This post is part of my Barcelona Neighbourhood Guides series. Fancy visiting another area of Barcelona? Check out my other guides here, including information regarding the sites, history, charm, food and drinks of the area you’re curious about.
As I mentioned in my first post on the Eixample, the Eixample is a huge and important area of Barcelona. When the city was rapidly growing, it was clear that a new urban layout was needed to accommodate the growth then and in the future. Its grid-like layout and blocks with chamfered corners have made it an iconic symbol of Barcelona and the subject of study around the world as a paradigm of the birth of modern urban planning. Barcelona’s thriving bourgeoisie vied with each other in terms of aesthetic refinement and hired the services of the foremost architects of the time, hence why beautiful modernisme architecture permeates the entire area.
After a deep dive into the modernisme heart of the Eixample, this post is now about the neighbourhoods to the right. The far east side of the Eixample is composed of the Sagrada Familia and Fort Pienc neighbourhoods. This area is highlighted in a yellow border below. Now, it’s time to start exploring!
The Sagrada Familia
The Sagrada Familia neighbourhood is extremely well-known for its basilica, which Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí originally designed. Gaudí dedicated the remainder of his life to the project, and the church’s crypt now holds his grave. At the time of his death in 1926, workers had completed less than a quarter of the project.
The Sagrada Familia features three major views, each representing a different aspect of Jesus’s life. One of the facades is not yet complete, but the builders will construct the Glory Façade, which faces south and will serve as the basilica’s main entrance. It celebrates the glorious nature of Jesus even after his death. The Nativity Façade, which faces east, is the oldest of the three and depicts the birth of Jesus. Antoni Gaudí designed it, and the construction team completed it first—it was the only façade Gaudí witnessed being built during his lifetime.
The Passion Façade, which faces west, portrays Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. Following Gaudí’s drawings, the builders began work on the Passion Façade in 1954 and completed it in 1976. Gaudí described this façade as “hard, bare and as if made of bones.” The basic facade was completed, but the decorative features were left to the sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs. When he accepted his 1986 commission, he insisted on two conditions: he would live in a small flat in the precinct (as Gaudí himself had done) and his sculptures would be his own, not Gaudí imitations. The result is a very striking and contrasting façade.
Inside the Sagrada Familia is an array of colourful light, especially if you visit at the right time of day when the sun hits just right. The inside is overwhelmingly beautiful, and you can definitely feel the sheer height of this landmark.
The neighbourhood of Sagrada Familia has a special place in my heart as it’s where Victor grew up and where his parents live! They’ve lived in the same apartment for more than 20 years. Since I met Victor in 2014, I have been coming here for years, visiting during UK holidays and celebrating occasions like birthdays and retirement. The apartment has a beautiful terrace with a view of the Sagrada Familia. I can easily track the progress of the church construction because of it!
Two small parks flank the Sagrada Familia. During the Christmas season, there’s a wonderful Christmas market where locals buy accessories and decorations for their nativity scenes.
As you might imagine, the area around the Sagrada Familia is extremely touristy, so it’s best to always be wary about the restaurants here. However, I do have one recommendation that still attracts a local clientele: Brasseria I Llesqueria Juanma.
If you’re looking for a coffee, I recommend either Nora Coffee or The Miners. The former is a new, independent coffee shop that opened towards the end of 2024. The Miners is a speciality coffee roastery in Prague, but they have coffee shops in Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and, of course, Spain.
I can’t mention this neighbourhood without mentioning the famous Irish pub, Michael Collins. It has been around since 1997. The builders constructed the interior of the pub in Ireland using authentic, salvaged materials, and then carefully reassembled it in Barcelona. Isn’t that wild? This is why the pub is truly a real pub, and evokes that warming atmosphere all good pubs have.
The Hospital
From the basilica, you can walk up Avinguda Gaudí, a pedestrianised street that connects it to another modernist treasure, L’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. The Avinguda itself is extremely touristy, so I wouldn’t stop anywhere along the way, but it is a lovely walk to the hospital.
Visitors often miss the wonderful hospital site. Builders completed it between 1901 and 1930, and it stands as one of the most prominent works of the Catalan modernisme architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Composed of 12 pavilions connected through long underground galleries within its large green space, Sant Pau is a marvel of a complex.
