Gràcia. Squares
Where avant-garde and modernity meet in the streets
A neighbourhood with a village soul and a charisma forged especially in its squares, true hubs of the social and leisure life of its residents. With the annexation of the town of Gràcia, Barcelona gained a neighbourhood where life happens in the squares, each with its own personality and history.
Gràcia is a vibrant neighbourhood, with a commercial core that ranges from tradition to the most modern art, and it is the quintessential district in Barcelona for all kinds of dining.
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A place to discover the soul of Barcelona
Gràcia was born as a village of scattered houses in the late 17th century. With industrialisation and the urbanisation of the town, the squares were created, which not only channel the social and leisure life of its residents but also make this neighbourhood one of the most charismatic in the city. A neighbourhood with a past of struggle and cooperativism—its two markets are named Liberty and Revolution (today, the latter is known as Abaceria). From any of its narrow, rural-core streets, a small square opens up where you can sit and watch life go by.
When you arrive in Gràcia, you can stroll through historic squares like Plaça del Diamant, which hides an air-raid shelter from the Civil War. This square gave its name to one of the most famous novels by Mercè Rodoreda, and in her honour, you’ll find a sculpture dedicated to La Colometa, the book’s protagonist.
At Plaça de la Vila, you can admire the bell tower, formerly known as Plaça de Rius i Taulet, where the district headquarters is located, and very close by, enjoy the atmosphere of Plaça del Sol, a true meeting point for the neighbourhood’s youth, who fill the terraces and even the ground of the square. Further south, you’ll feel the rhythm of Catalan rumba, which was born in Plaça del Raspall and Plaça del Poble Romaní, gathering the neighbourhood’s Roma community.
At Plaça Revolució, you can sit under the shade of the trees and head up Carrer Verdi until you reach Plaça de la Virreina, dominated by the small parish church of Sant Joan, and in the northern part of the neighbourhood, relax in Plaça del Nord and Plaça de Rovira i Trias, where you have the chance to share a bench with the architect who gives the square its name and who built, among others, the Mercat de la Concepció and the famous Mercat de Sant Antoni.
If you visit Barcelona in August, don’t miss the Gràcia Festival, the most famous in the whole city.
How to get to the Gràcia neighbourhood?
From the Passeig de Gràcia – La Pedrera stop on the Blue and Red Routes of the Barcelona Bus Turístic, you’ll reach the Gràcia neighbourhood by crossing Avinguda Diagonal, where you can visit its most well-known squares.
For the curious
- In April 1870, the Revolt of the Conscripts took place when the government wanted young men to serve compulsorily in the army. Several towns in the Barcelona plain revolted, and the people of Gràcia were warned of the troops’ arrival by the ringing of the bell in Plaça d’Orient, now Plaça de la Vila. Although the military bombarded it for six days, they failed to destroy “La Marieta”, the large bell that continued to ring with its cracked sound.
- The town of Gràcia was officially annexed to Barcelona in 1897. Previously, it had been a village of farmhouses, religious convents, and a few summer homes, but with 19th-century industrialisation, industries were established in the area and the two centres were connected by Passeig de Gràcia.
