Gaudi, the architect par excellence.

Gaudi is Barcelona’s architect par excellence. His works, created during the early 20th century, are now a worldwide reference. Barcelona wouldn’t be what it is today without him, and a guide of Barcelona wouldn’t be complete without a chapter dedicated to him.

A tireless architect and artist, who was born in Reus in 1852. Misunderstood in his time, he is now considered the maximum exponent of Modernism and one of the best architect of all times. He conceived solutions that were original, revolutionary, useful and innovative and at the same time they were economic and most of the time inspired in Nature. He was run over by a tram when crossing the street near the Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family). He was thought to be a beggar, but in fact he was a GENIUS.

His four major works in Barcelona are: La Pedrera, Park Güell, the Battló House and La Sagrada Familia. All of his works are a must. We recommend you dedicate one day to see them all.

Park Güell

Park Güell, built between 1900 and 1914, was originally designed to be a garden city. An idea conceived by Count Güell (Gaudi’s protector) that was unsuccessful and later abandoned. It is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Park’s main square is an ideal place to sit down and have a drink while enjoying the fabulous sights and the most complete view of Barcelona. While the entrance to the Park is free, you’ll have to pay a small entrance fee to see his house-museum. (Entry fee is €3).

The entrance to Park Güell.

La Pedrera (Casa Milà)

La Pedrera (“The Quarry”) was built between 1905 and 1907. In only three years! It was commissioned by Mr Güell. Its idea was to use the first floor of the building for him and his familyand rent the other floors. It also belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

During many years, this building was practically abandoned and used as offices. Fortunately, in 1987 it was bought by the Caixa Catalunya Foundation and later restored. This restoration was finished in the year 2000 with the opening to the public of the terrace and the top floor. It is precisely on this floor where we can admire a complete exposition on the life and works of Gaudi. In this building you can also see a accurate reproduction of the decoration used in those times. This decoration illustrated to perfection the style of life back then.

The entry fee to the house is €12. With the Bus Turístic you have a €2 discount, so the fee will be €10. With the entry fee you receive a pair of headphones, so the visit is totally audio-guided. If you want to avoid queues, go at lunchtime.

La Casa Batlló

La Casa Batlló.

This house was originally a normal house, just like the rest. But its owners asked Gaudi to reform the house and he turned it into a small palace situated in the Paseo de Gracia. Its decoration and the vast repertoire of visual solutions make this building simply spectacular, especially the main room.

The terrace has recently been opened to the public. This visit is highly recommended. It’s curious and surprising to see that the terrace is austere, but at the same time of an incredible beauty. In this building we can also observe how practical Gaudi was: he devised a system where there was a continuous draught so the laundry would dry up fast and not get wet when it rained.

The entry fee to the house and the terrace is about €16. With the Bus Turístic you get a €4 discount. With the entry fee you receive a pair of headphones, so the visit is totally audio-guided. If you want to avoid queues, go at lunchtime.

La Sagrada Família

La Sagrada Família.

Antoni Gaudi was an extremely religious person and La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) is Gaudi’s major work. La Sagrada Familia is the only cathedral in the whole world under construction at the moment, and its construction is totally financed by the donations it receives and by the entry fees. It’s scheduled to be finished in twenty years time. Its main tower, still under construction, will be 170m tall.

It’s Spain’s most visited monument, so we strongly recommend you visit it early in the morning (its doors open at 9 am), because the queues can get very long. It has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The entry fee is about €8. If you buy a combined entry to La Sagrada Familia and the House-Museum in Park Güell, you will only pay €9 (saving €2).