The Eixample in seven experiences
To get to know the Eixample you should know that it is divided into six neighborhoods of labyrinthine streets with a total of 7.48 square km. The Eixample Dret , the most touristic, with the Passeig de Gracia , the Casa Batllo , the Casa Mila , better known as The stone , and the Catalonia Square.
L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample is the left side, more discreet and older, with the Gran Via , the building of the University of Barcelona , the Hospital Clinic and the wonderful School of Medicine.
Casa Batlló, a symbol of Gaudí's Modernism.
The Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample discover us the park Joan Miro , the neighborhood of Sant Antoni and timidly draws us towards saints and the Montjuic Park.
The jewel in the crown, the sacred Family , also belongs to the Eixample.
Lastly, the Fort Pienc , the lung of the Eixample, with more green areas and adjacent to the diagonal avenue and the Glories Square.
The Holy Family
EAT SLOWLY AT ENRIC GRANADOS
the street of Enrique Granados It is one of the most charming streets in the Eixample . Possibly, its buildings and its pedestrian area make it a corner sheltered from the overwhelming activity of the surroundings.
There is nothing better than strolling through it to discover, from the Provincial Street until the Diagonal, great places to whet your appetite.
From a coffee with one of the delicious cakes at **Brunch & Cake** to a more elegant meal as evening falls at **Chéri . Without forgetting one of its most emblematic and photogenic flower shops, ** Millo de Riboti- Un air de Provence .
You will fall in love with the Bardot bistro, while the Bellavista del Jardín del Norte will attract you like Ulysses the sirens. You could end up at the Cosmo, a bar-art gallery where you can stop time and get to know the city in its fullness.
THE ART OF EIXAMPLE
art belongs to Council of Cent like wine to grapes. Although many of its art galleries have had to close down over time, you can still see the strength of a sector that is not resigned to losing momentum.
Some of the best known are Barbie , L'espai dels somnis of the Mayoral Gallery , scope wave of Art Petritxol , quite a veteran. Despite the closures, there is also room for novelties such as the Object of Desire Gallery .
WE STOP TIME IN PAU CLARIS
We get away from the tourist bustle of the Passeig de Gracia to approach one of its parallels, Paul Claris . The streets of the Eixample are so long that it gives us the feeling that in each block we find a different story, where the passage of time has either stopped or gone too fast.
At the start of Pau Claris, from Diagonal, we have that feeling. We are greeted by a modernist street with the Comalat House , designed by Salvador Valeri i Pupurul in 1906, and recently opened places such as Entrepanes Díaz. Interior design of ten for unique signature sandwiches.
From Café Emma, French Mediterranean cuisine with exquisite decoration, we come to the concept store by Jaime Beriestain. Cozy place to discover what's new in interior design or have a snack at any time.
Pau Claris street changes as we walk, with older buildings like the Vilardell Pharmacy , closed some years ago, now owned by a bank branch. Also shops that would delight lovers of antiques such as the store gold frame .
ARAGON GETS BEAUTIFUL
It is certainly not one of its prettiest streets, but Aragón is one of the arteries of Barcelona and the Eixample. A wide street of infinite length to see the authentic activity of the city.
We are approaching the neighboring Aragón with Passeig de Gracia and we find surprises. The rush is making it beautiful with new openings such as OD Barcelona, a five-star hotel owned by the company ocean drive of Marc Rahola.
“It is a hotel that wants to be open to residents, not just tourists. With an area for drinks and cocktails, a terrace and Mediterranean cuisine, with a lunch menu”, explains Marc Rahola for Traveler.es.
Its peculiarity is that it is built in what was the headquarters of metallic carbides Barcelona, hence the number of columns it has. The jewel of OD Barcelona it is in the decoration of its rooms finished in bamboo, all studied in detail by the interior designer Mayte Matutes.
Aragón continues to show off with other new arrivals such as the Wer-Haus concept store, an art and book gallery, a cafeteria and a multi-brand store.
DESIGN AFTERWORKS
Not far from Aragón we find several streets with which to continue enjoying this walk. The Valencia street offers us design gastronomy with the new opening of Tapas Tomato and the mythical Toto, ideal for dinner and put music to the matter.
It gets interesting. The after work they are fashionable and more so if they are in hotels. We jump to the Rambla de Catalunya and we stayed at the Hotel Murmuri, a design boutique hotel open to culture and art in equal measure. We stay enjoying their afterworks until evening falls. To the rich cocktail!
STYLISH GLOTTONY
We think we are in Paris when we step on the london street , touching Diagonal. Wherever you look, everything is beautiful and everything you want in just two blocks. Why?
Its gastronomic offer is very high, but with that Parisian coquetry that makes it irresistible. Impossible to agree!
**For meat, Asador Aranda ** ; for friends of the Peruvian, Ceviche 103; for Italians, Parking Pizza; caps on the 4 cans; and hamburgers in the Figaro Eco Burger _(Muntaner street, 212) _. We continue and we can not leave without approaching the picturesque bar The Velodrome _(Calle Muntaner, 213) _ a classic in the area.
NIGHT LIFE IN SANT ANTONI
The route through the Eixample attracts us to its fashionable street, the parliament street . A perfect redoubt for lovers of beautiful things.
With a European urban style we find bars with high ceilings, open and with shared tables. Impossible not to fall in love with the Federal Café, the Calders Bar or the Cometa Café. A full-fledged 'must go'.
Night falls and we rub our hands together. Who knows what he will bring with him? In Barcelona everything is possible. It is essential to drop by the neighborhood of Sant Antoni , mestizo, scoundrel and brother of the Raval.
Any of its bars is good to follow the rhythm of its streets. The main _(Sepúlveda Street, 186) _ is one of the mythical places to have the first beer of the night. We can continue at ** La Confitería ** _(calle de Sant Pau, 128) _, a modernist pastry shop transformed into a bar, and let loose at the ** XIX Bar ** _(calle Rocafort, 19) _ with jazz music and some good gins.