Gothic Quarter | €640,000 ($690,000)
A redesigned two-bedroom apartment close to cafes, museums and landmarks.
This newly rebuilt two-bedroom apartment is in an 1860 building in the Old City’s Gothic Quarter, with sidewalk cafes and tapas bars lining labyrinthine streets. Medieval landmarks include the remains of the Roman wall, Barcelona City Hall and the ancient Jewish quarter, including parts of the former Major Synagogue, which predates the 1391 anti-Jewish riots. The apartment is also close to the Picasso Museum, at the heart of the restored Berenguer d’Aguilar Palace. The Moco Museum is next door in the 16th-century Palacio Cervelló.
For oysters, octopus or paella, Els Quatre Gats, a cafe founded in 1897, is tucked down a side street. A haven for modernist artists, the cafe hired Pablo Picasso for his first commissioned work in the early 1900s, designing the menu’s front cover.
Sant Josep market, better known as the voluminous “La Boqueria,” is a five-minute walk along Las Ramblas, which is lined with stalls selling flowers and food. The closest metro stop is Drassanes line 3, just off Las Ramblas in Barcelona’s Old City. The bus at Placa de Catalunya is a minute from the apartment.
Size: 1,227 square feet
Price per Square foot: $562
Indoors: Mikel Irastorza, an interior designer known internationally for his eclectic and colorful style, recently redesigned this newly air-conditioned two-bedroom, two-bath apartment.
The open living, dining and kitchen area has 11-and-a-half-foot ceilings with grayish exposed beams and Catalan vaults painted a soft turquoise. Neutral ceramic stoneware covers the floor. Richly toned Modernist Catalan tiles in a rectangular rug-like pattern punctuate the floor in the living room seating area.
The contemporary kitchen island has a burnt-orange Silestone quartz countertop and facade, light wood cabinetry, integrated appliances and pendant lighting. Camel-colored rectangular porcelain tiles cover a side wall and the backsplash.
Down the hall, the en suite primary bedroom opens to a dressing room, a bathroom with a large glass-enclosed shower and a wall-mounted floating vanity. A tiled full bath, laundry room and storage room are across the hall.
The apartment is being sold furnished, including a reproduction of Picasso’s 1907 “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” that hangs in the dining area. Picasso was inspired by five prostitutes from a brothel at the time on Carrer Avinyó, where the apartment also is.
Outdoor space: French doors in the living-dining area open to four Juliet balconies with decorative iron railings. Two more balconies are off the primary bedroom; the second bedroom has a single balcony.
Costs: The annual property tax is $645. Maintenance of the building’s stairs and other common areas costs $215 quarterly.
Contact: Paola Moro, Albium Gesció; +34-933-171-727; paola.moro@albium.net; albium.net
Dreta de l’Eixample | €670,000 ($722,000)
A one-bedroom apartment with beamed ceilings, whitewashed brick walls and a rustic kitchen.
This one-bedroom, one-bath apartment is in a historic building in the Dreta de l’Eixample, a district built on a grid extending northeast from the old city. The building is close to the Plaça de Catalunya and Arc de Triomf, originally the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World’s Fair, and the 77-acre Parc de la Ciutadella.
Dreta de l’Eixample’s city blocks are home to modernist architectural treasures, including Antoni Gaudí’s La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. The neighborhood is a shopping hub, with high-end boutiques, art galleries, design studios, hotels, cultural activities and restaurants including the eclectic Trafalgar by Casa Lolea. The district is also residential, with semi-pedestrian streets, small passages lined with rows of English-style houses, and tranquil public parks. Public transportation links include buses, trains and the subway. The L1 Metro line, connected throughout Barcelona, is steps from the apartment.
Size: 1,195 square feet
Price per square foot: $605
Indoors: A Catalan-style vaulted and beamed ceiling and whitewashed brick wall run through the living-dining room and adjacent office and sitting area. Light streams through French doors topped by transom windows to either side of a working fireplace dividing the living and dining spaces.
The kitchen has a modern yet rustic open design, with white subway tile on one wall, wood cabinets, a built-in microwave and a butcher block counter on a center island with a contemporary range hood over the cooktop. A second island has a stainless steel sink and a dishwasher. There is also a washer and dryer in the unit.
In the bedroom, a brick wall is punctuated by French doors. An oak-paneled wall separates the sleeping area from the dressing room built-ins on the other side. The renovated bathroom, with an oversized shower, mixes white subway and black ceramic tiles. A single vanity has a white basin and drawers underneath.
Outdoor space: The French doors open to dual balconies with decorative metal railings. A third balcony is off the bedroom.
Costs: Property taxes are $431 a quarter. Maintenance fees are $108 a month.
Contact: Sofía Griñán, Max Ricart Luxury Properties, +34-93-202-02-22; sofia@maxricart.com|maxricart.com
Gothic Quarter | €640,000 ($690,000)
A renovated three-bedroom apartment with turn-of-the-century details in a vintage 1900 building.
This three-bedroom apartment is on a cobblestone street at the edge of the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona’s historic core, and trendy El Born. The soaring spires and ornate detailing of the Barcelona Cathedral, Plaça del Rei and the Gran Teatre del Liceu Opera House remain among the medieval and Renaissance buildings juxtaposed with modern-art galleries, artisan shops and trendy boutiques. Pubs and Catalan restaurants populate the neighborhood’s narrow, winding alleys. Koy Shunka, a Japanese restaurant next to the cathedral, is among several Michelin-starred restaurants. The haute cuisine Hofmann Hospitality School store sells artisanal pastries.
Nestled between the port, Mediterranean Sea and neighboring Eixample, the area is also connected to the rest of Barcelona by metro, bus and taxis. Architect Antoni Gaudí’s fanciful modernist Park Güell, about three miles away, is a 25-minute ride via the L4 subway or H6 bus.
Size: About 1,237 square feet
Price per square foot: About $560
Indoors: This three-bedroom, two-bath apartment is one of two on the second story of a four-story vintage 1900 building. Renovated 10 years ago, it has turn-of-the-century details including woodwork, mosaic glass and exposed wood ceiling beams.
The entry has a checkered black-and-white tile floor. Wood flooring lines a hallway with built-in shelves leading to a U-shaped kitchen with shaker-style oak cabinets. A wineglass rack hangs above a marble dining counter, which opens to a living-dining room with a natural white stone fireplace on one wall.
Mosaic glass doors open to the sleeping quarters, which have mosaic-tiled flooring. A double bedroom to the left has a vintage crystal chandelier. Across the hall is a full bath. The primary suite at the end of the hallway has a free-standing cast-iron bathtub in the bedroom. To one side, there is an antique wash basin, shower and lavatory.
Outdoor space: Off a hallway between bedrooms is a balcony with space for a bistro table and two chairs.
Costs: The annual municipal property tax is about $647. Monthly maintenance fees fluctuate depending on the building’s needs and expenses.
Contact: Camèlia López, Engel & Völkers / MMC Barcelona, +34-93-51544-44; engelvoelkers.com
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