Passeig de Gracia elegant boulevard, Barcelona

Passeig de Gracia is an elegant boulevard that runs north from the Gothic quarter in Barcelona. At the turn of the 19th century, it was a new artery connecting the old village of Gracia with the new city center. The wealthy families chose to live here and it became a showcase for Barcelona's upper class. It is lined with spectacular Catalan Modernist streetlamps with curlicue ironwork and leaf patterns, by Pere Falques i Urpi. At the top of these is the shield of the king, and a crown topped by a bat, telling of a legend that a bat appeared to King James I to alert him in his tent during a battle when the enemy was approaching. Also lining the street are majestic mansions. It is wonderful to walk along and take in the details of these buildings- another gorgeous one every few steps! They are designed by the top architects at the time, such as Gaudi, Domenech i Montaneri (Gaudi's professor), and Puig i Cadafalch.

This street is lined with high-end stores, and crowded with tourists, though it is wide enough to bear the crowds. This street runs 1.5 km from Placa de Catalunya, a beautiful square with fountains and statues, in the south, to Av. Diagonal in the north. 
At Christmastime there are beautiful decorations on this street.
To enjoy one of the mansions, Casa Amattler, by architect Puig i Cadafalch, take a break and have some melted chocolate! Inside the mansion is a counter-service cafe called Faborit. It has stained glass, pretty plants, and hanging vintage lightbulbs. It feels crowded at the counter, but you can find a quiet nook to sit inside or outside. Try their melted chocolate, with crunchy bread you dip in it, or a sandwich or fruit smoothie. When you arrive, look up at the mansion's Dutch rooftop, floral decorations, and Gothic windows. 
You can tour two of Gaudi's mansions on this street: Casa Batllo, next door to Faborit Cafe, and Casa Mila (also called La Pedrera). Buy tickets in advance online, in case they sell out. I recommend coming first thing in the morning, because it is way too crowded inside later in the day. We toured Casa Batllo, but it was too crowded and claustrophobic inside to gain any enjoyment from the mansion. The architecture is more odd than beautiful, and the rooms narrow, which might have also added to the problem. You could skip this attraction.
Instead, walk south to the Gothic quarter and do a self-guided tour of Palau de la Musica Catalana (reserve in advance online), one of the two must-see sites in Barcelona, in my opinion!

Directions

Passeig de Gracia runs 1.5 km from Placa de Catalunya in the south, to Av. Diagonal in the north.

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