While functional, the designers set the hospital in a relaxing, tree-lined environment where patients could recover from their illnesses and pains while breathing fresh, clean air. The pavilions face internal gardens as well, and there were many pavilions to isolate different illnesses and conditions. The builders designed the hospital to be truly modern when they constructed it. It functioned as an active hospital until June 2009, when the new hospital opened next to it. The old hospital underwent restoration for use as a museum and cultural centre, and reopened in 2014.
It truly is a wonderful place to explore. At Christmastime, the museum puts on a spectacular light event which involves light shows and plenty of nighttime decorations.
Very close to the hospital is a wonderful French bakery that has excellent croissants!
Of course, the Sagrada Familia neighbourhood is more than just its modernist treasures. It’s a very old neighbourhood. Before the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the central area of the neighbourhood (Marina/València) was called “El Poblet,” due to the concentration of homes and houses in the middle of a predominantly agricultural area. The area’s name changed during the 20th century to reflect the church, construction of which began in 1882.
The neighbourhood was also an important industrial area until the second half of the 20th century. The old Damm factory (Antiga Fàbrica Damm) is here, where they brewed beer until 1992. The factory is still there and acts as Damm’s corporate headquarters. The building is often used to host events and conferences, making it a nice community venue.
The old market of the Sagrada Família was the General Motors factory in Barcelona, and where the municipal sports centre is now, there was the SAFA textile factory, where the main nave had a Catalan double vault roof, unfortunately lost in its demolition.
As with much of Barcelona, there has been a lot of immigration over the past few decades. The largest population of Venezuelans in Barcelona lives here in Sagrada Familia, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that there are a few (good) foodie spots to try! There’s a Venezuelan bakery called Pittier, and they also have a casual restaurant called El Rincón de la Abuela Venezolana.
Fort Pienc
Below the Sagrada Familia neighbourhood is the area of Fort Pienc. This area used to be filled with wetlands, streams and basins, and had a canal that was the fresh supply to the city. Generations of people, including tradesmen and armies, walked through Fort Pienc as it was along an old Roman route. After the siege of Barcelona ended in 1714, the General Captain of the Bourbon army, Francesco Pio de Savoia, ordered, in 1715, the construction of Fort Pienc, giving rise to the name of the neighbourhood.
Plaça de Tetuan marks one edge of the neighbourhood, serving as a central space within a roundabout. The city named the square after the 1860 Battle of Tétouan, when General Joan Prim and Catalan volunteers besieged and occupied the Moroccan city of Tetuan. Sculptor Josep Llimona created the Doctor Robert monument, which stands in the square’s centre. Doctor Robert taught internal pathology at the University of Barcelona. In 1899, the city appointed him mayor of Barcelona, and voters elected him to the Spanish Parliament in 1901.
From Plaça de Tetuan to Arc de Trimof runs Passeig de Sant Joan. Most of the passeig is in the neighbourhood area, Dreta de L’Eixample, but this part on the right side is part of Fort Pienc. It’s a majestic and family-friendly avenue that connects the Eixample with Gràcia. It is a green, urban corridor that extends to the Parc de la Ciutadella.
The Arc de Triomf was built for the 1888 Universal Exposition. It’s one of the most popular modernist attractions of the city. Arc de Triomf closes Passeig de Sant Joan and is the main gateway to the Eixample and Ciutat Vella districts.
From the Arc de Triomf to Carrer de la Marina, pedestrians walk along Carrer de Ribes, a pedestrianised avenue that cuts diagonally across the typical Eixample blocks. In the middle of the avenue stands Plaça del Fort Pienc, a square that gives the neighbourhood its name and recalls the defence fortress that General Francesco Pio di Savoia erected after the War of the Spanish Succession. Today, the square hosts several community services, including a market, library, and school.
Fort Pienc is where I’ve seen the most correfoc events, right here in this square. A “correfoc” is a traditional Catalan and Valencian street pyrotechnic spectacle where people, often dressed as devils, carry fireworks and interact with the public, creating a visually stunning and lively event.
