Passeig de Gràcia.The nineteenth-century street grid north of Plaça de Catalunya is the city’s main shopping and business district. It was designed as part of a revolutionary urban plan – the Eixample in Catalan (“Extension” or “Widening”) – that divided districts into regular blocks, whose characteristic wide streets and shaved corners survive today. Two parallel avenues, Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya, are the backbone of the Eixample, with everything to the east known as the Dreta de l’Eixample (the right-hand side). It’s here that the bulk of the city’s famous modernista (Catalan Art Nouveau) buildings are found, along with an array of classy galleries and some of the city’s most stylish shops. Start your exploration from either Metro Passeig de Gràcia or Metro Diagonal.
Passeig de Gràcia.
The prominent avenue, which runs northwest from Plaça de Catalunya, was laid out in its present form in 1827. It later developed as a showcase for modernista architects, eagerly commissioned by status-conscious merchants and businessmen. Walk the length of Passeig de Gràcia from Plaça de Catalunya to Avinguda Diagonal (a 25min stroll) and you’ll pass some of the city’s most extraordinary architecture, notably the famous group of buildings (including casas Amatller and Batllò) known as the Mansana de la Discòrdia, or “Block of Discord”, as they show off wildly varying manifestations of the modernista style and spirit. Further up is Antoni Gaudí’s iconic apartment building La Pedrera, while, in between, wrought-iron Art Nouveau street lamps, fashion stores and designer hotels set the tone for this resolutely upscale avenue.
Passeig de Gràcia
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Pg. de Gràcia 39 Passeig de Gràcia 
932 160 121, 
museodelperfume.com. Mon–Fri 10.30am–8pm, Sat 11am–2pm. €5.
At the back of the Regia perfume store is a private collection of over five thousand perfume and essence bottles from Egyptian times onwards. There are some exquisite pieces, including Turkish filigree-and-crystal ware and bronze and silver Indian elephant flasks, while more modern times are represented by scents made for Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.
Casa Batlló
Roger Mapp
Fundació Amatller, Pg. de Gràcia 41 Passeig de Gràcia amatller.org.
Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s striking Casa Amatller (1900) was designed for Antoni Amatller, a Catalan chocolate manufacturer, art collector, photographer and traveller. It’s awash with coloured ceramic decoration, while inside the hallway twisted stone columns are interspersed with dragon lamps. Guided tours are occasionally available (check website for details) while renovation works continue and usually include a visit to Amatller’s photographic studio as well as chocolate-tasting in the original kitchen. The house also displays temporary exhibitions under the auspices of the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art.
Pg. de Gràcia 43 Passeig de Gràcia 932 160 306, casabatllo.es. Daily 9am–9pm, access occasionally restricted. €18.50.
The most extraordinary creation on the “Block of Discord” is the Casa Batllò, designed for the industrialist Josep Batllò and finished in 1907. Antoni Gaudí created an undulating facade that Salvador Dalí later compared to “the tranquil waters of a lake”. The sinuous interior, meanwhile, resembles the inside of some great organism, complete with meandering, snakeskin-patterned walls. Self-guided audio tours show you the main floor, the patio and rear facade, the ribbed attic and celebrated mosaic rooftop chimneys. Advance tickets are recommended (by phone, in person or online); the scrum of visitors can be a frustrating business at peak times.
C/Aragó 255 Passeig de Gràcia 934 870 315, fundaciotapies.org. Tue–Thu & Sat 10am–7pm (Fri 9pm), Sun 10am–3pm. €7.
Modernisme
The Catalan offshoot of Art Nouveau, modernisme, was the expression of a renewed upsurge in Catalan nationalism in the 1870s. Its most famous exponent was Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852–1926), whose buildings are apparently lunatic flights of fantasy, which at the same time are perfectly functional. His architectural influences were Moorish and Gothic, while he embellished his work with elements from the natural world. The imaginative impetus he provided inspired others like Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850–1923) – perhaps the greatest modernista architect – and Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867–1957), both of whom also experimented with the use of ceramic tiles, ironwork, stained glass and stone carving. This combination of traditional methods with modern technology became the hallmark of modernisme – producing some of the most exciting architecture to be found anywhere in the world.
The definitive collection of the work of Catalan abstract artist Antoni Tàpies i Puig (who died in 2012) is housed in modernista architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s first important building, the Casa Montaner i Simon (1880). You can’t miss it – the foundation building is capped by Tàpies’s own striking sculpture, Núvol i Cadira (“Cloud and Chair”, 1990), a tangle of glass, wire and aluminium. The artist was born in Barcelona in 1923 and was a founding member (1948) of the influential avant-garde Dau al Set (“Die at Seven”) artists’ group. Tàpies’s abstract style matured in the 1950s, with underlying messages and themes signalled by the inclusion of everyday objects and symbols on the canvas. Changing exhibitions focus on selections of Tàpies’s work, while other shows highlight works by various contemporary artists.
