Only a few districts of Barcelona are surrounded by as much symbolism as that of Gracia.
The old part of the neighborhood that gives it its name has not stopped proudly claiming its past as an independent municipality, and the new neighborhood map is recognized by making official the name Villa de gracia to name this unit of almost 50,000 inhabitants.
Gràcia is the neighborhood where you live best in Barcelona. It is a neighborhood with a village atmosphere, pedestrian streets, many squares, many restaurants and bars.
8. Jardí del Silenci
The streets of the Barcelona neighborhood of Gràcia are narrow. Jardí del Silenci has its urban charm but you will only find some green in the few trees in its squares, on its balconies and terraces -some with orchards- and in the hidden patios of the houses of the old town.
A large metal fence closes what looks like a building site, although it is the entrance to a paradise. It is not only because in a turn of the head you go from the brick walls to a splendid pergola of wisteria or from the noise of the buses to the beautiful melody that today sounds under the green dome.
It is also an oasis because this garden would not exist without the collective effort and voluntary work of the residents of the neighborhood who have prevented that space from becoming another block of flats.
7. Verdi Cinemas
Located in the Gràcia neighborhood, Cines Verdi have been a different cinema for more than 30 years.
Why different? If we leave aside the privileged neighborhood, the nine rooms it contains and the strict original version with subtitles of each film, we are left with a varied, alternative programming that is far from a commercial proposal.
Cines Verdi offers is a cinema that focuses on quality and diversity. On the other hand, the cinema has initiatives such as the Unpublished French Cinema sessions at Verdi, where French films that have not yet reached Spain are screened, or Verdi Kids, a program of children’s films designed for the little ones.
6. Casa Vicens
Casa Vicens was the first major commission that Antoni Gaudí received, in 1878, and is considered his first masterpiece. It is an imaginative, modern and innovative project, where the artist uses for the first time numerous structural, decorative and symbolic elements, which will end up defining his architectural language.
Gaudí designed a small house, structured in four levels: underground, ground floor and two floors. Inside, the young architect leaves samples of his talent, especially in the noble spaces and in the exotic smoking room.
The size of the site determines the location and orientation of the construction. Gaudí places the house on the northeast side of the plot, attached to the dividing wall of the neighboring building
This arrangement frees up enough space to also project a garden, in which he designs a monumental arch that frames a waterfall and guarantees the fresh atmosphere of the garden itself and the interior of the house.
5. Vila de Gràcia Square
It is one of the most emblematic places in the Gràcia neighborhood and one of the most curious in Barcelona.
With a square plan, it stands out above all for the great bell tower that is located right in the middle and that on the four faces of its upper part shows a huge clock.
The impressive Clock Tower was built between 1862 and 1864 with a design by Antoni Rovira i Trias.
Its origin was simple: as there is no bell tower high enough in the center of Villa of Gràcia so that the neighbors will hear it from all corners of the town.
The only churches with a bell tower were located on the outskirts, it was decided to build a bell tower to warn the inhabitants of the area in the event of any emergency situation.
4. Park Güell
The park was inaugurated in 1922 and since then it has become one of the main tourist attractions in Barcelona. In 1984 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
With an area of more than 17 hectares, Park Güell is covered by undulating forms, tree-like columns, animal figures and geometric shapes. Most of the surfaces are decorated with mosaics made from colored ceramic chips.
The architect, inspired by the forms of nature, endowed the park with an impressive ornamental creation in which there is neither rigidity nor classicism. All the sinuous and colorful forms of the elements of the park have an important symbolism, both political and religious.
The artist took advantage of the 60-meter unevenness of the mountain to create a path of spiritual elevation, on the top of which he planned to build a chapel that was eventually replaced by the Monument to Calvary, a promontory located in the highest part of the park from which they get the best views in town.
3. Art & Wine
Art & Wine, one of the main places in Gracia is a must. Spend a different afternoon in the heart of the Barrio de Gracia while painting a picture and drinking wine. The art and wine experience will be led by a teacher, an art expert, who will teach you, step by step for two and a half hours, how to paint your painting. Of course you can customize it with the shapes and colors that you like the most.
You simply need to disconnect, let yourself go and open your most creative side.
Don’t miss this place and book now!
2. La Virreina Square
The history of the Virreina square goes through the history of its church. The church entered service in 1884 but was burned in Tragic Week (1909).
It is a church with a single nave, with a transept, chapels and a rib-handle loop. The façade reveals the two slopes of the roof and presents arches under the eaves. The Santísimo chapel, by Francesc Berenguer, is modernist, and they are after the main altar with baldachin, by Josep Maria Camps i Arnau, and the murals on the main altar, by Carlos Llobet i Raurich. The rectory, organized with the same materials as the façade, is located at the back of the church.
In September 2016, the news broke that the oratory of the Sant Joan de Gracia parish, the construction of which was attributed to Francesc Berenguer, a disciple of Gaudí, could actually be the work of the master of modernism, Antonio Gaudí.
1. Vallcarca Viaduct
Located in the upper part of Gràcia and between the Putget and El Coll hills, it is no coincidence that this viaduct bears the name of Vallcarca and it is one of the most characteristic and well-known points of the neighborhood.
The bridge, designed by the architect Miquel Pascual Tintorer (1849-1916), also author of the Llibertat de Gràcia market, has a simple structure and its decoration is determined by four sets of winged lions with the coat of arms of Catalonia and that of Sant Jordi.
In addition, it is made up of two large slabs: the lower one joins two concrete pillars, while the upper one is in charge of configuring the road. The viaduct, which crosses the avenue de Vallcarca, where the stream used to be, is wide enough to allow the passage of pedestrians and vehicles.
