on to my wallet, lest it be snatched by hordes of professional thieves who play their trade on the La Rambla.

It is not difficult to see why. The Rambla was a seething mass of humanity, a profusion of faces and clothes that sometimes merged into an indistinguishable blur. It is all too easy to pick a pocket in this cauldron of chaos.

But that is no reason to fear the La Rambla. In fact, dodging the would-be thieves is part of the fun of walking down the most famous pedestrian-only street in Europe. It is a place where you study other people and others study you.

The Rambla is no place for walking fast. Take the La Rambla gently.

Walk slowly, allowing plenty of time to observe the people walking up and down and taking meals in wayside restaurants, to sneak into a corner shop, even to have your caricature painted by a street artist.

It may be just two kilometres, but hurrying it up will do you no good. Find a chair somewhere, take time off for an ice cream and see the world pass by.

It is hard to miss the 'human sculptures' that vie for your attention during a leisurely stroll along the La Rambla. They come in all shapes and sizes - a Roman gladiator, an ancient Olympic athlete, a tribal warrior among others. They don't move for a long time.

Drop a coin, and they move to return the favour. People are not the only attraction on the La Rambla. It is the place in Barcelona to look at - and buy - all kinds of pets from the quite ordinary to the outrageously exotic.

Birds are by far the most popular. In fact, a whole stretch of the Rambla resembles a mini zoo with thousands of animals in cages awaiting a prospective owner.

If people and animals are not what you are after, how about flowers and paintings ? The name Rambla de les Flores says all. This is the part of the Rambla reserved for florists' shops.

Also look out for the Santa Ana Monastery, a temple built in the 12th century and the Mercat de la Boquiera, the city's most well-known market, which are both next to La Rambla.

The Wax Museum of Barcelona is also located on the La Rambla as is the Antoni Gaudi designed Palau Guell, the residence of magnate Eusebi Guell.

The last and widest stretch of the Rambla, the Rambla de Santa Monica (named after the Santa Monica art centre) will take you to the statue of Christopher Columbus and the sea front. It is an appropriate metaphor for Barcelona - a city that looks beyond its shores and embraces the world.

When I finally sat down at the base of his statue, tired, thirsty and longing to return to the hotel, I knew the guidebook was right.

If you have been in La Rambla, you have been in Barcelona. And my wallet was still there, safe and sound.

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