Plaça Francesc Macià
The most famous roundabout, where Eixample ends and the Upper Zone begins
One of the busiest squares in the city serves as a connection point between Barcelona’s most elegant area and Eixample. A meeting point for the avenues Pau Casals, Josep Tarradellas, Diagonal, and Urgell Street, Francesc Macià Square is one of the nerve centers of the city and an entryway to the neighborhoods of Sarrià or Les Corts.
Francesc Macià Square is located at a key access point to the city and at the confluence of neighborhoods such as Les Corts, Sarrià, and the left side of Eixample. It is situated in a commercial area with a wide range of restaurants. If you find yourself at Francesc Macià Square and need a break, we recommend visiting Turó Park, a green space with an artificial pond and several landscaped areas where you can escape the urban hustle.
Barcelona Bus Turístic, on the Hola Barcelona app
Your app for visiting the city with the Barcelona Bus Turístic: routes, stops and the most iconic places. A comfortable way to carry your tickets too!
Name changes throughout history
The project was designed in the early 1930s by Menorcan architect Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí, who served as Director of Parks and Gardens for the Barcelona City Council for two decades. Upon its inauguration in 1932, the square was named Alcalá Zamora in honor of the former president of the Second Spanish Republic. Four years later, in 1936, its name was changed to Hermanos Badia, in remembrance of politicians Josep and Miquel Badia, who were assassinated by the Iberian Anarchist Federation on April 28 of that same year. In 1939, with the arrival of the dictatorship, it was renamed Calvo Sotelo, after José Calvo Sotelo, who had been assassinated in 1936 by the Assault Guard. It wasn’t until December 20, 1979, that the square received its current name, in honor of the former President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Francesc Macià i Llussà.
How to get to Francesc Macià Square?
Both the Red Route and the Blue Route of the Barcelona Bus Turístic have a stop, Diagonal – Francesc Macià, which drops you off right in front of the square.
For the curious
- In 2003, during protests against the Iraq War, a group of young people camped out in the center of the square. They stayed there for 70 days.
- In the central part of the square, which is not accessible, there is a small pond shaped like Menorca, the island where the architect Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí was born. There is also a female sculpture called "Youth", created by Josep Manuel Benedicto in 1953.
