The Eixample is a district of Barcelona between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and what were once surrounding small towns (Sants, Gràcia, Sant Andreu etc.).The Eixample is still the city's main shopping and business district, spreading out on either side of the two principal (and parallel) thoroughfares, Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya, both of which cut northwest from the Plaça de Catalunya.

Constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, some parts of the Eixample were heavily influenced by modernist architects, most notably the work of Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The best-known examples of Barcelona's modernista architecture are: "Mansana" de la Discòrdia and Gaudí's La Pedrera. There's no doubt that Antoni Gaudí is the best exponent of this modernist trend. Gaudí's work in the Eixample includes the Casa Milà (nicknamed La Pedrera) and the Casa Batlló, both of which are on the wide Passeig de Gràcia, as well as the Sagrada Família.

You’ll want to make a stop at the magnificent Casa Batlló, a Gaudi-designed structure that’s on the UNESCO World Heritage list. You’ll also want to visit the Casa Milà, with its wavy walls which remind some of honeycombs and others of African cave dwellings. Today, many of Gaudi’s masterpieces remain and have gone from being private residences to places of business like offices and banks.

If you want to explore modernisme beyond the boundaries of Barcelona, the center can also supply you with information on towns such as Reus (Gaudí's' birthplace) and Terrassa, which has many modernista industrial buildings. Some parts of the Eixample are rather well-to-do neighbourhoods, especially around the central Passeig de Gràcia, but the Eixample also contains many decaying buildings inhabited by lonely aged tenants on the verge of poverty, especially in the fringe areas.

There's less to get excited about on the west side of Rambla de Catalunya. Nevertheless, certain areas provide an interesting contrast with the modernista excesses over the way, particularly those urban park projects close to the Sants Estació which heralded a movement known here as nou urbanisme. In early 2005, the Centre del Modernisme will be opening branches at the Hospital Sant Pau and the Finca Güell in Pedralbes.

Around Barcelona

Ciutadella and Barceloneta

Eixample

Montjuïc

Ramblas and the Old Town

Suburbs

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