Best Things to Do in Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona

New York has its Fifth Avenue, Paris has the Champs Elysées and Barcelona has the Paseo de Gracia. The most famous street of the city starts in the Plaza de Cataluña and ends in the Diagonal Avenue. In its 1.6 kilometers we find some of the most essential attractions of Barcelona and is the heart of modernism in the city.

But Paseo de Gracia is much more than beautiful buildings. It is the center of commerce where the main stores of the most prestigious brands are located, there are dozens of restaurants and bars that are among the best and there is also space for culture and history. For all these reasons, Paseo de Gracia can be considered the main artery of the city, with permission of Las Ramblas, and below I will show you what to see on this avenue and what are the best plans it offers.

Antonio Gaudí is the star architect of Barcelona and it can be said that Passeig de Gràcia was like a canvas for him. It is in this street where Gaudí has two of his best works, the Batlló house and the Pedrera.

If we come from Plaça de Catalunya the first one we find is the Batlló house. Its name is due to the fact that it was the businessman Josep Batlló who commissioned Gaudí to build it. Actually the building already existed and the architect only had to capture his magic on it. It is one of the most striking examples of Gaudí's modernism thanks to its forms inspired by nature and the colors of its facades.

It is also one of the most visited monuments in Barcelona and also one of the most highly valued. In fact, in 2021 it received an award that accredited it as the best monument in the world. Visiting the Casa Batlló is almost a must if you are in Barcelona.

My advice is to book tickets in advance, because if you wait to buy them at the box office you will most likely find long queues.

Sharing the limelight with the Batlló house, we have in the same Passeig de Gràcia the Pedrera, also a work of Antonio Gaudí and a fundamental piece of the architect's tours of the city.

Located at number 92, it was commissioned by the couple Pedro Milá and Roser Segimon who trusted Gaudí to build them the best possible family home. The architect more than delivered and since its completion in 1910, La Pedrera has been home to illustrious figures of Catalan society.

Today it is owned by the Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation, which is in charge of organizing tours, activities and exhibitions inside the building.

On the outside La Pedrera is somewhat more discreet than the Batlló house, but its forms are equally surprising and inside it is an architectural prodigy. It is worth paying the entrance fee to enter and see how all its rooms reflect forms of nature and are full of symbolism.

It is worth mentioning its roof, known as the roof of the warriors, for the shapes of its chimneys and for offering some of the best views of Barcelona. A special activity is held here at night, consisting of a projection show on the chimneys of the warriors. It is, without a doubt, one of the best places to see in Passeig de Gracia.

The Batlló house gets all the attention and makes its neighbors go unnoticed. And its neighbors are not exactly discreet. In fact, the building next door to Casa Batlló is another exquisite example of modernism. The Amatller house does not enjoy the fame of its neighbor nor is it the work of Gaudí, but of the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, but it is also part of the best buildings on Paseo de Gracia. You just have to stop to see it. Its design is inspired by a Gothic palace but with the characteristic touch of modernism.

The facade is its main attraction, adorned almost entirely with ceramic elements. The portal is ornamented with a sculpture of St. George fighting the dragon that is the work of sculptor Eusebi Arnau.

But the beauty is also inside and the Amatller house can be visited. There are guided tours or audio tours of between 45 minutes and 1 hour that go through the rooms of the house, the library and the photographic archive that keeps. The good thing is that you won't have to wait in line or endure crowds as is the case with its neighbor.

It seems that spectacular houses are the hallmark of Passeig de Gràcia. I could list many more in this list but I will close the review of these symbolic buildings of Passeig de Gràcia talking about Casa Lleó i Morera. And is that you can not ignore this building considered one of the best modernist works.

This consideration is not only because of what is seen with the naked eye, but because it reflects the work of more than 40 prominent artists of modernism.

The architect who led this construction was Lluís Domènech i Montaner who got his work to be considered as a palace of Catalan music on a small scale, which for those who do not know, is one of the most beautiful buildings in Barcelona.

On this occasion you can not visit the interior, although you can enter the stores on the first floor, but contemplating the shapes and sculptures of the facade is more than enough to be considered one of the most outstanding buildings of Passeig de Gràcia.

Passeig de Gràcia is surrounded by stories and curiosities. Knowing them can be one of the most interesting plans to do in this mythical street as we will get to see it with different eyes.