C/de València 284 Passeig de Gràcia 934 880 188, museuegipci.com. Mon–Fri 10am–2pm & 4–8pm (summer: Mon–Sat 10am–10pm), Sun 10am–2pm. €12.
Barcelona’s Egyptian Museum is an exceptional private collection of over a thousand ancient artefacts, from amulets to sarcophagi – there’s nothing else in Spain quite like it. Visitors are given a detailed English-language guidebook, but the real pleasure is a serendipitous wander, turning up items like cat mummies or the rare figurine of a spoonbill (ibis) representing an Egyptian god. There are temporary exhibitions, plus a good shop and terrace café, while the museum also hosts children’s activities and themed events.
Museo Egipci de Barcelona
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Palau Montaner
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C/Roger de Llúria 56, between C/Consell de Cent and C/Diputació Girona. Daily 10.30am–dusk. €1.55
The original nineteenth-century Eixample urban plan – by utopian architect Ildefons Cerdà – was drawn up with local inhabitants very much in mind. Space, light and social community projects were part of the grand design, and something of the original municipal spirit can be seen in the Jardins de les Torres de les Aigües, an enclosed square (reached down a herringbone-brick tunnel) centred on a Moorish-style water tower. It has been handsomely restored by the city council, who turn it into a backyard family beach every summer, complete with sand and paddling pool. Another example of the old Eixample lies directly opposite, across C/Roger de Llúria, where the cobbled Passatge del Permanyer cuts across an Eixample block, lined by candy coloured, single-storey townhouses.
Between C/de Valencia and C/d’Aragó Girona laconcepcio.com. Mon & Sat 8am–3pm, Tue–Fri 8am–8pm (summer: Mon–Sat 8am–3pm); florists 24/7.
Flowers, shrubs and plants are a Concepció speciality (the florists on C/Valencia are open 24 hours a day), and there are some good snack bars inside the market and a few outdoor cafés to the side. The market takes its name from the nearby church of La Concepció (entrance on C/Roger de Llúria), whose quiet cloister is a surprising haven of slender columns and orange trees.
C/de Mallorca 278 Passeig de Gràcia 933 177 652, rutadelmodernisme.com. Guided visits: for groups only; reservations required. Tickets from €7.
The Palau Montaner (1896) has a curious history – after the original architect quit, Lluís Domènech i Montaner took over halfway through construction, and the top half of the facade is clearly more elaborate than the lower part. Meanwhile, the period’s most celebrated craftsmen were set to work on the interior, which sports rich mosaic floors, painted glass, carved woodwork and a monumental staircase.
The building is now the seat of the Madrid government’s delegation to Catalunya, but it is possible to arrange guided tours that explain something of the house’s history and show you the lavish public rooms, grand dining room and courtyard. It’s unusual to be able to get inside a private modernista house of the period, so it’s definitely worth the effort.
Pg. de Gràcia 92, entrance on C/Provença Diagonal 902 400 973, lapedrera.com. Daily: March–Nov 9am–8.30pm; Dec–Feb 9am–6.30pm.Tickets from €15. Nits d'estiu: last week June to first week Sept Thu–Sat 9–11pm; €25, advance sales online.
Antoni Gaudí’s weird apartment building at the top of Passeig de Gràcia is simply not to be missed – though you can expect queues whenever you visit. Popularly known as La Pedrera, “the stone quarry”, its rippled facade, curving around the street corner in one smooth sweep, is said to have been inspired by the mountain of Montserrat, while the apartments themselves resemble eroded cave dwellings. Indeed, there’s not a straight line to be seen – hence the contemporary joke that the new tenants would only be able to keep snakes as pets. The self-guided visit includes a trip up to the extraordinary terrat (roof terrace) to see at close quarters the enigmatic chimneys – you should note that the roof terrace is often closed if it’s raining. In addition, there’s an excellent exhibition about Gaudí’s life and work installed under the 270 curved brick arches of the attic. El Pis (“the apartment”), on the building’s fourth floor, re-creates the design and style of a modernista-era bourgeois apartment in a series of extraordinarily light rooms that flow seamlessly from one to another. The apartment is filled with period furniture and effects, while the moulded door and window frames, and even the brass door handles, all follow Gaudí’s sinuous building design. During the Nits d'estiu (“summer nights” – advance booking essential) you can enjoy the amazing rooftop by night with a complimentary glass of cava and music, while other concerts are also held at La Pedrera at various times.
