Passeig de Garcia, Barcelona

Paseo de Gracia is the upmarket shopping street of Barcelona where many luxury stores can be found, including: Cartier, Dolce & Gabana, Bulgari and Carolina Herrera. There are also a good variety of restaurants.
Major thoroughfare in Barcelona that is lined with shops, restaurants, bars and some of Gaudí's architectural masterpieces.

4 more images

It was the day that we decided to walk up Passeig de Gracia to check some masterpieces of Gaudi. Passeig de Gracia is probably the most expensive avenue in Barcelona, the rents touch the sky and some of the most famous (and expensive) brands have stores here (Rolex, Guci etc). This area of Barcelona (Eixample) is at the north part of the old town and has many art nouveau buildings. The modernism movement in architecture was born the second half of the 19th century when the rich trades have enough money to pay new architects to build impressive new buildings. Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) is the most famous of modernism movement in Barcelona and there are so many buildings here to see that you can spend hours for them if you want to check the interior of some them too.

There is a specific block (Manzana de la Discordia) that has some fine buildings of three different important architects (Gaudi, Cadafalch and Montaner). First of all at the corner with Carrer del Consell de Cent you can see the Casa Lleo Morera designed by L.Montaner(1950-1923) in 1902 (originally built in 1864). It is quite impressive and before I read about it I thought it was Gaudi’s work (pic 1). You cant get inside.

Next to it is Casa Ramon Mulleras that was built in 1868 by E.Sagnier (1858-1931) and then Casa Amatller that was designed by J.Cadafalch(1867-1956) in 1898 (both buildings in pic 2).
Then is one of my favourite buildings of Gaudi, Casa Batllo.(pic 3) It was built in 1877 and restored by Gaudi in 1905. There so many curves on the building, I couldn’t even find one straight line. The façade is impressive with so many details and the dragon-like roof tops it all. It is open daily 9.00-20.00, the interior is amazing (check the main living room) but the entrance fee (17 euro) may keep you back.

Gaudi is also the designer of some of the street lamps and definitely you will be surprised of the weird benches around too (pic 4). If you have some time check Antoni Tapies Fundacion at Carrer D’arago 255, another Montaner’s building of 1879 with the strange iron sculpture on the roof “cloud and chair”. I didn’t go inside (it was closed) but it is supposed to have a big collection of paintings and other pieces of Tapies. Finally another fine example of Montaner is at Carrer de Mallorca 291 where is Casa Thomas, designed in 1895(pic 5).

1 more image

Casa Mila - Mila House - also known as La Pedrera, or "the quarry", is an apartment building. The structure took four years to build, between 1906-1910 and it was constructed for the Mila family. Internationally celebrated, Casa Mila is a prime example of Gaudi's civil architecture; a real example of form following function that aesthetically appealing as well as outstandingly practical

4 more images

With its elegance, luxury boutiques and tree-lined pavements, the Passeig de Gràcia could be considered the "Champs-Elysées" of Barcelona. This beautiful wide avenue cuts through the Eixample district and boasts some of the most famous Modernista buildings in the city, such as La Pedrera and Casa Batllò. The avenue's Modernista lampposts were designed by Pere Falqués, while the octagonal tiles covering the pavements are replicas of Gaudí's designs from la Pedrera (see attached photos).

1 more image

This is a beautiful avenue in the Eixample area of Barcelona.
It is home to some of Gaudi’s masterpieces (La Pedrera and Casa Batlló) and shops like Chanel, Gucci etc etc.
You cannot miss the ceramic benches and the amazing wrought-iron lamp-posts.
It is very nice to stroll down this beautiful boulevard, starting at the Plaça de Catalunya.

1 more image

Built in 1890 by the architect Enric Sagnier Villavecchia, the two adjacent residential buildings housed the families of Sebastià Pascual and Alexandre Pons. The single structure was designed in a neo-Gothic style with two towers, one circular and the other polygonal. The building is at the lower end of Passeig de Gràcia and is one of the first Modernista buildings to be seen when walking into the Eixample district.

Occupying a prime spot on Passeig de Gràcia, the Casa Malagrida is as sumptuous as its address. It was designed by Joaquim Codina i Matalí as an apartment building and completed around 1908. Its design combines Belle Epoque and Gothic elements and is distinguished by its square onion cupola.

1 more image

With their towers and neo-Gothic architecture, the Cases Antoni Rocamora buildings stand like a medieval castle guarding the beginning of the Passeig de Gràcia. The structure is made up of several separate residential buildings, built by the Bassegoda brothers in 1917, in a flamboyant modernista style drawing on Gothic and Renaissance elements.