Apple Store in Barcelona- Passeig de Gracia

Apple is going to open is 2nd Apple Store in Barcelona on the number 1 of Passeig de Gracia!

Steve Jobs signed the paper work in California, USA with the family who own the building at Plaza Catalunya and the company who will do all the structural work. If everything goes to plan it will be open in less than 6 months time – approx. May 2011!

This whole building was occupied by Anarchists during the strikes in September! But hopefully they won’t break into the New Apple Store once it opens next year. Apple will have 3 floors with over 2500m2 of sales space and an additional 700m2 of storage space. The main floor already has a 4 m high ceiling but there are even rumors that they will be doing some demolition works to create a 12m high ceiling between the floors – perhaps this will allow enough space for the now iconic Apple glass staircase and entrance see at many other Apple stores like London and New York?


2nd Biggest Apple Store in Europe
This store will be the second biggest Apple Store in Europe behind London’s Covent Garden Apple Store.

The opening is sure to be a huge spectacle! We will most definitely be in attendance…! Holiday apartments for rent right next to the apple store!!! Come to Barcelona to visit it for its opening!!!

Barcelona Shopping Night

White Night of fashion comes to Passeig de Gràcia



December 2nd 2010 from 20h until late in the night



Passeig de Gràcia's retail establishments are holding their first fashion White Night on Thursday 2 December, with over 50 shops taking part. There will also be design and fashion-related activities going on in the emblematic hotels and buildings on this, one of Barcelona's major high streets.

You probably never thought you would be able to savour an escudella broth made by Carme Ruscalleda outside the Hotel Mandarin Oriental or see an exhibition of customised chairs in the centre of Passeig de Gràcia.

But all that, and much more, will be possible this Thursday, 2 December, when over fifty retail establishments, the Bulevard Rosa and several hotels will be open from 8 pm to 12 am for Shopping Night, an event already held in the main capitals of Europe.

Ultimately the aim is not to make the White Night a big sales night but to position Barcelona and the Passeig de Gràcia as an international shopping destination and link that with the Christmas festivities.

Barcelona Shopping Night is therefore taking place on the same night that Barcelona switches on its Christmas lights, which will be on for 36 days at over 300 city locations and lighting up 60 km of streets.

A passport of flowers and a party


Anyone wishing to buy something at any of these shops will have to take out a Shopping Passport, a small booklet supplying the addresses of the shops that will also come in useful for the "Gimcana de les Flors" and will be available at specialist information points.

For every euro spent at one of the shops taking part in Shopping Night, buyers will receive a flower-shaped stamp and, as they accumulate these, they will be able to enter lotteries for cruises, ski-resort holidays and nights in luxury hotels.

And, besides the shops and their products, which you can enjoy at a very unusual time, at midnight this unique city location will become the setting for a big fiesta.

"David Missoni", a sculpture over six metres high and dressed in moving fabrics by dEmo, will be installed on the avenue, as a collection of unique, customised industrial items and a large design tent with fashion and design celebrities from Barcelona will be at other points.

In addition, the Mariscal and Custo exhibitions will also be opening at La Pedrera and Casa Batlló respectively, with Carme Ruscalleda serving escudella broth and Jean-Luc Figueras serving up hot chocolate and churros.


Book a last minute flight or take your car and come to Barcelona to don't miss this incredible Fashion Event! If you're looking for a place to stay, we are here for you. We can propose you a large choice of apartments really close to the Passeig de Gracia!

Barcelona Architecture

Barcelona is a city with mind-blowing architecture. When you first encounter Antoni Gaudí's La Sagrada Familia or his rooftop sculptures at La Pedrera, you'll be floored by the originality and hallucinogenic quality of his works. There's much in Barcelona unlike anything you've ever seen.

Barcelona architecture is, in reality, an attraction in itself. Just stroll around the city, especially through the Gothic Quarter and the Eixample, and you'll find an endless amount of fascinating buildings and unexpected treasures.

From Roman times to the Gothic period to the Catalan Art Nouveau, "modernisme," Barcelona's architecture naturally transmits the city's rich history. It speaks for eras of varying prosperity and decline, for fervent Catalan nationalism or subjugation to the central government, for Expos, Olympic Games, Cultural Forums and more.

The two most important styles of Barcelona architecture are Catalan Gothic, a medieval style, and Modernisme, a turn of the 20th century movement protagonized by Antoni Gaudi.
Apart from the Middle Ages and Barcelona's turn of the 20th century "Renaixença" (Catalan Renaissance) it's well worth mentioning the city's ancient remains.

You can see significant sections of the 4th century Roman walls at the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat and inside the Cathedral's Casa de L'Ardiaca, the Archdeacon's House.

Gayxample

Gayxample is the gay area in Barcelona in the elegant neighbourhood of Eixample, one of the busiest areas in Barcelona with also an incomparable architecture.

Around the blocks between Calle Comte d'Urgell and Rambla Catalunya, Gran Via and Calle Provença, the Eixample stands out for its vibrant gay scene. It is full of fashionable clothes shop, bars, restaurants and cafés.

Gayxample also has a super selection of night clubs, hairdressers, saunas, etc., and all without having to set foot outside this diverse and cosmopolitan area.

You can rent a nice apartment with a lovely terrace just next to the Plaça Universitat where the Gayxample begins. The location of this gay welcome apartment is in a pedestrian street where there are many fashion shops and with the mix of tourists and Barcelona's own folk, gives a cosmopolitan and multicultural feeling, typical of the "old town" of Barcelona.

