We propose a walk along one of the most important avenues of Barcelona: Passeig de Gracia (Passeig de Gràcia)…
This huge avenue was until 1827 a road that linked the city with the town of Gracia. At that time, Barcelona was located between walls and small towns appeared around it: Sants, Sant Gervasi and Gracia, among others.
A few decades later, specifically in 1857, the walls were demolished and a few years later the project of Ildefonso Cerdá began, the beginning of the current Eixample. Thanks to this project, the old road called Xamini de Jesús, now Paseo de Gracia, acquired great importance.
Gradually along the way, houses with beautiful gardens, cafes, theaters… appeared. And so, it took on a life of its own until it became the preferred leisure area for the Catalan bourgeoisie.
After the Universal Exposition of 1888, the houses were replaced by buildings and little by little the bourgeoisie began to see in this promenade the ideal place to live. The most popular architects of the time were called upon to build and remodel the homes and buildings…
The evolution of Paseo de Gracia has the stamp of Gaudí, Domenech i Montaner, Puig i Cadafalch… and other great architects of that time when modernism prevailed.
Strolling along Paseo de Gracia today not only allows you to admire the work of the most important architects of the time, but it also means walking along one of the most important avenues (if not the most important) of Barcelona and a shopping and leisure area that houses restaurants, cafes, and stores of the best brands.
It is a large shopping promenade with a length of approximately 5 kilometers. The most consumerist and shopping lovers will find in Paseo de Gracia a true paradise. And lovers of art, architecture and modernism will be fascinated by the many works worthy of admiration, among which Gaudí’s creations, La Pedrera and Casa Batlló stand out.
If you don’t know the city and are thinking of visiting it, a tour of the Paseo de Gracias is a must on your agenda. And if you live in the city, it will always be a perfect place to enjoy… But as it is not the same to tell it as to live it, in Salir por Barcelona we have gone to Paseo de Gracia and we have toured it with the aim of showing you its essence. Here is the result:
How to get there
Metro
Paseo de Gracia : Green Line, L3 and Yellow Line, L4 (south end)
Diagonal : Green Line, L3 and Blue Line, L5 (north end)
