Barcelona, Spain: El Corte Inglés Department Store

It feels as if major department stores are doing better in Europe than they are in America. Still, it's not a bad idea to call the El Corte Inglés department store the Macy's of Spain. This is the flagship store in Barcelona, and it's rather famous by commercial standards. Indeed, it is the largest such store in Europe.

There are nine floors of goods above ground, and a couple of levels downstairs as well. Do you need clothes? Electrical items? Furniture? Books? Toys? Shoes? A travel agency? A hairdresser? Food? It's all under one roof. And there's parking on the bottom, near the currency exchange and passport photo areas.

One other point - it's supposedly tough to find a store that offers children the chance to meet Santa Claus in the weeks coming up before Christmas. El Corte Ingles comes through with that too.