Sarrià

A village in the city

Sarrià was a separate town until 1921, and it still behaves like one. Carrer Major de Sarrià climbs to the church square past bakeries, a covered market and shops run by the same families for generations. Above it the streets get steeper, and the blocks of flats give way to houses with gardens, stone walls and gates you cannot see over.

Bonanova, to the east, has the larger houses: villas from the 1920s and 1930s on Passeig de la Bonanova and the streets above it, many with olive trees and cypresses. Families come for the schools, most of which are within walking distance, and stay because children can still walk to them alone.

The light

Higher up, wide streets and gardens leave long views to the south, and the sun reaches ground floors that would be in shade in the Eixample. The narrow streets around the old centre are shadier, which some buyers prefer in July.

Sarrià is also cooler. At the foot of Collserola, summer nights are two or three degrees fresher than by the port, and many older houses still manage without air conditioning. Thick walls, shutters and a tree on the south side do most of the work.

Streets to know

Carrer Major and Plaça de Sarrià are the centre. Passeig de la Reina Elisenda is the wide avenue at the top, with the monastery of Pedralbes just beyond it. Parc de Santa Amèlia, on the border with Les Corts, is the quietest garden in the area, and the streets around it have some of the best houses.

Below Sarrià, Sant Gervasi mixes blocks from the 1960s, many with deep terraces, and older houses on the quiet streets around Turó Park. Most of the flats we sell in this part of the city are there.