The Eixample, a district that stretches from Plaça d'Espanya to the Besòs River, connecting the old city with its surrounding neighborhoods, is the epicenter of modern Barcelona. This area represents a historical milestone in the city that marked its transition to modernity and economic growth during the 19th century.
The Eixample is the creation of the visionary engineer and urban planner Ildefons Cerdà, whose urban design reflects an egalitarian spirit where neighborhoods are not distinguished and public services are distributed equally. Its orthogonal grid with chamfered corners has become an icon of Barcelona and is studied throughout the world as a pioneering example of modern urbanism.
The Sagrada Familia, designed by Gaudí, is the most prominent icon of Catalan modernism and a Catholic basilica that represents the main symbols of the Christian faith. Its interior transports you to a fantasy world with multicolored stained glass windows and columns that look like stone trees.
Casa Milà, known as La Pedrera, is an unclassifiable building with impossible shapes and a façade that seems carved in stone. Its chimneys in the form of sculptures of warriors on the roof form an impressive stone army.