Through the grand main entrance of the building there’s access to the Pedrera exhibition hall, which hosts temporary art shows of works by major international artists.
Pg. de Gràcia 107 Diagonal 932 388 091, gencat.cat/palaurobert. Mon–Sat 9am–8pm, Sun 9am–2.30pm. Free.
Visit the information centre for the Catalunya region for regularly changing exhibitions on all matters Catalan, from art to business. There are several exhibition spaces, both inside the main palace – built as a typical aristocratic residence in 1903 – and in the old coach house. The centre is also an important concert venue for recitals and orchestras, while the gardens around the back are a popular meeting point for local nannies and their charges.
La Pedrera
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Av. Diagonal 373 Diagonal 934 678 000, llull.cat. Mon 9am–5pm, Tue–Thu 9am–5.30pm, Fri till 2pm.
The beautifully detailed Palau Baró de Quadras (a Josep Puig i Cadafalch work from 1904) now serves as the headquarters of the Institut Ramon Llull, an organization that promotes Catalan language studies at universities worldwide. Though most of the building is closed to the public, visitors can look around its stunningly ornate ground floor during the institute’s opening hours. If you first see the building from the Avinguda Diagonal side, be sure to walk around to Carrer del Rosselló – this side of the building is decorated in a more subdued, but very lovely, modernista style.
Av. Diagonal 416–420 Diagonal. casadelespunxes.com. Daily 10am–7pm.
Cadafalch’s largest work, the soaring Casa Terrades, is more usually known as the Casa de les Punxes (“House of Spikes”) because of its red-tiled turrets and steep gables. Built in 1903 for three sisters, and converted from three separate houses spreading around an entire corner of a block, the crenellated structure is almost northern European in style, reminiscent of a Gothic castle.
Passatge Permanyer Girona
If this elegant, leafy alleyway cut into one of the monolithic blocks of the Eixample reminds you of London, it’s no coincidence. Ildefons Cerdà, who planned this part of the city’s expansion, took inspiration from Regent’s Park and included green spaces in the centre of his squares. Most of them were built over immediately – if they were built at all – and now contain car parks and retail space, but 46 alleys (passatges), of which Permanyer is the best preserved, break up the urban grid and lend a glimpse of what could have been.
Palau Baró de Quadras
Roger Mapp
Enric Granados 46 Diagonal antoniomiro.es. Mon–Sat 10.30am–8.30pm.
The showcase for Barcelona’s most innovative designer, now also branding accessories and household design items.
Pg. de Gràcia 55–57 Passeig de Gràcia bulevarddelsantiquaris.com. Mon–Sat 10am–8.30pm; closed Sat in Aug.
An arcade with over seventy shops full of antiques - from toys and dolls to Spanish ceramics and African art.
Pg. de Gràcia 62 Passeig de Gràcia casadellibro.com. Mon–Sat 9.30am–9.30pm.
Barcelona’s biggest book emporium, with lots of English-language titles and Catalan literature in translation.
C/Mallorca 291 Verdaguer cubinya.es. Mon–Fri 10am–2pm & 4.30–8.30pm.
The building is stupendous – Domènech i Montaner’s modernista Casa Thomas – while inside holds the very latest in household design.
C/Balmes 116 Diagonal/FGC Provença 932 151 330, duaso.com. Mon–Fri 9am–8pm, Sat 10am–2pm.
Arnold Schwarzenegger shops for his stogies in this cigar-smokers’ paradise that features a walk-in humidor, in-store rolling demonstrations and expert advice.
Pg. de Gràcia 36, plus others Passeig de Gràcia mango.com. Mon–Sat 10am–9.30pm.
Barcelona is where high-street fashion chain Mango began. For last season’s gear at unbeatable prices, head to Mango Outlet (C/Girona 37).
C/de Provença 292 Diagonal purificaciongarcia.es. Mon–Sat 10am–8.30pm.
A hot designer with an eye for fabrics – Garcia’s first job was in a textile factory. She’s also designed clothes for film and theatre, and her costumes were seen at the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics.
Rambla de Catalunya 61 Passeig de Gràcia 902 112 641, reservaiberica.com. Mon–Fri 9.30am–9pm, Sat 10am–9pm.
A ham wonderland specializing in jamón ibérico de bellota, the finest of all the Spanish cured hams, which comes from acorn-fed pigs. Pick up pre-packaged samplers or tuck into a plate of paper-thin slices at one of the marble-topped tables.