Of all these stories and tales, the best known and most interesting is the one known as the "manzana de la discordia" (apple of discord). This is the name given to the block located between Aragon and Consejo de Ciento streets and formed by the buildings of Casa Lleó Morera by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Casa Mulleras by Enric Sagnier, Casa Bonet by Marceliano Coquillat, Casa Amatller by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and, the best known of them all, Casa Batlló by Antoni Gaudí.

The name of this group of buildings is inspired by the mythological story of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, which ended with a discussion between the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite to decide which of them was the most beautiful. And the same thing happened with these houses.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when most of them were built, the architects who designed them fought among themselves to receive the urban planning awards from the Barcelona City Council to see which was the best work. It has never been unanimously decided which is the most beautiful building, so it can be entertaining to walk around this block of Paseo de Gracia and decide on a personal basis which of them is the most beautiful house.

Another of the characteristics that have given fame to Paseo de Gracia are its stores and stores. It is often compared to the Fifth Avenue in New York or the Champs Elysées in Paris precisely for hosting the stores of the most prestigious brands in the world. Brands such as Gucci, Hermes, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton or Versace among many others.

There is also room for local commerce. In fact, one of the most outstanding stores is Santa Eulalia. This original haute couture store in Barcelona is also one of the oldest and most important and has come to compete with the leading brands.

Although Passeig de Gracia is dominated by beauty and luxury, it is reserved only for the privileged few. But there is also room for most mortals. In the area of the promenade closest to Plaça de Catalunya there are also several franchises and stores more suitable for all budgets. In any case, Passeig de Gràcia is the area to visit if shopping is part of your travels.

There is no day of sightseeing or shopping that is not improved by enjoying a good meal. Although it is always a good idea to take a gastronomic tour of Barcelona, on Paseo de Gracia you will find some of the best restaurants in Barcelona.

If I had to choose just one place on the promenade to have lunch or dinner it would definitely be the Nacional. One of the oldest and most special restaurants in Barcelona. Between two buildings and after walking down a small alley you will discover this temple of gastronomy. It is not a normal restaurant. It is a space of more than 2000 square meters with different spaces to enjoy various types of food and drinks.

Inside the Nacional there is a meat restaurant, a fish restaurant, a tapas and rice restaurant and a gourmet fast food restaurant. There are also different bars for beer, wine, cava, cocktails and other beverages.

Of course there are more places to eat on Passeig de Gracia. From Michelin stars to bars and restaurants for all budgets. There are options for everyone.

Culture also has its space in Passeig de Gràcia. Specifically at the end of it just at the intersection with the Diagonal Avenue. There is the Palau Robert.

This old palace from 1903, which was the home of the Marquis of Robert, today houses one of the most important cultural centers of the city, owned by the Generalitat de Catalunya. It has three exhibition halls where there are continually exhibitions of painting, photography, historical exhibitions and all kinds of cultural content.

It also has a space for concerts, a tourist office of the city, a bookstore and its gardens are open to the public. There is always something to see in the Robert Palace, so if you enjoy culture I leave you the link to their website where all the activities and exhibitions held in this corner of Paseo de Gracia.

Sometimes what is most enjoyable is simplicity. Like the simplicity of simply taking a walk. And the Paseo de Gracia is highly recommended in this sense. And why? Well, the best way to find out is to put it into practice, but I will try to show you in words why. I can simply say that it is one of the streets, if not the most, beautiful of all Barcelona. Its charm lies not only in its buildings.

Another attraction that catches the attention of passersby is the decoration of Passeig de Gràcia. It is so much attention to detail that the modernist architects put in this street that even their lampposts are works of art.

In fact, they are one of the symbols of the place. There are a total of 32 lampposts-benchessigned by the architect Pere Falqués i Urpí whose shapes and treatment make them practically sculptures.

Modernism is reflected even in the floor, on whose pavement are printed forms of nature and other decorative elements that are the work of Antonio Gaudí. For everything described, and that improves and much better in person, you should honor the title of walk and stroll down this street enjoying its beauty.

In Passeig de Gràcia there are also hidden among modernist buildings some very interesting museums and art galleries. Leaving aside the museums and exhibitions of the Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, there are some as interesting as the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona. This has more than 1200 pieces of Egyptian culture that make it one of the most important Egyptian collections in Europe.

Another museum that we find is the museum of perfumes. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most curious that you will discover and reviews the history and art through the containers that contained perfumes from Roman times to modernism and today.

Although these two are not usually on the lists of the best museums in Barcelona as they are somewhat more niche, they are still worth a visit. In addition, Passeig de Gràcia has dozens of art galleries located mainly on the far left near the intersection with Avinguda Diagonal.