Passeig de Gràcia is the street where the rich and richer sought to out-spend each other in the late 1890s. House after house and building after building compete for the most outlandish (and often ugly) presentation. The owners were often wealthy entrepreneurs returning to Spain (with their dubious wealth) after the loss of Spain's colonies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and elsewhere.

This wide tree lined avenue is certainly worth taking the time to visit and if you are going to see either Gaudí's La Predrera or Casa Batlló then obviously you will.
This street is basically the start of the new part of Barcelona and was a showcase for Barcelona's bourgeoisie at the turn of the 19th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Barcelona was expanding and the new boulevard connected the old village of Gràcia with the new city centre. There are some very impressive buildings on this boulevard but today it also has a reputation for housing Barcelona's most prestigious shops and you will find Gucci, Tommy Hilfinger, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Zara and many more up market brands along its length. Now I am sure there are those that will find that proposition exciting, but I am someone that would rather see something unique to the city I am visiting and not what you can find in every other major city in the world. So once I had taken a look at the most impressive buildings I couldn’t wait to make it down back to the Gothic Quarter and the El Born district.

This street is a major upgrade from Las Ramblas. Plenty of high-end shops, lots of restaurants and major architectural finds. It has major transportation access by tourist and other buses, metro trains, and a train station that is much easier to use than Barcelona Sants.