A guide to the Esquerra de l'Eixample: markets, hidden modernisme and neighbourhood life a few minutes from Plaça Universitat

Most visitors know the Eixample through Passeig de Gràcia, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, in what's called the Dreta, to the right of the boulevard. But the other half of the district, the Esquerra de l'Eixample, is where Barcelona actually lives: neighbourhood markets, streets lined with terraces, lesser-known modernisme and plenty of local life.

Our shop, Custodi Lockers, is right here, at Passatge Valeri Serra 10, a pedestrian passage between Muntaner and Aribau that links Gran Via, Diputació and Consell de Cent, 3 minutes from Plaça Universitat. It's the perfect starting point to explore the neighbourhood without your suitcase.

Before you start: drop your bags

Custodi Lockers is an automated luggage storage open 24/7: book on your phone, scan the QR at the kiosk and your locker opens. If you arrive in the morning and check-in isn't until the afternoon, or you check out and leave at night, you can spend the day in the neighbourhood hands-free.

Getting here: Universitat metro (L1, L2) is 3 minutes away, and Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, L4 and Rodalies) about 8. The Aerobús leaves from Plaça de Catalunya, about 10 minutes' walk away.

1. Mercat de Sant Antoni

One of Barcelona's great markets: a late-19th-century iron building by Antoni Rovira i Trias that reopened in 2018 after a long renovation. Inside there are fresh-produce stalls, bars and, in the basement, remains of the old city wall you can see through glass panels. It's about 10 minutes' walk from the shop.

Around the market, Sant Antoni is now one of the liveliest parts of the Eixample, with traffic-calmed streets, terraces and lots of bars for a vermouth.

2. The Sunday book market

On Sunday mornings, the area around the Mercat de Sant Antoni fills with stalls selling second-hand books, comics, trading cards, postcards, records and collectables. It's been a city tradition for decades and makes a perfect Sunday plan before catching your train or flight.

Photo: Enric, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

3. The University of Barcelona's Historic Building

3 minutes from the shop, facing Plaça Universitat. It's the university's historic seat, a neo-Romanesque building from the second half of the 19th century designed by Elies Rogent, with two cloisters, a grand entrance hall and an inner garden. You can usually walk in to see the common areas on weekdays; check opening times on the UB website before you go.

Photo: Léna, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

4. Carrer d'Enric Granados

A couple of streets from the shop, Enric Granados is one of the nicest streets in the Eixample: quiet, with very little traffic, trees and a string of restaurants, cafés and terraces. Ideal for lunch or a drink away from the noise of the centre.

Photo: Zarateman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

5. Casa Golferichs

On the Gran Via, about 10 minutes' walk away, is a house that seems out of place among the Eixample's apartment blocks: a modernista villa in brick, wood and ceramics built in 1900-1901 by Joan Rubió i Bellver, a disciple of Gaudí. Today it's a civic centre with exhibitions and activities, one of the few detached houses left in the district.

Photo: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

6. Mercat del Ninot

The neighbourhood's other market, about 7 minutes uphill towards Mallorca. Renovated a few years ago, it's smaller and more local than Sant Antoni, with good produce and counters where you can eat. If you're staying in an apartment, it's the ideal place to stock up.

Photo: Enfo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

7. The Escola Industrial

On Carrer del Comte d'Urgell, the old Can Batlló textile mill became the Escola Industrial in the early 20th century. Its brick halls and large tree-lined grounds form an industrial and modernista complex that few tourists know, where you can stroll at your own pace.

Photo: Pere López, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

8. The Consell de Cent green axis

At the end of the passage is Consell de Cent, now one of the Eixample's green axes: traffic-calmed roadway, trees, benches and junctions turned into small squares. It's the best way to cross the district on foot, car-free, from Sant Antoni towards Passeig de Gràcia.

The Esquerra is also the heart of the Gaixample, Barcelona's LGBTQ+ quarter, with bars, cafés and nightlife around Consell de Cent, Muntaner and Casanova.

A day in the Esquerra with Custodi Lockers

• Morning: drop your suitcase on Passatge Valeri Serra and visit the University's Historic Building.
• Late morning: Mercat de Sant Antoni (and, on Sundays, the book market).
• Lunchtime: vermouth in Sant Antoni or lunch on Enric Granados.
• Afternoon: Casa Golferichs and a walk along the Consell de Cent green axis towards Passeig de Gràcia.
• Back: collect your suitcase and head down to Universitat metro or the Aerobús at Plaça de Catalunya.

Book my locker at Custodi Lockers →

Photo credits

• Cover photo: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• All other photos show their author and licence below each image.