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Las Ramblas: A top Barcelona site for tourists to stroll

People walk down a main street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona say a white van has mounted a sidewalk, struck several people in the city's Las Ramblas district. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People walk down a main street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona say a white van has mounted a sidewalk, struck several people in the city's Las Ramblas district. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) People walk down a main street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona say a white van has mounted a sidewalk, struck several people in the city's Las Ramblas district. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – The lengthy Las Ramblas promenade where a van plowed into pedestrians Thursday, killing 12 people and injuring 80, is a tree-lined walkway that starts in a huge plaza and ends near Barcelona’s harbor.

It’s filled with cafes, restaurants, stalls selling everything from souvenirs to flowers, the city’s famed opera house and a baroque palace.

It stretches 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles), with a pedestrian-only walkway in the center of the avenue and vehicle traffic allowed on both sides.

Las Ramblas is one of Barcelona’s top tourist draws, a place to stroll and soak in the city’s historic charm while doing some serious people-watching.

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Clendenning reported from Phoenix. He was AP’s Iberia bureau chief from 2010-2016.