Interested? Book it now!

Gay Friendly

Barcelona has long had the reputation as a city with a vibrant and integrated gay scene. Whilst there are some areas that are frequented more by the gay community, everywhere in the city is welcoming and open-minded, making Barcelona a gay friendly popular destination for members of the gay community.

Barcelona Areas that are popular with the Gay community

Many of the gay bars, clubs and hostels are around the area called Eixample (pronounced eshaumplay) and nicknamed "gayxample". This is the heart of the gay scene, although it's not exclusively a gay area.

Eixample is a beautiful and relatively modern and trendy district in the centre of Barcelona, with all you could ever need in the form of bars, clubs and accommodation for both the gay and straight communities.

Another area that is very popular with the Gay Community is Sitges, which is just a short train journey away from Barcelona.

Eixample

Eixample means “extension” or “enlargement” in Catalan. During the city’s 19th century industrial boom, architects planned wide diagonal boulevards reaching out from old Barcelona to form a new bourgeois stomping ground.

The Eixample remains mostly upper-middle class, characterized by fancy shops and tranquil street scenes, yet its uniquely modernista character makes it a fascinating place to get to know. Nearly every architectural attraction from the turn of the 20th century is located in the Eixample.

A good way to get to know the Eixample is to start at Plaça de Catalunya and work your way up Passeig de Gracia. An important shopping avenue, Passeig de Gràcia has everything from restaurants to high fashion boutiques. It also gives the visitor a nice general feel of the Eixample's personality as a neighborhood.

The Eixample holds a ton of great places to experience Barcelona culture. The National Symphony of Catalonia is based out of L'Auditori, a modern concert hall with excellent acousitcs. Alternatively, the Fundació Caixa always has an interesting activity or event planned. Cinema fans will find 4 art house movie theaters and music lovers can head to a number of great locales, such as La Boite or Luz de Gas.

Even though the Eixample is a more upscale neighborhood and not known for being particularly "hip," it's certainly got a stellar cultural offering. Rent an apartment in this area.

Walking tour - The Eixample

On foot. Approximate duration: 2 hours.

"Exaimple" means extension and here it refers to the urban expansion of the city which was carried out in the second half of the 19th Century according to the plans drawn by Ildefons Cerdà. The "Exaimple", which is divided into two by the Rambla Catalunya, is the greatest interest from the point of view of "Modernism" on the right and it is there that we have routed our itinerary. It begins Plaça Catalunya.

1- Plaça Catalunya
Similar in size to Peter's Square in the Vatican and the Etoile de Paris.

2- Passeig de Gràcia
This was the favorite promenade of the bourgeoisie at the turn of the century. Worthy of admiration are the iron lamp-posts by Pere Falqués.

3- Passatge Permanyer
One of the jewels in the "Exaimple"'s crown. Post-Romantic houses with gardens in front.

4- "La Concepció" Market and Church
The architectural structure of the market buildings is lovely. The annexed church is gothic and has a marvellous cloister dating from the 14th Century.

5- Conservatori Superior Municipal de Música
Carrer Bruc, nº110. The work of A. de Falguera.

6- Casa Montaner
Carrer de Mallorca, nº278. The work of Domènech i Montaner.


7- Palau Casades
Carrer Mallorca, nº283. Pompeian style small palace. Houses the College of Lawyers.

8- Casa Thomas
Calle Mallorca, nº291. The work of Domènech i Montaner.

9- Casa Terrades or "Casa de les Punxes"
Calle Diagonal, nº416. The work of Puig i Cadalfach. Modernist style with medevial overtones, rich us of brick woek.

10- Casa Quadras
Calle Diagonal, nº373. The work of Puig i Cadalfach.


11- Casa Mila or "La Pedrera"
Passeig de Gràcia, nº92. The work of Antoni Gaudí. Considered to be Modernism at its best with its impressive façade of ondulating stone and wrought-iron balconies.

12- Casa Montaner i Simó
Carrer d'Aragó, nº255. 1880, work of Domènech i Montaner. The first catalan modernist building. Headquarters of the Tàpies Fondation.

13- Casa Batlló
Passeig de Gràcia, nº43. The work of Gaudí. Mosaic and ceramic tiled façade.

14- Casa Amatller
Passeig de Gràcia, nº41. The work of Puig i Cadalfach. Neo-Gothic style.

15-Casa Lleó i Morera
Passeig de Gràcia, nº35. The work of Domènech i Montaner.

You can rent an apartment on the Passeig de Gracia from walking distance of all these points of interest.

La Pedrera - Casa Milà

Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for 'The Quarry'), is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1905–1907. It is located at 92, Passeig de Gràcia ('passeig' is Catalan for promenade or avenue) in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia. It was built for Roger Segimon de Milà. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".





If you are travelling to Barcelona between May and August, we strongly recommend to visit La Pedrera during the evening. In the summer season the roof of La Pedrera can be visited and once you get to the top you get welcomed with a glass of "cava" (Catalan champagne). Its a romantic experience in Barcelona and you will enjoy stuning views of Barcelona at night.






To complete a romantic holiday you can rent a penthouse apartment very close to La Pedrera.






If you are interested in booking this, or any other apartment in Barcelona, just visit:
Top Barcelona Apartments