A Local’s Guide to Gràcia: One of Barcelona’s Hidden Gems
Gràcia, also known as the Vila de Gràcia (village of Grace) lives up to its name. Many years after its establishment, it is still a small, tranquil “village” in the middle of Barcelona’s vast, urban sprawl. Founded in 1626 as a convent, it wasn’t until 1897 that it became a part of Barcelona. That pivotal moment belongs to the larger story of Barcelona’s transition from small town to metropolis; other neighborhoods, such as Sants and Sarrià, are also formally independent municipalities that were annexed by Barcelona during Idefons Cerdà’s expansion of the city starting with his Eixample Plan in 1859.
Today, the neighborhood lives on as a peaceful zone that harbors small businesses and wards off through traffic. Gràcia’s extensive use of creative urban planning measures, like Salvador Rueda’s concept of “superblocks,” means that cars must share the streets with pedestrians, bikers, and children on scooters. It boasts more than 10 lovely plazas, where you can sit for a coffee or “far un vermut,” while kids play in front of you and their parents gossip beside you.
Casa Vicens
Though it is not one of the first neighborhoods listed in guidebooks, Gràcia is home to many treasures. Among them is the first home designed by Antoni Gaudì, Casa Vicens. Recognized as one of the Art Nouveau movement’s first buildings, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The house was originally built as a summer home for the Vicens family in the 1880s. It was closed to the public until 2017 when it opened as a museum. There is some mystery surrounding its patriarch, Señor Manuel Vicens i Montaner. Records indicate that he was a professional stockbroker and currency dealer, though many historians have referred to him as the owner of a tile factory. Given the tiles ostentatiously engulfing the exterior of the building, the latter is certainly plausible.
Plaça del Diamant’s Civil War Bomb Shelters
In 1992, an air-raid shelter was discovered beneath Gràcia’s Plaça del Diamant. The planes’ main targets were the many factories once situated throughout the area. The shelter protected more than 200 people during the Spanish Civil War and is one of the biggest of the 1,300 shelters that were built in Barcelona during that time. Guided tours are offered every Sunday at 11 AM, but reservations must be made online.
Street Art
Gràcia is a more bohemian-natured neighborhood. Walking around you will notice many shops with hand-painted murals on their doors. One could say this makes it an outdoor art gallery in and of itself. Some of the murals are exquisite works of art, relating to the store’s offerings. You’ll also come across colorful beer cans painted with quotes and pinned to the walls of buildings. These inspiration messages and love notes are done by a mysterious, unknown couple with a beautiful love story.
Shopping
Gràcia has several shopping promenades where you’re sure to find many small boutiques and artisanal shops. Start at Olokuti on Carrer d’Astúries. This general store sells just about everything and its wares are produced using sustainable materials and processes. Even if you aren’t interested in buying something, there is a beautiful secret garden, accessible from the back of the store.
For clothing, continue down Astúries to La Comet, a small, independent boutique full of made-in-Barcelona pieces and gorgeous gold jewelry. Others to check out are Ktu Barcelona and Padam, as well as Natural Mediterrani, which sells natural soaps and bath products.
Carrer de Verdi links up with Carrer d’Astúries, just past Plaça del Diamant. If you’re looking for great shoes, try Vialis, Mauro’s BCN or Streeters. Salvador Mallol Joier, Bell Estiu, and Pia Barcelona have exquisite jewelry. For clothing, take a peek at Vos Shop and KLING.
Carrer de Bona Vista is another area for fashion finds, with a few more upscale, haute couture shops. POISON Jewels sells one-of-a-kind adornments. Be Store has great gifts for friends and family. Browse BOO, IKA, and Mushi Mushi if you’re looking for quality, locally-crafted clothing. Rêveries has a variety of vintage luxury items. At the end of the street, turn right onto Passeig de Gràcia and you’ll find Lupo, another local atelier, which makes all of its handbags in-house.
Best Markets, Restaurants, Bars, and Cafès
Let me follow this by telling you that Gràcia is also a foodie haven. Smaller versions of the well-known Boqueria, Mercat de la Llibertat and Mercat de l’Abaceria are located on the neighborhood’s borders. In the middle, an old, run-down market on Carrer de Puigmartí is being renovated. As for restaurants, there are simply too many homey, independent, quirky establishments to tell all, but I can highlight a few of my favorites.
Mama’s Cafe offers an excellent American-style breakfast, with great coffee and a small backyard garden. For lunch, Taverna el Glop and Il Giardinetto Di Gracia have tasty, very Catalan dishes. If you go during the week you can experience what is known as “el menu del dia.” For the best pizza in Barcelona, sit down at Garden Pizza by Rafa Panattieri, a Brazilian-Italian chef with ties to the famous Roca Brothers.
El Cafè del Teatre and Chatelet are both wonderful, cozy spots to stop in the late afternoon for a glass of wine before heading to a movie at Cines Verdi, which shows many English-language movies with Spanish subtitles.
Bodega Quimet serves up traditional tapas at good prices and with their house wine. At the end of your meal, you can even take home a bottle of what you’ve tried — the concept is to taste the wines accompanied by small snacks. La Xula Taperia is a more modern, Mediterranean-fusion, experimental take on Catalan tapas.
Plenty of places for a nightcap can be found just by strolling around. But some no-fail recommendations are Viblioteca, whose play-on-words title explains itself, and El Ciclista, the area’s staple hipster cocktail bar. At Bobby Gin you can try variations on Spain’s favorite cocktail, gin & tonic.
Jazz and Live Music
Looking for live music? Take your pick: Soda Acústic, Cueva de Lobos, and La Sonora de Gràcia are all reputed venues, though be prepared to snuggle up to strangers if you so choose. If you’d like to move your feet, Gràcia Latina and El Sabor are there for a salsa dancing adventure.
La Festa Major de Gràcia
Catalunya and the rest of Spain take their partying very seriously.
If you’re lucky enough to arrive in Barcelona during August, you may get to join in celebrating Gràcia’s biggest party of the year. During summer, each of Barcelona’s neighborhoods puts on a several-day block party, known as the “Festa Major.”
In Gràcia, locals spend weeks preparing for their August party, by building elaborate decorations and stages out of recycled materials. Restaurants sell food and drinks, and musicians and DJs play concerts on almost every corner. The annual festival even has its own website and office space to organize the event.
Getting there
The best way to arrive is via metro. Though there are no metro stations directly in the center, Gràcia is accessible by the L3 (the green line), L4 (the yellow line), and L5 (the blue line). Metro stations Diagonal and Verdaguer have their exits at the bottom border of the neighborhood, while Joanic and Fontana are further up on Gràcia’s outer edges. Once you get there, you’ll enjoy meandering in as it will give you the chance to experience more of the area on foot, which is exactly how it should be.
About the Author
Suzannah is the founder of Toureaux.com, a Barcelona-based platform for booking tour guides and experience hosts. In her free time, she loves traveling throughout Europe and sharing her travel tips with other visitors.
