Passeig de Gracia leads to one of Barcelona’s most elegant shopping districts which was once a small town in its own right until it was swallowed whole by the city.

Exploring the winding narrow streets of Gracia is a great adventure, complemented by the many bars and restaurants, trendy boutiques and fantastic Barcelona apartments.

The two main squares are Placa Rius i Taulet and Placa del Sol where you can relax and watch people while sipping a coffee or a cool drink.

NAGORE FOOTWEAROne of the cool boutiques you may wish to enter in Gracia is Nagore Footwear which sells a fantastic range of handmade shoes for women, men and children, produced on the Spanish island of Menorca. The soles are made from crepe rubber or leather and the choice of sandals, shoes and boots is truly impressive. The company only sells eco-friendly leather that is tanned solely with vegetable oil. Until recently, the footwear was just available via Nagore’s website but now the company has a lovely shop at Calle Asturies 50, Grácia.

JET LAG EZEJet Lag Eze is a superb clothing boutique for women and men selling designer labels such as Girl, Paramita and Frederichoms. It is located at Calle Torrijos 52, Gracia and is a high fashion boutique and quite expensive although it does very good business because of the quality of its international brands. It is possible to shop elsewhere for less, but the experience of shopping in Jet Lag Eze is worth the extra cost.

LIMOBEBELimobebe is a fashion label from the Netherlands which set up the designer boutique in Gracia in 1999. Since then, the shop has proved to be a very big success, selling a good choice of baby and children’s clothes, and a variety of women’s designs including maternity wear. The boutique is situated in Rambla de Prat 9, Gracia, Barcelona.There are many more charming shops and boutiques to be found in the Gracia district of Barcelona, and when the shopping gets too tiring there are plenty of places in the old streets to sit and enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Photo Credit: PJ Mac | Since 2006 Holiday Velvet offers apartments in Barcelona and Gracia short-term rentals.