Guide to Gracia Neighborhood, Barcelona’s Greatest Secret

Barcelona is a very popular tourist destination, but it has some lesser-known spots that are almost never visited by travelers (although they are really worth it).

One of such spots is Gràcia neighborhood, where you can see the life of locals without countless street vendors and groups of tourists with their huge cameras hanging over the belly.

As always, I’m going to tell you about the unknown attractions and things to do in a popular European city. Here is my guide to restaurants, bars, points of interest and places to stay in the Gràcia neighborhood in Barcelona.

Overview of Gràcia

Gràcia is a small district located in the geographical center of Barcelona (while the ‘real’ center is closer to the sea). It is not very famous for its attractions (except for the Park Güell!) or nightlife, but it is a great place to live in Barcelona. The locals are proud to live in this area, and are not willing to move to any other neighborhood of the city.

The center of Gràcia is Plaça del Sol square and the Carrer de Verdi street that crosses almost the whole neighborhood. Here, you can find a wide range of bars and reasonably priced restaurants of the world’s cuisines (that I will review later), the famous Verdi cinema and some other interesting places.

Also, check my ultimate 3-day guide to Madrid.

Attractions in Gràcia

The neighborhood is rather interesting by the whole atmosphere, nice streets, and squares, then some particular attractions. Still, here are the top 7 places to visit in Gràcia.

Park Güell

Well, the most famous attraction of Gràcia, and one of the most famous ones in the whole city, is the Park Güell. This famous park is located on the north of the neighborhood, and it attracts many tourists. Still, the park is huge, and most of the tourists visit just a small ‘Instagram’ part of it.

The pictures from the park that you can often see on the internet were made on a small terrace, the only place in the park, where you need to pay to enter. Most of the famous attractions of Barcelona cost a lot (eg., tickets to Sagrada Familia basilica cost from 15 to 29 euros), but 7-8 euros may be worth the view that you get.

On the pictures, it looks so nice and quiet, but in reality, you will have just a second to take a picture before the next group of Chinese pushes you off (no racism, just truth).

Check this Gaudi Barcelona tour to learn more about the art of the famous architect.

Panoramic Points

There are other great places in the park that you can visit for free and without the crowds of tourists. I recommend 2 panoramic points. One is located just in the middle of the park, the other one is not far from it, and is called Bunkers del Carmel, that you can easily find it on the map. Many people come there with some food and relax with the view of the whole city under their feet.

Gaudi House Museum

If you appreciate the work of Gaudi, you can also visit his house museum also located in the Park Güell. It was the residence of the famous architect in the last 20 years of his life. Now, you can learn more about his life and work just paying 5,5 euros for the ticket.

Casa Vicens

On the way back to the center of Gràcia, you can find the Casa Vicens, the first famous work of Gaudi. It was a summer residence for the family of a rich trade agent and broker. This great artwork was built in just two years, and you can still see it in its original look today.

Cine Verdi

Visit Cine Verdi to explore some local and non-mainstream movies in their original language, which is the main feature of the cinema. You can still watch the most popular premieres, and even attend some of the events organized inside of this old-school theater.

Squares of Gràcia

It is difficult to choose just one, but all of the squares in Gràcia neighborhood are very nice and worth visiting. Take a beer and snacks in one of the tapas bars or restaurants (that I will talk about later) on Plaça de la Virreina, Plaça del Sol, Plaça de la Revolució or Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia and chill observing the unhurried life of the neighborhood.

Ecological Shops

Well, I’m not obsessed with bio and ecological products, but for those who are, Gràcia is a great place to visit. You can find numerous shops with organic food, cosmetics and ecological clothes. If you search for them, you will find some without any problems.

Restaurants in Gràcia

Gràcia is a great place to try some new cuisines. It may even be difficult to find something genuinely Spanish or Catalan. Just the tapas bars are. Here is a list of some of the best restaurants in Gràcia with good reviews and reasonable prices (a full meal in each of them would cost you not more than 12 euros).

