L'Eixample

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Barcelona, Spain - 14th February 2013: Tourists enjoying their visit to the rooftop of Casa Mila, La Pedrera, to see the iconic Gaudi chimneys that overlook the Sagrada Familia and the heart of downtown Barcelona, Spain.

©fotoVoyager/Getty Images

Overview

The elegant, if traffic-filled, district of L'Eixample (pronounced 'lay-sham-pluh') is a showcase for Modernista architecture, including Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Família. L'Eixample also has a celebrated dining scene, along with high-end boutiques and wildly diverse nightlife: university party spots, gilded cocktail lounges and the buzzing gay club scene of 'Gaixample' are all part of the mix.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • BARCELONA - AUGUST 9: View of the Sagrada Familia, iconic landmark in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on August 9, 2017. Designed by Gaudi and estimated to be completed by 2028. Cranes digitally removed 756015418 antoni, antonio, architecture, art, barcelona, blue, building, catalan, catalonia, cathedral, church, city, construction, designed, editorial, europe, facade, familia, family, famous, gaudi, gothic, historical, history, la, landmark, modern, monument, pond, religion, sagrada, sky, spain, spanish, structure, summer, tall, temple, tourism, tower, town, travel

    La Sagrada Família

    L'Eixample

    The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…

  • Barcelona, Casa Batlló is one of the two great buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí on Passeig de Gràcia From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones.

    Casa Batlló

    L'Eixample

    One of Europe's strangest residential buildings, Casa Batlló (built 1904–6) is Gaudí at his fantastical best. From its playful facade and marine-world…

  • Barcelona, Spain - June 12, 2017 : Casa Mila popularly known as La Pedrera or open quarry, a reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, i

    La Pedrera

    L'Eixample

    In the top tier of Gaudí's achievements, this madcap Unesco-listed masterpiece, with 33 balconies, was built in 1905–10 as a combined apartment and office…

  • Fundacio Antoni Tapies, Modernista building by Domenech i Montaner - Barcelona, Cataluna

    Fundació Antoni Tàpies

    L'Eixample

    The Fundació Antoni Tàpies is both a pioneering Modernista building (completed in the early 1880s) and the major collection of leading 20th-century…

  • Inside of Casa Amatller

    Casa Amatller

    L'Eixample

    One of Puig i Cadafalch’s most striking flights of Modernista fantasy, Casa Amatller combines Gothic window frames and Romanesque flourishes with a…

  • Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain - A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau

    L'Eixample

    Domènech i Montaner outdid himself as architect and philanthropist with the Modernista Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, renamed the 'Recinte…

  • Inside of Palau Macaya

    Palau Macaya

    L'Eixample

    The 1901 Palau Macaya is one of Barcelona's great yet least-known Catalan Modernisme gems. It was designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who was…

  • Exterior of the Museu Egipci

    Museu Egipci

    L'Eixample

    Hotel magnate Jordi Clos has spent much of his life collecting ancient Egyptian artefacts, brought together in this private museum divided into thematic…

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