One of my favourite casual tapas bars is here on Carrer de Ribes, called El Puestu. They have a lot of classics, but plenty of other, more modern tapas. The patatas bravas are great, as are the cold tapas. I always bring friends and family here because it’s always a win!
At the end of Carrer de Ribes is one of the best coffee shops in Barcelona, Three Marks. They roast their own coffee and are very knowledgeable about where they source their beans from. Three Marks stands out as one of Barcelona’s renowned specialty coffee stores. Their coffee is that good.
Chinatown
There has been a strong Chinese presence in the area since the 2000s, so it’s Barcelona’s ‘Chinatown’, so to speak. Chinese immigrants started coming to Barcelona after the 1992 Olympic Games, and today there are nearly 50,000 of them in the city. Initially, the community settled on Trafalgar Street, an area of large wholesale textile stores. When the neighbourhood became too small, they gradually moved to Fort Pienc.
No matter what time of day you stroll through Fort Pienc, or what month it is, you’ll always find a place open to grab a bite to eat. The neighbourhood is especially known for its restaurants. The most renowned is Chen Ji, packed at all hours; but its few streets are home to many other options, such as Dim Sum Cantonesas, Restaurant Xinès Nord, Canton Food, and Lady Dumpling. Others have opted to offer Spanish cuisine, such as Bar Lleida, one of the busiest on Passeig Sant Joan. There are also plenty of Chinese grocery stores, where you can get lots of Asian ingredients and supplies.
During Chinese New Year, Fort Pienc transforms into the epicentre of Barcelona’s celebrations, hosting parades, cultural exhibits, and various activities. Municipal and Asian institutions—such as the Huaxing Artists Association, the Confucius Institute Foundation of Barcelona, Casa Asia, the City Council, and the Chinese Consulate General in Barcelona—actively support the festivities.
Landmarks
La Monumental was the last bullring in Barcelona—and in all of Catalonia—to host bullfights, with the city holding the final event in 2011. Since then, the venue has hosted concerts and other cultural events. Notably, La Monumental also served as the site for The Beatles’ only concert in Spain. While I’m relieved that the city no longer practices bullfighting here, I’m equally pleased that it chose to preserve the building. Modernista architects Ignasi Mas i Morell and Domènec Sugrañes i Gras led the expansion that shaped its current façade, which displays strong Mudéjar and Byzantine influences. Sugrañes, a disciple of Antoni Gaudí, succeeded him as the head of the Sagrada Família church works.
There’s an excellent breakfast and lunch place near La Monumental called Bullanga. Roger Sánchez Amat, former chef at Terra in Escudella, opened Bullanga in January 2023. It’s a modern take on the “fondas de sisos,” those 19th-century establishments where you could eat and sleep for six reales (the legal tender of Spain from the mid-14th century until it was replaced by the peseta in 1868).
In addition to La Monumental, Fort Pienc is home to two other entertainment hubs. One is the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (National Theater of Catalonia). A Greek-inspired building, this cultural centre has a programme of both classical and contemporary plays as well as dance performances.
The other entertainment hub is L’Auditori, a concert hall complex. It’s home to the main orchestras of the city, the Music Museum, and the music school.
The last landmark I want to highlight in Fort Pienc is the Mercat dels Encants. The city’s old flea market, known as the “Encants vells” or Fira de Bellcaire, moved to the other side of the Plaça de les Glòries in September 2013. It’s housed under a giant aluminium and zinc pergola with a mirrored ceiling that provides shelter for the hundreds of stalls and reflects the kaleidoscope of goods for sale and curious shoppers below. The Encants is one of the best places in all of Barcelona to look for antique furniture and tools, old books and records, and vintage second-hand clothing and accessories.
Sagrada Família and Fort Pienc may sit just minutes apart, but together they offer a rich snapshot of everyday life in Barcelona. From the awe-inspiring grandeur of Gaudí’s basilica to the quiet charm of local cafés, leafy plazas, and community markets, these neighbourhoods blend iconic beauty with lived-in authenticity. Whether you’re visiting for the architecture and the food, or to get a feel for local rhythm beyond the tourist trail, this corner of the Eixample rewards those who take the time to look a little closer.
Looking for more inspiration for your Barcelona trip? Check out my guide on the Right of the Eixample here.
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