Gràcia

Gràcia was its own separate town until being absorbed into Barcelona in 1897, and it has kept a distinct village identity ever since, with narrow pedestrian streets radiating out from small, plane-tree-shaded squares like Plaça del Sol and Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia. A long tradition of political independence and working-class organizing gave it a countercultural reputation that persists in its concentration of vintage shops, small theatres, and independent bars, largely free of the tour groups that fill the Gothic Quarter. Every August, the Festa Major de Gràcia sees residents elaborately decorate entire streets with recycled materials for a week-long neighbourhood competition and festival. Park Güell sits just uphill at its northern edge.