In general, the more you go to the north and away from the central streets and squares, the cheaper the prices get. Here are the top 8 restaurants (in my opinion) in Gràcia with their addresses and Google ratings:

• Rabipelao

Cuisine: Venezuelan

Address: Carrer del Torrent d’En Vidalet, 22

Google rating: 4.2

• Restaurant Veg World India

Cuisine: Indian

Address: Carrer de Bruniquer, 26

Google rating: 4.5

• Kibuka Verdi

Cuisine: Japanese

Address: Carrer de Verdi, 64

Google rating: 4.1

• Restaurante Gado Gado

Cuisine: Thai/Indonesian

Address: Carrer de l’Or, 21

Google rating: 4.2

• La Bicicleta

Cuisine: Spanish

Address: Carrer de Verdi, 65

Google rating: 4.2

• Felice bar

Cuisine: Dutch

Address: Carrer Francisco Giner, 22

Google rating: 4.6

• Cafè Godot

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Address: Carrer de Sant Domènec, 19

Google rating: 4.0

• L’Olla del Torrent

Cuisine: French and Spanish desserts and salads

Address: Carrer del Torrent de l’Olla, 106

Google rating: 4.3

Bars in Gràcia

The choice of bars in Gràcia is almost as big as of restaurants. The closer to the north of the district, the more local tapas bars which are also cheaper, while closer to the Diagonal avenue, you can find many European-style bars.

• Old Fashioned Gin Tonic & Cocktail Bar

Type: Coctail bar in the style of 1920’s

Address: Carrer de Santa Teresa, 1

Google rating: 4.6

• El Ciclista Cocktail Bar

Type: Coctail bar

Address: Carrer de Mozart, 18

Google rating: 4.3

• Bobby Gin

Type: Restaurant-style bar specialized on gin

Address: Carrer de Francisco Giner, 47

Google rating: 4.4

• La Xula Taperia

Type: Local tapas bar

Address: Carrer de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, 18

Google rating: 4.2

• Viblioteka

Type: Bar with a wide choice of wines

Address: Carrer de Vallfogona, 12

Google rating: 4.4

Accommodation in Gràcia

Despite their status, Barcelona and Madrid have a lot of cheap hostels. Renting a bed in one of them is cheaper than renting a room in an apartment, so you can often find some poor and unreliable people staying there.

But, this is more the case if you live in the center of Barcelona, and if it is not a ‘party hostel’. In Gràcia, you probably won’t need to worry about it.

I lived in a hostel in the district (it is in my list) for a week, and all the people living there were from different countries. And, they weren’t visiting Barcelona, they were living there. At least for a couple of months.

Hostels

I’ve checked the availability for a month after publishing the post. Most of the hostels were already booked, the cheapest one was 12 euros, but with bad reviews. Here are some good hostels in Gràcia, where you can stay (the prices for 17-18 November, checked 1 month before those dates on Booking.com). Your first accommodation can be even free if you use this link to get 15 euros back from your first booking!

• Generator Hostel Barcelona

Price: 18 EUR

Best for: solo travelers, families

Address: Còrsega, 377

Booking rating: 8.4

• Factory House

Price: 13 EUR

Best for: solo travelers, families

Address: Molist, 5

Booking rating: 8.2

• Jam Hostel Barcelona

Price: 16 EUR

Best for: solo travelers, families

Address: Montmany, 42

Booking rating: 9.1

• Casa Gracia

Price: 18 EUR

Best for: solo travelers, families

Address: Passeig de Gracia, 116 Bis

Booking rating: 8.4

• Rocket Hostel

Price: 17 EUR

Best for: solo travelers, young people

Address: Mare de Déu del Coll, 59, Gràcia, 08023 Barcelona, Spain

Booking rating: 8.5

As the hostel, where I lived, I would like to add some comments. It is a very cozy hostel (actually, like all the other 4), the kitchen is connected with the living room, so there are always people near you, it is easy to get to know each other. There are not many beds in the hostel, so you live like in a big family. There are 12-16 bunks in each room, but you don’t notice that, as you have curtains, a lamp and socket, so you can easily separate from the others and have your own space.

Apartments

To find a room or a flat in the city, where I’m going, I use Airbnb (get a 23 euros discount from your first booking on Airbnb). Living in an apartment gives you a great experience of living like a local. The apartments that are available at the moment of your search can be very different, so I will just review some that are available at the moment of this post publication.

The prices range from 16 to almost 200 euros. Still, to get a good shared room in the center of Gràcia, 16 euros is enough. In case of a single room, it is just 20. Choose your option and stay in Gràcia like a local.

It was a full guide to Gràcia neighborhood in Barcelona with the best restaurants, bars, attractions and places to stay in the district. Also, check my guide to Valencia. Travel more!

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