Eixample: Barcelona’s most iconic neighbourhood

Gaudí’s highly personal Casa Batlló is next door and can be visited (book online as there is often a queue), to the delight of many. The curvy contours, unexpected combinations of textures and materials, bright colours and infinite detail are Gaudí hallmarks, as are the prevalent religious and nationalist symbols. Casa Batlló’s facade is covered with scraps of broken plate and tile, a decorative technique called trencadís that Gaudí employed repeatedly.

Further up and across the street, at No. 92, is Casa Milà, Gaudí’s acclaimed apartment block. Known as La Pedrera (the stone quarry, an allusion to its rippling, limestone surface), it was built between 1906 and 1910, and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sinuous facade, with wonderfully twisted wrought iron balconies, bends around the corner of Carrer Provença. 

The attic floor is now a handsome, high-tech museum (Espai Gaudí) with an interesting exhibition of his work. One of the original apartments (El Pis), packed with odd shapes, hand-crafted door knobs, and idiosyncratic details, has been outfitted with period furniture (many of the pieces designed by Gaudí himself) and can be visited.

La Pedrera had one of the world’s first underground parking garages; this doesn’t sound like a very exciting fact, but today the space houses an amphitheatre where cultural events are held. The building’s owner, the cultural Fundació Caixa de Catalunya, has transformed the first floor into an exhibition space for impressively curated shows. For many, the wavy rooftop is the highlight, with its decoration of recycled tiles, cluster of swirling Darth Vader-like chimneys, known as ‘witch scarers’ and spectacular views of Barcelona.

The Plaça de Catalunya, where Passeig de Gràcia begins, was designed to be the city’s hub, and it is certainly a bustling crossroads and a popular meeting place. The major department store, El Corte Inglés, occupies the whole of the northern side of Plaça de Catalunya. Parallel to Passeig de Gràcia is the Rambla de Catalunya, an extension of the Old Town Ramblas, lined with upmarket shops, terrace cafés, restaurants and galleries. At street level, this area is perhaps less distinctively Barcelona and more like any other large city, but there’s no denying there’s plenty to do and loads of places to enjoy good food and drink. Traffic moves down either side of the pedestrianised centre, which is considerably more sedate than the lower Ramblas.

Fundació Antoni Tàpies, on Carrer d’Aragó, is dedicated to the work of Catalonia’s foremost contemporary artist. In addition to Tàpies’ own work, it holds excellent temporary exhibitions, a study centre and library, and it is all housed in a gorgeous 1880 Domènech i Montaner building – one of the first examples of modernisme. From the outside, viewed from across the street, you can appreciate Tàpies’ whimsical, tangled wire sculpture Núvol i Cadira (Cloud and Chair) on the roof.

What the Eiffel Tower is to Paris or the Statue of Liberty is to New York, the soaring spires of the Sagrada Família are to Barcelona. Its unmistakable profile, protruding from the city’s skyline, is visible from afar. Yet the eight peculiar, cigar-shaped towers are merely the shell of a church that is nearing completion (now expected in 2026). This was Antoni Gaudí’s life work, though he didn’t really expect to finish it in his lifetime. The facade seems to be the part that is most faithful to Gaudí’s intentions. For many years, the church remained much as it was when Gaudí died, but work has been going on since the 1950s – not an easy task, since Gaudí left few plans behind. 

Many people believe the temple should have been left as it was, unfinished, as a tribute to the great Gaudí, but the work continues.

As with so many great buildings, you won't be able to stop staring at the Sagrada Família. Every time you turn your head, you'll notice a new detail to admire. Enhance your sense of wonder by climbing one of the towers (by lift or spiral staircase).