Hotels in Eixample, Barcelona

Eixample, Barcelona

The Eixample, "the Extension", is the district built in the 19th and early 20th centuries between the Old Town and the former villages of Sants, Gràcia and Sant Andreu, and with about 262,000 inhabitants it is the most populous in Barcelona. Its grid of long straight streets and square blocks with chamfered corners was planned by Ildefons Cerdà with sunlight, ventilation and traffic in mind. Passeig de Gràcia, which links Plaça de Catalunya with Gràcia, is the city's grand boulevard, lined with Gaudí's Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, known as La Pedrera. Casa Batlló stands in the block called the Illa de la Discòrdia, next to Domènech i Montaner's Casa Lleó Morera and Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller. In the east of the district rises the Sagrada Família, Gaudí's basilica and the tallest church in the world, whose Nativity façade and crypt have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. Avinguda Diagonal cuts across the grid, and the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes crosses the whole city from south-west to north-east. The streets around Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya and Avinguda Gaudí are among the most affluent in the city. Plaça de Catalunya, on the district's southern edge, is the hub where the Old Town, La Rambla and the Eixample meet. The Eixample has more hotels than any other part of Barcelona. Lodging ranges from five-star hotels on Passeig de Gràcia to design hotels, mid-range city hotels and apartments in the side streets, all within walking distance of the Old Town.