Eixample District - Eixample District information and pictures



Eixample District: Gaudi and Fashionable Shops

Barcelona’s Eixample district is a spacious part of the City in an area of wide boulevards and avenues designed by architect, Ildefons Cerdā in the 19th century after the ancient city walls were torn down. The Eixample extends out from the Plaįa de Catalunya in an organized grid pattern. This area is known for its fashionable, high-end shopping areas, especially along the Passeig de Grācia, but is most popular for the wealth of modernism architecture, particularly by Antoni Gaudi.

The Golden Triangle and the Block of Discord - The Eixample has so many landmark modernism buildings that it is often referred to as the Quadrat d’Or, or the Golden Square. Make sure you are sporting comfortable walking shoes, as these architectural attractions are best viewed on foot. A visitor can start out at the Plaįa de Catalunya and start walking north on the Passeig de Grācia towards the Avinguda de la Diagonal to see countless art nouveau wonders from the 19th and early 20th centuries at every turn.

Not to be missed is the famous de la Discōrdia, or Block of Discord along Passeig de Grācia, which features three uniquely different modernism buildings by art nouveau architects, Puig i Cadafalch, Antoni Guidi and Domčnech i Montaner, with Gaudi’s psychedelic Casa Battlķ standing out among the pack. Further along, can be found two additional Gaudi landmarks, the Casa Mila (La Pedrera) and the spectacular cathedral, Sagrada Familia. The lovely plaza fronting the Sagrada Familia is a great spot to enjoy some refreshment and rest your feet. A nearby Starbucks even has a free Wi-Fi hotspot.

Shopping - After touring all of the landmark modernism archictecture so prevalent in the Eixample, you can shop until you drop at the numerous shops, high-end designer boutiques and shopping malls, especially along the fashionable Passeig de Grācia. Fashions from the popular Spanish designers Adolfo Dominguez and Antonio Mirķ can be found as well as, Hermčs, Chanel and Yves-Saint-Laurent, to name just a few. The Bulevard Rosa on Passeig de Grācia and L’illa on Avinguda Diagonal are popular shopping malls offering Spanish fashions and chains such as Mango and Zara.

The Vincon is worth a visit for its trendy, modern home furnishings such as, avant-garde armchairs by Philippe Starck. You can get a nice view of Gaudi’s Casa Mila (La Pedrera) from the hip furniture gallery on the second floor. The Valencia based firm of Lladrķ, known world-wide for its beautiful porcelain figures, has a popular factory store on the Passeig de Grācia that even offers factory tours of the age-old production process.

How to get to Eixample District: by Subway to Passeig de Grācia station- Line 2,3,4

Passeig Gracia Barcelona



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