Barcelona City GuideBarcelona City Guide

Paseo de Gracia

Discover all the culture, shopping and gastronomy that Barcelona's most iconic and exclusive avenue offers. This elegant, majestic boulevard was a showcase for Barcelona's bourgeoisie at the turn of the 19th century, and links Plaça Catalunya with the district of Gràcia, hence its name. The presence of Barcelona's finest modernista buildings makes this avenue a veritable open-air museum, imposing buildings will delight everyone who passes by. 

✨To get there from our apartments: metro line L2 (purple) from "Sagrada Familia" to "Passeig de Gràcia" (about 10min in total), or just walk down on Avenida Diagonal (about 20min).

Eixample neighbourhood (Right or Left) sits right in the centre of the city, it is comprised of wide avenues, square blocks, and straight streets that create a perfect city grid. It’s elegant, upmarket and luxurious, filled with designer stores and boutiques, refined hotels and fine dining restaurants. Some of the buildings are influenced by modernism and this is why you can find Antoni Gaudí´s, the famous modernist architect from Barcelona, magnificent designs in the area, including LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA and the Casa Milá.
This neighbourhood runs from Plaça Catalunya (just north of the Gothic Quarter) to the neighbourhood of Gràcia, and is divided by the grand boulevard of Passeig de Gràcia, which resembles the Champs-Élysées. Not to be outdone, the glitz and glamour of this zone is perhaps best exemplified by the comfortable and lavish five-star hotels that flank the divine and modernistic buildings from some of the world’s most recognized architects such as Gaudi and Montaner.
Most tourists only see the Passeig de Gràcia Street that is filled with designer shops, restaurants, bars, and markets. However, the rest of the neighborhood, like the area behind Sagrada Família, is worth exploring because it has a more local feeling. Eixample is a big neighborhood which is why there are different districts in it. Passeig de Grácia is very touristic while Sant Antoni district is popular among millennials with its hip cafés and trendy atmosphere. 

Grácia is an eclectic mix between a young, alternative and bohemian scene and older Catalan residents who have lived there for generations. With an incomparable local charm, it feels like a small city tucked away inside the metropolis. In fact, Grácia was once considered a separate town just outside of Barcelona until the Eixample district connected it with the old city in the late 1800’s.
The bohemian vibe has drawn many international artists to this area, resulting in a wide selection of galleries, live music and artsy boutique stores. The nightlife is centered around the vibrant Grácia’s plaças, where young and old gather to enjoy a drink outside. Carrer de Verdi, its main street, offers affordable restaurants and a movie theater that screens new as well as classic films in their original language. Gracia is particularly well-known for its international cuisine scene - you’ll find everything here, from authentic Italian restaurants and ice cream shops to American pie shops and Japanese sushi and ramen restaurants. It’s a cool spot for shopping too, home to many authentic stores, selling an eclectic range of products, from old vinyl records to unique boho fashion and handmade souvenirs.
However Gracia's greatest treasure lies just up the hill at Guell Park, where Antoni Gaudi's vibrant and revolutionary art sculptures stand atop unequaled views of Barcelona.
If you visit in late August, you’ll hit the annual Festa Major, one of the largest street festivals in Barcelona, when each area competes for the main prize given for the most beatifully decorated street.
With quiet, charming plazas and tons of local shops, restaurants, and cozy cafés, Gracia is one of the very best places to visit in Barcelona.

test fg