Antonio Miró
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C/Girona 69 Girona 934 881 101. Tue–Thu & Sun 11.30am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am–1.30pm; closed Aug.
This quiet coffee stop is only four blocks from the main drag of Passeig de Gràcia. It’s been here since 1873 (a plaque outside honours its service to the city) and, with its timeworn modernista decor, it seems largely unchanged.
Rambla de Catalunya 50 Passeig de Gràcia 932 160 229. Mon–Fri 8.30am–9pm, Sat & Sun 9am–9pm.
Uptown pastisseria whose glittering windows are piled high with croissants, cakes, pastries and sweets. The small adjacent café has rambla seats, or you can take away your goodies for later.
Cafè del Centre
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C/Pau Claris 85 Passeig de Gràcia 933 027 310, laie.es. Mon–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat 10am–9pm (August 10am–8pm).
The city’s first and best bookshop-café (buy a book downstairs and take it to the café to read) is known for its popular weekday buffet breakfast spread, set lunch deals and à la carte dining.
C/del Consell de Cent 335 Passseig de Gràcia 935 286 002, 2254restaurant.com. Sun–Thu 11.am–midnight, Fri & Sat noon–1am.
The name of the restaurant stands for the number of kilometres between Barcelona and Palermo - the birthplace of the restaurant owner and chef, Nuncio Cona. Creative, tasty tapas and splendid desserts (tiramisu 2254, €7.50). Try some of their signature tapas (between €8.95 and €13) influenced by not just Spanish, but also Italian and French cuisine.
C/Paul Claris 103 Passseig de Gràcia 934 122 224. Mon–Fri 8am–5pm & 6.30–11.30pm, Sat 10am–5pm & 6pm–midnight, Sun 11am–5pm.
This no-nonsense French bistro is a favourite of local foodies. The decor borders on cliché, but the cooking is the real deal: fresh oysters, ripe cheese and a killer cassoulet. A sign reading “There’s no ketchup, no Coca-Cola, no Coca-Cola light, and there never will be” sets the tone. The €15 lunch menu and €25, four-course evening menu are unbeatable value.
Rambla Catalunya 100 Diagonal 932 154 894, labodegueta.cat. Mon–Fri 7am–1.45am, Sat 8am–1.45am, Sun & hols 6.30pm–1.45am; closed mornings in Aug.
This long-established bodega offers cava and wine by the glass, as well as ham, cheese, anchovies and other tapas to soak it up.
C/Aragó 261 Passeig de Gràcia 934 876 151; branch at C/de Casp 19 933 017 610. Daily 8am–1am (C/de Casp branch from 1pm).
Chain of big rustic diners, known for their meat and vegetables a la brasa (on the grill), most of which run between €6 and €12. They’re good places to sample hearty Catalan country cooking, with snails and wild mushrooms on the menu all year round and calçots (big spring onions) a spring speciality.
Pg. de Gràcia 24 Bis Passeig de Gràcia 935 185 053, elnacionalbcn.com. Daily noon–1am.
A massive one-stop-shop for Spanish cuisine. In this gorgeous, high-ceilinged space you’ll find a fish restaurant, grill, tapas bar, snack bar, oyster bar, wine bar, cocktail bar and most other bars you can think of. Check it out on the cheap with a quick snack or go for broke with a massive extra-aged rib-eye steak from the wood grill.
C/Diputació 269 Passeig de Gràcia 934 880 977, carlesabellan.com. Mon–Sat 9am–midnight.
Star chef Carles Abellan gets back to his roots at this basement tapas bar. There’s a reassuringly traditional feel that’s echoed in the menu, which features patatas bravas, Andalucian-style fried fish, meatballs, chorizo sausage and fried eggs. But the kitchen updates the classics too, so there’s also calamares romana (fried squid) dyed black with squid ink or a burger with foie gras. Most tapas cost €4–16. There’s always a rush and a bustle at meal times, so be aware you might have to queue.
Tapas, 24
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Ptge. de la Concepció 5 Diagonal 934 870 621, grupotragaluz.com/restaurante/tragaluz. Daily 1.30–4pm & 8pm–11.30pm.
A stylish uptown standby that attracts beautiful people by the score, and the classy Mediterranean-with-knobs-on cooking, served under a glass roof (tragaluz means “skylight”), doesn’t disappoint. The menu ranges from seasonal salads to grilled sea bass, with mains costing €16–30. It’s a relaxing stop for those fresh off the modernista trail (La Pedrera is just across the way).