Inside of Palau Macaya

©Esme Fox/Lonely Planet

Palau Macaya

L'Eixample

LoginSave

The 1901 Palau Macaya is one of Barcelona's great yet least-known Catalan Modernisme gems. It was designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who was also the master behind Casa Amatller, Casa de les Punxes and Palau Baró de Quadras. The bright-white facade is impressive with its decorative windows and intricate paintwork, but the interior is where this palace really comes to life, with its grand entrance, open courtyard decked in colourful tiles and a delicately carved marble staircase.

Today the palace is owned by La Caixa and has been turned into a space for talks, exhibitions and workshops on issues surrounding social transformation. There is also an interesting exhibit with audiovisual displays about the palace itself and the Catalan Modernisme movement.

Transportation

  • metro: Verdaguer

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • BARCELONA - AUGUST 9: View of the Sagrada Familia, iconic landmark in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on August 9, 2017. Designed by Gaudi and estimated to be completed by 2028. Cranes digitally removed 756015418 antoni, antonio, architecture, art, barcelona, blue, building, catalan, catalonia, cathedral, church, city, construction, designed, editorial, europe, facade, familia, family, famous, gaudi, gothic, historical, history, la, landmark, modern, monument, pond, religion, sagrada, sky, spain, spanish, structure, summer, tall, temple, tourism, tower, town, travel

    La Sagrada Família

    0.34 MILES

    The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…

  • OCTOBER 26, 2014: People walking past market stalls on the La Rambla street in Barcelona.

    La Rambla

    1.39 MILES

    La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented (and…

  • Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain

    Park Güell

    1.25 MILES

    Visitors and locals alike love Park Güell. The waving balcony and the colorful Guard’s House, with the imposing Barcelona skyline and sea in the…

  • Mercat de la Boqueria

    Mercat de la Boqueria

    1.25 MILES

    Barcelona's most central fresh-produce market is one of the greatest sound, smell and colour sensations in Europe. It's housed in a packed-out Modernista…

  • Barcelona, Casa Batlló is one of the two great buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí on Passeig de Gràcia From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones.

    Casa Batlló

    0.61 MILES

    One of Europe's strangest residential buildings, Casa Batlló (built 1904–6) is Gaudí at his fantastical best. From its playful facade and marine-world…

  • BARCELONA SPAIN EUROPE,: Inner courtyard of the famous Museu Picasso in Barcelona Catalonia Spain. Located in La Ribera district, it hosts the widest collections of artworks by Pablo Picasso

    Museu Picasso

    1.19 MILES

    Located along the grand, medieval street of Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is dedicated to one of the world’s greatest artists, Pablo Picasso. Born…

  • Barcelona, Spain - June 12, 2017 : Casa Mila popularly known as La Pedrera or open quarry, a reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, i

    La Pedrera

    0.5 MILES

    In the top tier of Gaudí's achievements, this madcap Unesco-listed masterpiece, with 33 balconies, was built in 1905–10 as a combined apartment and office…

  • Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, Spain

    Fundació Joan Miró

    2.22 MILES

    Joan Miró was a Catalan painter and sculptor born in Barcelona who combined abstract art with surrealism. He is considered one of the most influential…

View more attractions

Nearby L'Eixample attractions

1. Església de les Saleses

0.16 MILES

A singular neo-Gothic effort, this church is interesting because it was designed by Joan Martorell i Montells (1833–1906), Gaudí’s architecture professor…

2. Casa Llopis i Bofill

0.17 MILES

Casa Llopis i Bofill is an interesting block of flats designed by Antoni Gallissà (1861–1903) in 1902. The graffiti-covered, oriental-inspired facade is…

3. Casa Thomas

0.31 MILES

Completed in 1912, Casa Thomas was one of Domènech i Montaner’s earlier efforts – the floral motifs and reptile figurines are trademarks and the massive…

4. Casa de les Punxes

0.31 MILES

Puig i Cadafalch’s 1905 Casa Terrades is known as the Casa de les Punxes (House of Spikes) because of its pointed tile-adorned turrets. Resembling a…

5. La Sagrada Família

0.34 MILES

The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…

6. Palau Montaner

0.36 MILES

Though fascinating on the outside and made all the more enticing by its leafy gardens, this 1893 creation by Domènech i Montaner is especially spectacular…

8. Platja de l'Eixample

0.46 MILES

In a hidden garden inside a typical Eixample block is an old water tower and an urban 'beach', the Platja de l'Eixample, also known as the Jardins de la…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "spain/barcelona/leixample/attractions/palau-macaya/a/poi-sig/1601471/1320680",
  "destination": "L'Eixample",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Spain",
  "city": "Barcelona",
  "neighborhood": "L'Eixample",
  "position": "superzone"
}