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Barcelona visitors often research the neighbourhood surrounding Gaudi's still-unfinished masterpiece, sidelined in favour of Barcelona accommodation in places closer to the infamous La Rambla. While the Bari Gotic (La Rambla) is indeed a fabulous area for your Barcelona accommodation, parts can be noisy, shabby and teeming with tourists. The streets and avenues surrounding the Sagrada Familia offer an up-scale, more refined, yet incredibly interesting alternative for your next Barcelona accommodation. It's centrality and transport links make it a destination in itself as well as a convenient base for exploring all this energetic city has to offer.

The foundations of the Sagrada Familia were laid in 1882. Gaudi was in charge of the project until 1926 and is in fact buried beneath the nave. Since then the project has been steered by various architects up until the present day. No date has been given for its completion which is no surprise when one considers that the entire project is funded entirely from donations.

The Sagrda Familia is considered as a neighbourhood in itself although strictly speaking it is part of the Eixample neighbourhood. The Eixample (or Ensanche in Spanish) sits between the medieval old town (Cuitat Vella) and the small villages that have now been incorporated into the city itself - Sants, Gràcia, Sant Andreu. An interesting and varied location for your Barcelona accommodation choice. Unlike the ramshackle, unplanned layout of the old town the Eixample was meticulously planned with beautiful tree-lines boulevards and a grid of modernista apartment blocks. There are some great choices amongst these tree lined streets and sunny squares where you can find great Barcelona accommodation. As well as the Sagrada Familia itself, the winder Eixample area also boasts most of the architecturally innovative examples of the Modernista movement made most famous by Antoni Guadi - Casa Mila, Casa Batllo being the most well know. Again, there are many great options in this area in which to find some inspiring Barcelona accommodation.

The area also boasts some of Barcelona's finest restaurants, cafes and tapas bars. Barcelona has become one of Europe's most cutting edge eating destinations with an eclectic array of eateries, both traditional and experimental. The streets surrounding the Sagrada Familia and the wider Eixample district have become the focus for the burgeoning restaurant scene. Those looking to avoid more touristy, less creative cuisine should certainly consider this when considering their Barcelona accommodation options when next in town. The Sagrada Famialia neighbourhood wins hands down for culinary delights.

Another draw to the area around the Sagrada is the delightful Avinguda Gaudí. This former Rambla is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants - a wonderful spot to draw your breath and people watch and with a good choice of Barcelona accommodation in the surrounding streets, this is an ideal place to stay. The Avinguda Gaudi links the Sagrada Familia with the impressive Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, one of the most spectacular examples of the Modenista architectural movement.

Barcelona accommodation in this area represents a very convenient choice. With a metro station in close proximity, connecting up with the rest of Barcelona proves simple. Choosing apartments in the Sagrada Familia area means that you are just four stops away from Placa de Catalunya and La Rambla and just five away from the nearest beaches. Although there is plenty of accommodation offered in those areas, the Sagrada Familia area has the benefit of a more refined and sophisticated ambiance. In essence, the Sagrada Familia neighborhood is a wonderful alternative to heavily tourist populated parts of Barcelona.