Eixample

The Eixample ("extension") was built from about 1860, after the city walls were demolished, following Ildefons Cerdà's plan: a grid of long straight streets and octagonal blocks with cut corners, originally intended to have interior gardens. In practice the plan was substantially modified, and most block interiors were built over.

It is Barcelona's most populous district, with about 269,300 residents in 2021 on about 7.5 km² (roughly 36,000 people per km²). Its six neighbourhoods are Fort Pienc, Sagrada Família, Dreta de l'Eixample, Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample, Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample and Sant Antoni.

• Modernisme: the district is known for its architecture, including Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and Casa Batlló on Passeig de Gràcia, Casa de les Punxes and the Sagrada Família. The area around Passeig de Gràcia, the Quadrat d'Or, has a particularly dense concentration of Modernista buildings.
• Main streets: Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya, Avinguda Diagonal, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Carrer d'Aragó, Carrer de Balmes and Carrer d'Urgell.
• Markets: Mercat de Sant Antoni, Mercat de la Concepció and Mercat del Ninot.
• Orientation: locals often give directions using "towards the sea" (mar), "towards the mountain" (muntanya), "towards the Besòs" and "towards the Llobregat" instead of compass points.

Almost every metro line crosses the Eixample:

• L1 (Urgell, Rocafort, Universitat, Arc de Triomf, Marina), L2 (Sant Antoni, Universitat, Passeig de Gràcia, Tetuan, Monumental, Sagrada Família), L3 (Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, Diagonal), L4 (Urquinaona, Passeig de Gràcia, Girona, Verdaguer) and L5 (Entença, Hospital Clínic, Diagonal, Verdaguer, Sagrada Família).
• FGC lines stop at Provença and Catalunya.

Most homes are flats in multi-storey blocks built on the Cerdà grid, from 19th-century and Modernista buildings to later constructions. Rents are capped under Barcelona's stressed-market rules; check the previous rent and reference index before signing. We do not cite a district-level rent figure.

Because most of Cerdà's planned interior gardens were built over, green space inside the district is limited. Its markets (Sant Antoni, Concepció, Ninot) and dense metro network are practical for daily family life, and school places are allocated by address through the city's admission system.