The Eixample is the modernist residential and commercial area which stems upwards and outwards from the Plaza Catalunya, its famous grid system of straight streets designed in the 1860s to accommodate the old city´s swelling population.

The area is generally talked about in terms of its left side (of Paseo de Gracia) and right side. Gaudi´s iconic Sagrada Familia church sits on the right side. The Fundacio Antoni Tapies, whose pioneering Islamic-inspired building was designed by famous Modernist Catalan architect Domenech i Montaner, is on the left.
Most of the apartments in the Eixample are within easy walking distance from Paseo de Gracia with its two wonderful modernist period buildings by Antoni Gaudi and other architects.
The Eixample is very well connected, and from here you can easily walk or take buses or taxis to the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas for attractions such as the Picasso museum and the Cathedral.
There are endless restaurants and street cafes to relax in throughout the area, which is full of stunning modernist buildings adorned with intricate stone and iron facades.
This is where the rich and famous have traditionally lived and it is still a popular upmarket residential and business area