The Eixample district is the heart of Barcelona because of its geographic location and for being the most important business, economical and shopping district of the city.
The name Eixample (or Ensanche, in Catalan) means “extension” and this is the reason why the area was born, when the city needed to expand during the XIX Century and the Industrial Revolution.
The original project by the architect Ildefonso Cerda was that of a garden city, with wide open spaces, buildings of maximum three floors very distant from each other, and no social class difference as all streets were supposed to look the same.
This initial project was criticized by the bourgeoisie and was subjected to several changes.
The main character of the Eixample is its regular geometrical shape clearly visible on bird view pictures of the city.
The Eixample includes 6 quarters: Eixample Izquierda (split into Antigua Izquierda and Nueva Izquierda), Eixample Dreta (o Derecha), Sagrada Familia, Fort Pienc, and Sant Antoni.
The areas were progressively built as the city grew, and differ a lot from each other,
The part of the Eixample that goes from Calle Aribau to Paseo Sant Joan is also referred to as the Golden Square, and it contains the greatest amount of modernist buildings of the city of Barcelona.
Eixample Dreta
The right part of the Eixample is the most expensive one. It contains the four most expensive streets of Barcelona: Paseo de Gracia (one of the most expensive streets in Europe), Rambla Catalunya, Calle Balmes, and the portion of the Avenida Diagonal included in this area.
Paseo de Gracia is the most elegant avenue of the city where almost every great designer has its own store. The street features some of Gaudí´s masterpieces, like La Pedrera and Casa Batlló.
The Eixample Dreta area contains the highest number of Modernist buildings in the city. Virtually every palace is a masterpiece.
The area includes many hotels, boutiques, restaurants, and cafes, often with outdoor terraces.
Transport links are excellent. There are plenty of underground stops, bus stops, and what is called ferrocarril (FCG), which is another underground train.
There is a train station in Paseo de Gracia and the shuttle to/from the international airport stops in Plaza Catalunya.
From this part of the Eixample it is possible to easily walk to both the historical city centre of Ciutat Vella and the area of Villa de Gracia.
The Eixample was born as a residential area, and offers therefore services such as schools, pharmacies, medical centres, supermarkets, gyms, etc.
The Properties in Eixample Dreta
Properties in this area are expensive, even without reaching the peaks of Paseo de Gracia and Rambla Catalunya.
For this reason, the area is also the seat of many offices, flats converted into offices and rented out (mainly to notaries, lawyers, representative offices, etc.)
Buildings in this area are usually already renovated and in very good conditions. Some of them feature magnificent entrances in Modernist style.
Barcelona takes very good care of its heritage and by law each single building has to undergo regular technical inspections. Several of the buildings (especially in this district) are listed as part of the patrimony of the city.
Flats in which the original style has been preserved are in great demand by international investors eager to acquire a real Modernist property in the centre of the city.
This type of property is becoming harder and harder to find and once it is renovated with a mix of modern comfort and original Modernist style, it becomes a real jewel, extremely valuable because of its location and its unique character.
We can help you assess the quality of a property and taking care of the renovation, in full respect of the regulations and the care required by this type of properties.
Typical features of the Modernist style include hydraulic floors, decorated ceilings, and doors with colourful crystal panels.
Prices in the Eixample
The average price per m2 in the district of the Eixample has remained stable over the past year (source Habitaclia, October 2019).
The current price per m2 of 5.577,07 € is the average of the prices in all the areas of the district, which includes lower prices in the Sagrada Familia, Sant Antoni and Fort Pienc areas, and higher prices in the other areas.
Prices per m2 in Eixample Dreta are the highest in Barcelona. A property in Paseo de Gracia can go up to around 20,000€ per m2.
However, it is possible to find properties between 3,000€ and 4,000€ per m2 (often for properties to refurbish).
A property in this area represents an excellent opportunity, very likely to increase in value.
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