Gràcia Walk

The Gràcia neighbourhood may not be packed with famous sights, but it's an essential part of Barcelona—full of character and life, a people's quarter famous for its festivals. It's always been a place apart, radical in its politics and in its architecture.

Start on Carrer Gran de Gràcia, the continuation of the Passeig de Gràcia, with the Casa Cama at No. 15, with its beautiful wrought-iron and leaded tribuna and vestibule, designed in 1905 by Francesc Berenguer Mestres.

A right turn on to Carrer de Goya will take you to the spiritual heart of Gràcia, Plaça Rius i Taulet, named after Barcelona’s go-getting mayor of 1888 and dominated by the 125ft Torre del Rellotge, adorned with symbols of the zodiac. Designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias in 1864, it was almost destroyed six years later when it rang the alarm after military recruits revolted against conscription and the besieging Spanish army shot out one of its bells. The tower has been a symbol of liberty ever since, and gave its name to a famous progressive Catalan weekly, La Campana de Gràcia. The square is flanked by Gràcia’s town hall, embellished with florid lamps and the town’s coat of arms, built in 1905 by Francesc Berenguer.