Photos: Lucasbosch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Enric, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 Marta Nimeva Nimeviene, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo credits
Photos: Lucasbosch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Enric, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 Marta Nimeva Nimeviene, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The Eixample, Cerdà's grid explained
Your local guide
Sílvia Rovira
View profile
Highlights
- Chamfered corners cut for light and visibility
- A nineteenth-century plan, still followed today
- One grid, one long straight view
- Barcelona's most influential piece of planning
- The Eixample explained through its own logic
About this tour
This session explains the Eixample's grid through Ildefons Cerdà's original nineteenth-century plan. You see one of the district's distinctive chamfered corners, cut at an angle for light and visibility, and then a long straight street showing the plan's full scale. It is a session about city planning rather than any single building.
I start at one chamfered corner and walk a short stretch of grid, explaining the plan's logic as we go. Questions are welcome throughout, and I send a short note afterwards.
This suits anyone interested in urban planning rather than only architecture. It also pairs well with a session on the Fundació Antoni Tàpies nearby.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Barcelona before heading out.
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Chamfered Corner 15 min
You see one of the Eixample's distinctive chamfered corners, cut at an angle to improve visibility and light.
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Grid Street View 15 min
Looking down a long straight street, the camera shows the scale of Ildefons Cerdà's original nineteenth-century plan.
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Your questions 7 min
Time to ask anything about Barcelona: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 3 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Crema catalana and El Born, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Madrid time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Barcelona, showing you Chamfered Corner and Grid Street View live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on Google Meet, with the link sent with your booking. I walk a short stretch of grid so the pattern stays clear on screen.
Times shown in Madrid time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Fri 13 Nov · 10 seats left From 16,00 €
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