Post by: Andy Hayes, PlanetEye Traveler
One of the highlights of a trip to Barcelona is the works of Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi is a Catalonian architect born in a small town outside of Barcelona, and for much of his childhood was very ill. In his isolation came the inspiration that was later his architectural career. Gaudi began his career during the age of Gothic architecture, and this is the base from which he worked to create his works, which become more and more outlandish as he aged. From the beginning, Gaudi was ridiculed, and even today many find his works in poor taste. But the thousands upon thousands that visit them every year are at least some indication that he knew what he was doing.
Despite works in various locations throughout Spain, the majority of his masterpieces can be found here in Barcelona. You’ll be walking along minding your own business, and all of a sudden the buildings turn from normal and inoffensive to garish and bold.
If you want to check out the Gaudi highlights during your trip, here are four of the best spots to soak up whatever it was that Gaudi was trying to dream up.
La Pedrera
La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, is a Gaudi inspiration that you’ll find at 92 Passeig de Gràcia. It was built at the beginning of the 1900s. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is now owned privately by one of the Spanish banks that helped to restore the building when it fell into disrepair.
The insides of the building are, well, sort of crazy. This is partially due to Gaudi’s flights of fancy, but also to the men who commissioned the building, Rosario Segimon and Pere Milà. They had more money than they knew what to do with, so they pretty much asked for the world (and got it). Some interesting features of the interior include a lack of elevators – Gaudi wanted neighbors to be forced to know each other.
Tours are available for 7EUR – there are normally queues and I’m unaware of any way to book ahead.
Parc Güell
Pictured above, this park perhaps is my favorite in terms of Gaudi highlights in Barcelona. That’s because not only is the park itself wonderful, but it sits atop the hill El Carmel, which means you get some very lovely views out over Barcelona.
The park has several levels, and several different things to see. There are the famous benches, well engineered both for comfort and to stay try after a rainy spell. There are the terraced walls with their huge “bird nests” where the trees were planted. And the buildings that flank the entrance to the park – they remind me of something out of a massive gingerbread house, without the gumdrops on top.
The big pinkish peach building you see in the park is the Gaudi Museum – Gaudi himself lived here for about twenty years, though the building wasn’t designed by him.
The park is named after Eusebi Güell, a weathy Catalan man who was both a patron and a mentor to Guadi.
Sagrada Familia
Ever year, it seems the friendly folks working on La Sagrada Familia, the massive gothic cathedral that is widely considered Gaudi’s “epic” masterpiece, get further and further away from completion. You see, the building construction was started in 1882. Ever year it seems they say it will be four moreyears…who knows when it will be done.
Going into the Sagrada is an experience you’ll never forget. It feels like you’ve dropped into a cathedral-version of Alice in Wonderland, waiting for that cat to pop out from behind a corner. We’ve talked about a few tips on visiting the Sagrada Familia, but I’d like to advise you on an important update. Tickets are still 12EUR (16EUR with audioguide), but it used to be a real pain to get a ticket and get in. No longer – you can book tickets online! I’ve not done this yet but I’m hearing several reports of very happy campers, so do yourself a favor and plan in advance.
Casa Batllo
Another one of Gaudi’s smaller apartment-style buildings, Casa Batllo is now open to visitors. Tickets are approx 17EUR – they’re slightly more than that if you buy at a tourism office, and slightly less if you buy them online. It’s located at 43 Passeig de Gràcia, not far from Casa Mila. They say that the design here was to avoid any straight lines — which makes for quite an interesting building, as you can imagine. The imagery extends through every part of the structure, even the ventilation shafts and ducts.
Be sure to have a look through the gift shop too – some very interesting gifts that would make for a good souvenir. We have a fabulous community of hosts in Barcelona who will definitely show you a good time – so make sure to check out our short term accommodations in Barcelona!
Photo Credit: Wolfgang Staudt
