The best of Barcelona just 15 minutes away from Seventy Barcelona
Seventy Barcelona es un lugar donde conviven las esencias más cosmopolitas de una ciudad polifacética. Un hotel de los que crean marca Barcelona y, mejor aún, que invita a quedarse. Su fachada acristalada da entrada al White Hall, un impresionante vestíbulo cuyo fondo de pared consiste en una ciclópea instalación de libros. Clasicismo y Modernidad como señas de identidad. Esa combinación nos da las primeras pinceladas de lo que Seventy Barcelona ofrece a todo aquel que lo visita: un lugar de encuentro de ciudadanos y foráneos que buscan calidez y confort a la hora de conversar acompañados de un café́, de un té, o de un cóctel. Todo eso de puertas para dentro. Hacia fuera, Seventy Barcelona es el punto de partida y de llegada a algunos de los principales landscapes de nuestra ciudad, ya que se ubica en la confluencia entre dos de los barrios más icónicos de Barcelona, como son Gràcia y el Eixample. Ese enclave estratégico permite que el viajero pueda disfrutar de monumentos emblemáticos de la ciudad a menos de quince minutos a pie. ¿No te lo crees? ¡Nosotros te lo enseñamos!
We began our tour by heading towards the Eixample district in Barcelona, a bridge between the Vila de Gràcia and the ancient Barcelona. There, thanks to the visionary power of Ildefons Cerdà, a futuristic neighborhood of rational geometries was born, as demanded by a world in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Feeling the excitement from the very doorstep of Seventy Barcelona to delve into a historic neighborhood, we arrived at our first stop.
A large medieval castle in the center of Barcelona
A tan sólo tres minutos a pie del hotel encontramos La Casa de les Punxes, un edificio con apariencia de gran castillo gótico que esconde un conjunto de pisos. En su origen, fue concebido como residencia para las tres hermanas de la familia Terradas. Sobre estos tres bloques diferentes, Josep Puig i Cadafalch realizó una reforma unificando los tres cuerpos en uno solo a través de una gran fachada de obra vista. Para ejecutar la obra se inspiró en el castillo de Neuschwanstein, de corriente wagneriana. El resultado final fue una construcción imponente de una manzana triangular de casas y que recuerda a un gran castillo medieval con cuatro torres con cubierta cónica, que han dejado en la memoria de la ciudad el nombre popular por el que hoy es conocida: la Casa de les Punxes. Con este imponente aspecto exterior, el edificio no tardó en hacerse un hueco en los circuitos turísticos de Barcelona, que permiten una visita para descubrir el modernismo catalán a través del ladrillo visto de la fachada o del hierro forjado de los balcones.
Following Gaudí's footsteps
With the amazement of finding a 'medieval castle' in the center of the city, we continue our tour towards the heart of Eixample through its main axis: Passeig de Gràcia. Along this stately promenade, we can move around the neighborhood to the left and right without any chance of getting lost, since, thanks to its grid design, we will always find our way back to a street that constitutes the true backbone of Eixample. Through its straight streets, we will find everything. The best shops, the finest restaurants, and, of course, the best legacy of Barcelona's modernist architecture. There we will find the most privileged area of Eixample, the Golden Mile, considered an open-air museum with works by Antoni Gaudí, by Domènech i Montaner and by Puig i Cadafalch, among others.
One of the great treasures designed by Antoni Gaudí is the Casa Milà, popularly known as "La Pedrera", perhaps his most imaginative building. A building declared a World Heritage Site that a century later remains at the forefront of architectural design. It is a timeless work, completely contemporary, that never goes out of style, because it is unique and, at the same time, always astonishing to the eyes of the visitor. At La Pedrera, Gaudí makes it evident why he is known as the architect of impossible shapes. One only needs to look at the facade. The effect, to the eyes of the beholder, is that of the movement of the sea waves, as if it were a tribute to the Mediterranean. Another detail is the way the stones were carved, giving them a rough appearance, reminiscent of a stone quarry, a coincidence that ended up naming the house. It offers guided tours to different areas of the house and art exhibitions.
We continue our tour down Passeig de Gràcia, heading towards the sea. Just a six-minute walk from La Pedrera, we arrive at another iconic spot on our route today: The Block of Discord. A section of the Barcelona boulevard at the junction with Aragón and Consell de Cent streets, where three iconic Modernist buildings coexist, designed by three of its greatest exponents: Casa Batlló, by Antoni Gaudí, the Casa Amatller, by Puig i Cadafalch, and the Casa Lleó i Morera, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Not only do they share the same space, but they were also built in the same years. This fact generated a public debate at the time about which of the three was more beautiful, creating among their architects a rivalry that, in reality, never existed.
