Casa Batlló – Fundació Antoni Tàpies stop
The best point for a stroll along Rambla de Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, and to discover the splendorous Modernista architecture of the Illa de la Discòrdia.
The heart of the Modernista Eixample
The Casa Batlló – Fundació Antoni Tàpies stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic is on Passeig de Gràcia, the street that represents the golden age of Barcelona’s bourgeoisie, the late 19th century, and linked Barcelona’s Old Town to the town of Gràcia and is now one of the city’s most important artistic and commercial streets.
From this point you can visit the Illa de la Discòrdia or Block of Discord formed by three Modernista gems: Casa Batlló, by Antoni Gaudí, Casa Amatller, by Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Lleó i Morera, by Domènech i Montaner. You can also stroll along the enchanting Rambla de Catalunya, through the octagonal blocks of the Eixample, designed by Ildefons Cerdà, and discover some of its most enchanting streets, like Passatge de Permanyer and Passatge de Méndez Vigo.
Moreover, in the area around the bottom section of Passeig de Gràcia there are museums like Fundació Antoni Tàpies, on modern and contemporary art, the Modernisme Museum, which is home to all kinds of artistic manifestations of the current that marked the history of Barcelona, and the Egyptian Museum.
What to see
- Casa Batlló
This building, located in the heart of the Eixample district, is one of the city’s most famous. The architect Antoni Gaudí designed it in the early 20th century, at the height of the Modernisme movement, as a residence for the Batlló family.
- Casa Amatller
Casa Amatller, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, is an original combination of the Modernista and neo-Gothic styles. It is the first Modernista remodelling of an existing building undertaken on Passeig de Gràcia.
- Casa Lleó i Morera
Casa Lleó i Morera, which was built by Lluís Domènech i Montaner on the privileged Passeig de Gràcia, is a neighbour of Casa Amatller, built from 1898 to 1900 by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and Casa Batlló, built by Antoni Gaudí from 1904 to 1906.
- Fundació Antoni Tàpies
The Fundació Antoni Tàpies museum was created by the artist himself, Antoni Tàpies, to promote contemporary art. It mainly showcases his own work, but it also holds temporary exhibitions.
- Egyptian Museum of Barcelona
The hotelier and collector Jordi Clos’s passion for Pharaonic culture resulted in the creation of Spain’s first museum exclusively dedicated to Ancient Egypt. In 1992, around seventy archaeological pieces were exhibited at Barcelona’s Hotel Claris.
- Barcelona Modernisme Museum
Temporary closure
Modernisme is the term that encompasses the architectural style and the literary, musical and visual arts culture that predominated in Catalonia from 1890 to 1910.
- Fundació MAPFRE – Casa Garriga-Nogués
The Eixample district is home to a fin-de-siècle construction with an eclectic facade, sculptures by Eusebi Arnau and an interior patio with a stained glass roof.
- The Eixample
A large district made up of octagonal blocks with chamfered corners concentrates many of the city’s most architecturally valuable buildings.
- Modernisme
Catalan Modernism or Modernisme has left its mark on some of Barcelona’s most emblematic buildings.
- Passeig de Gràcia
An avenue that has been the Catalan bourgeoisie’s showcase since the late 19th century, on which everything is art: its Modernista buildings, it benches and lampposts, even the very ground itself.
- Rambla de Catalunya
Rambla de Catalunya is one of Barcelona’s most welcoming streets. Even though it is a natural prolongation of La Rambla, it actually starts at Plaça de Catalunya and ends at Avinguda Diagonal.
- Passatge de Permanyer
Passatge de Permanyer is one of a number of streets that have managed to preserve their original character. It contains one of the best rows of English-style houses in Barcelona.
- Passatge de Méndez Vigo
This street, which cuts through a block in the Eixample, is home to English-style Neoclassical houses, with two storeys and a garden.
- Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona – La Concepció Market
On the same block in the Eixample you can find two buildings with very different architectural characteristics. The older of the two is La Concepció Market, which is covered by an imposing iron structure that is visible from the street.
- Queviures Múrria
Founded in 1898, this delicatessen preserves its original facade and Modernista posters by Ramon Casas. Queviures Múrria is one of the city’s most original shops, which over its hundred-year history has maintained its décor, which is a true work of art.
- Eixample Block Interiors
Public spaces designed by Cerdà to be gardens where residents could socialise which have been progressively recovered.