Eixample

Eixample is an urban district in Barcelona, Spain, spreading north and west from the old town with a grid of wide streets and square blocks. The avenues intersect at right angles, and every block corner is cut off at a diagonal, forming open junctions with extra space.

City planner Ildefons Cerdà drew up the expansion plan in 1859 after the medieval walls came down and Barcelona needed room for new housing. Construction began in the 1860s and continued for several decades, with wealthy families buying the first plots.

The name means "extension" in Catalan, reflecting how locals still see this area as the newer part of town compared to the old Gothic quarter nearby. Many residents walk to markets held on Sundays, where neighbors gather under the plane trees lining the sidewalks.

Several metro lines run through the area and most stations sit at major crossroads, making it easy to find your way without a map. The wide pavements allow comfortable walking and many shops occupy the ground floors of apartment buildings.

Cerdà originally planned gardens in the center of each block, but many were later filled with more buildings, leaving only a few green courtyards today. Some residents open their courtyards on certain days, allowing visitors to discover these hidden green spaces.