If at this point the traveler is still eager for Modernism, symbolism, and impossible shapes, we can only recommend the crown jewel: the Sagrada Familia, considered the masterpiece of Gaudí, and one of the most visited monuments in Barcelona. To do this, those interested will have to extend their walk or take line 2 of the metro, right in front of Casa Batlló, and get off at Sagrada Familia, at the foot of the basilica. We are not going to uncover in this post the charms and beauties that the most visited European church after St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican holds. We would never finish. We can only strongly recommend a visit, with prior ticket reservation, and to delight in each and every one of the details conceived by the genius from Reus. Because, although finishing it is an achievement (it began in 1882 and is expected to be completed in 2030), the real wonder was to imagine it. And it is that Gaudí left nothing to chance. Everything in it is precisely calculated. Even its final height of 172 meters, just one meter less than Montjuic mountain, at 173, so that "man's work does not surpass the work of God". Word of Gaudí.
From Ancient Egypt to Marie Antoinette's France in four minutes
If, on the contrary, such architectural beauty brings us closer to the Stendhal syndrome, the Eixample offers other treasures to discover, beyond Modernism. And as guests of Seventy, there's hardly any need to walk. Between the Casa Amatller and the Casa Lleó-Morera we have one of those hidden gems that leave anyone who discovers it in awe. We are referring to the Perfume Museum, literally camouflaged inside the Regia perfumery. From the outside, a normal perfumery. Inside, the Perfume Museum, inaugurated in 1963 with the intention of offering a historical overview of the world of perfume: bottles and containers from ancient Greece to the France of Marie Antoinette. The collection boasts more than 10,000 containers from all eras, with historical pieces such as the bottle Le Roi Soleil, created by Salvador Dalí, or some from brands like Dior or Guerlain.
If this brief journey through history has sparked an interest in learning more about our past, the next stop we recommend is the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona, just four minutes away from the Perfume Museum. There, we will find priceless pieces that illustrate the evolution of Egyptian art. From a colossal image of Ramses II to sarcophagi, jewelry, and perfume containers. The visit is a quick dive into the Egyptian culture, with pieces and exhibits that help us understand how they lived on the banks of the Nile. The importance of the pharaohs as bearers of the divine blood, the jewelry, the ceramics, the funerary chambers, the cosmetics or even the eroticism are some of the thematic areas into which the tour is divided.
Delving into the Barcelona of the present and the future
We have now reached our furthest point from Seventy. And although we have made several stops, the reality is that we are only 15 minutes away from the hotel. Given the huge number of points of interest found within this distance, we believe it's time to start heading back. And we will do so through two buildings that show us that Barcelona is a vibrant city capable of reinventing itself periodically. On Aragón street, we find the headquarters of the Antoni Tàpies Foundation, established to promote the study and understanding of modern and contemporary art.
For this purpose, Tàpies chose a modernist building by Domènech i Montaner, which was restored and adapted for its current use. The building was the first in Barcelona's Eixample to integrate industrial technology, combining iron and exposed brick, into the fabric of the city center. The facade is crowned on its rooftop with the work Cloud and Chair, made with aluminum tubes and wires, representing the emblem of the museum. Past, present, and future coexist in perfect symbiosis. Inside, the Foundation houses the most complete collection of this significant artist, through whose paintings, prints, and sculptures it is possible to appreciate his creative trajectory. These exhibits are combined with the organization of temporary exhibitions, symposiums, and film series along with the publication of various editions.
After visiting the Fundació Tàpies, we can retrace our steps back to Passeig de Gràcia, but now heading upwards. Along the way, we can delight in the countless details that make this boulevard one of the most distinguished in Barcelona: its modernist street lamps with their mosaic benches, its marine-themed paving, its traditional Panot tile, La Pedrera now viewed from the opposite sidewalk, the most exclusive shops… Although the distance to the next point of interest is just 10 minutes away, we can take all the time in the world to enjoy each and every element that makes it up.
We have now reached our final stop, the Casa Seat, a multicultural space promoted by SEAT, an automotive company linked to Barcelona for more than six decades. Formerly a bank headquarters, the building has been restored by Carlos Ferrater and his studio Office of Architecture in Barcelona (OAB), creator among others of the facade of Seventy Barcelona. What can we do at Casa Seat? Enjoy cultural events, debates on mobility, exhibitions of all kinds, and a local gastronomic offering.
Ummmm, have we talked about eating? A route like the one proposed here is sure to have whetted the appetite of many, so now is the time to replenish our energy. To do this, and given the proximity to Seventy Barcelona (a four-minute walk), we recommend heading back to the hotel.
There we can enjoy a Mediterranean-style cuisine that is based on the quality of the product and the simplicity of its healthy recipes. From gnocchi to croquettes, all the basic products used to create the dishes are prepared in the hotel's kitchens. With this proximity, an internationally homey proposal is presented. Mediterranean character, global character. Nothing better than having the room close by after eating to get comfortable, take a shower, and discover the benefits of another Mediterranean custom: the siesta. Without a doubt, we will have earned it.
