Passatge de Permanyer

This alleyway, which crosses the block framed by the streets Roger de Llúria, Pau Claris, Diputació, and Consell de Cent, offers a glimpse into the early years of the Eixample district. The passage was designed in 1864 by Jeroni Granell i Barrera, conceived as a small cobbled London street with low houses and front gardens. In reality, these types of "inter-streets," the technical term they received at the time, diverged from Ildefons Cerdà's original plan, which only allowed construction on 50% of the city blocks.

The single-family homes in Permanyer Passage were designed as a unified set. Each house has a small front garden leading to the entrance and a basement patio that aids ventilation. Today, they have been remodeled as corporate offices but still feature romantic eclecticism with Arabesque references. The entire passage is cobbled and exclusively pedestrian.

If you exit the passage via Roger de Llúria Street and cross, you'll find the entrance to the Torre de Les Aigües gardens, a charming public green space within an Eixample city block.

How to get to Permanyer Passage? 

From the Casa Batlló – Antoni Tàpies Foundation stop on the Red and Blue Routes of the Barcelona Bus Turístic, head towards Pau Claris Street. Between Consell de Cent and Diputació streets, you'll find the entrance to the passage.

For the curious

• The passage is dedicated to Francesc Permanyer i Tuyets, who was mayor of Barcelona in 1856.
• The poet and illustrator Apel·les Mestres lived at number 14. One of his hobbies was tending to his garden, full of hydrangeas and other flowers, which he watered precisely every day at one in the morning. If you walk past, you can still see an impressive Himalayan cedar.