Barcelona is one of the most stylish cities in the world - architecture, fashion and decoration are thoroughly permeated by Catalan design. All of this makes for great shopping, from designer clothes and accessories for crafts and household goods. Many visitors will find the city to be relatively cheap for a lot of times, and even more so if you coincide with the annual sale that follow the main fashion seasons - mid-January until the end of February and throughout July and August. The best general shopping area for clothes, souvenirs, arts and crafts is the Gothic Quarter, particularly between the upper part of La Rambla and Avinguda Portal de l'A.