Although a university was first set up on what is now La Rambla in the 16th century, the present, glorious mix of (neo) Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic and Mudéjar architecture is a caprice of the 19th century (built from 1863 to 1871 by Ildefons Cerdà's friend Elies Rogent). Wander into the main hall, up the grand staircase and around the various leafy cloisters, and take a stroll in the rear gardens. The main 1st-floor hall is the Mudéjar-style Paraninfo.
©Esme Fox/Lonely Planet
Universitat de Barcelona
L'Eixample
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.27 MILES
The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…
1.94 MILES
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Barcelona's most central fresh-produce market is one of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe. It's housed in a packed-out Modernista…
0.89 MILES
Located along the grand, medieval street of Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is dedicated to one of the world’s greatest artists, Pablo Picasso. Born…
1.26 MILES
Joan Miró was a Catalan painter and sculptor born in Barcelona who combined abstract art with surrealism. He is considered one of the most influential…
0.68 MILES
La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented (and…
Nearby L'Eixample attractions
1. Museu del Modernisme Barcelona
0.17 MILES
Housed in a stuccoed, red-washed 1902 Modernista building by Enric Sagnier, this museum seems like a big Modernista-furniture showroom. Several pieces by…
0.18 MILES
Originally built for a rich banking family by Enric Sagnier in 1902–05, the stunning, carefully restored Modernista Casa Garriga i Nogués has been taken…
3. Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
0.24 MILES
A complex of auditoriums, exhibition spaces and conference halls, the CCCB opened in 1994 in what was formerly an 18th-century hospice, the Casa de la…
0.29 MILES
An extraordinary all-white, glass-fronted creation by American architect Richard Meier, opened in 1995, the MACBA has become the city's foremost…
0.31 MILES
At the intersection of the old city and L'Eixample, busy Plaça de Catalunya is the city's central transport hub, both for buses and trains, and a…
0.33 MILES
Domènech i Montaner’s 1905 contribution to the Illa de la Discòrdia, with Modernista carving outside and a bright, tiled lobby in which floral motifs…
0.33 MILES
The section of La Rambla immediately south of Plaça de Catalunya is named after this inconspicuous turn-of-the-20th-century drinking fountain and lamppost…
0.34 MILES
The Fundació Antoni Tàpies is both a pioneering Modernista building (completed in the early 1880s) and the major collection of leading 20th-century…