Gaudi Architecture Tour of Barcelona

Antoni Gaudi was a Catalan architect who lived and worked most of his life in Barcelona. He contributed many of the city’s most iconic buildings and his style was and was completely unique. He blended gothic with art nouveau and let his passions for nature and religion heavily influence his work. This gave many of his designs an organic feel to them.

Gaudi’s buildings are all over Barcelona so you will probably run across one or two by just walking around the city. However if you are into architecture and design or you just want to see some cool buildings definitely seek a few out.

Below is a list of Gaudi Architecture in Barcelona, most are museums now so you can go inside which is cool because his interesting designs did not stop at the exterior facades. There are a few however that are not open to the public but you can still see them from the outside.

Gaudi Architecture

Casa Vicens

This was the first residential building Guadi designed. He used a lot of different materials like iron, glass, tile, and concrete and combined several architectural styles including taking inspiration from the Moorish. It’s the first building to be considered Art Nouveau and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tickets: 21 Euro

Casa Milá (la Pedrera)

This apartment complex was Gaudi’s last work of civic architecture. The exterior facade resembles a stone quarry, and the curved stone and wrought iron make it iconic. The building is still in use for tourism, corporate offices, commercial/event space, and residential. Yep, people still live there! It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tickets: 22 Euro

Parc Güell

Park Güell is possible one of the most famous places in Barcelona, it is located in the Gracia neighborhood up on Carmel hill. The park consists of two sections, the Monumental Core and the surrounding gardens and woodlands. The Monumental Core is a UNESCO World Heritage site to preserve the unique architecture and designs found there. The park is a beautiful blend of architecture and nature and is much bigger than the Monumental Core, covering several acres of hillside with spectacular views of the city and tons of green space to enjoy.

Tickets: For the Monumental Core are 10 Euro, the rest of the park is free

Palau Güell

This mansion was built for tycoon Eusebi Güell, with whom Gaudi worked with quite a bit. It was designed specifically for entertaining and guests could drive their carriages straight inside through the intricate arched iron gates. The main party room has a high ceiling with small holes in it where lanterns would be hung at night to resemble the night sky. The facade is in the gothic style which is fitting for being located in the Gothic Quarter. This building is also a UNESCO world Heritage site.

Tickets: 12 Euro

Colonia Güell

This church was never finished, Gaudi ran out of money before finishing the project and only the crypt was completed. It is actually a little bit outside of Barcelona in the suburb of Santa Coloma de Cervello. The crypt includes mosaics, stained glass, and basalt stonework.

Tickets: 9.50 Euro

Casa Batlló

The original building was built by another architect and Gaudi was commissioned to remodel it at the request of the owner, Josep Batllo. He completely redesigned both the interior and exterior, the facade contains curved stonework, mosaic tiles, and stained glass. It is often called the “house of bones” due to the skeletal and organic curves in the stonework. On the interior Gaudi expanding the central well to allow for natural light to flow to all parts of the building. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tickets: 25 Euro

Casa Calvet

Casa Calvet is considered Gaudi’s most conservative work. The style pays tribute to the Catalan baroque style and was constructed with stone quarried locally from Montjuic. Gaudi’s naturalistic style can still be seen in the details though like the curved balconies and intricate ironwork. The bottom floor is now a restaurant that you can visit but the rest of the building is not open to the public.

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is the most famous work by Gaudi. The basilica has been under construction since 1882 and isn’t set to be finished until 2026. A fire destroyed many of Gaudi’s original plans and drawings and it took 16 years of work to piece everything together making progress and construction slow. There are three facades, the Nativity on the east side, the Passion on the west side, and the Glory on the south side. The Nativity facade was the first to be completed and contains intricate sculptures depicting the birth of Jesus and scenes of nature. The interior is epic looking, the skeletal like vaulted ceilings and stained glass that colors the white stone in a rainbow of light make it totally breath taking. You can go to mass there Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 9 AM, there is no cost for mass but the space is very limited.

Tickets: 17 Euro for basic entrance, or 27 Euro for Nativity Tower and Audio Guide

Cascada Fountain at Parc de la Ciutadella

The fountain in Parc de la Ciutadella was one of Gaudi’s first projects, he was actually an assistant to the architect Joseph Fontsere who designed it. It was inspired by the Trevi fountain in Rome and contains sculptures of animals and mythical creatures. The park is free for everyone.

Torre Bellesguard (Casa Figueres)

The Bellesguard is a manor house built with rectangular forms and straight lines which was not common in Gaudi’s work. The building’s design was inspired by the medieval castle of Martin I, the last king of the Catalan dynasty, who lived on the Bellesguard property until his death in 1410. Gaudi built the manor in the gothic – art nouveau style and restored the original castle which is now part of the estate grounds. The owners of the property still live in the house, but you are able to visit.

Tickets: 7.20 Euro

Teresian College

Teresian College was another early work of Gaudi’s. He inherited the project from another architect who had already established a floor plan and his instructions were to keep the design simple. He kept to the parameters, but kept some interest with turrets and texture on the front facade. The exterior is rather medieval, while the interior is a more gothic style. It is not open to the public as it is an operating school

Güell Pavilions

This complex of buildings sits on Güell’s estate. The most notable design is the iron dragon gate with glass eyes. Gaudi made use of several materials in the design of the buildings including ceramics and iron. The complex is currently closed for renovations.

Tours

There are tons of tours that will take you around to see some of Gaudi’s most famous designs. Here are a few for different levels of interest and price.

Bean Runners: A walking tour with an intro to Gaudi. You will see the most popular buildings.

Context Travel: A private small group tours, led by Gaudi scholars/historians/architects, you’ll get to skip the lines at some of the buildings and get indepth information on Gaudi and architecture.

Barcelona Guide Bureau: A private bus tour of Gaudi’s major works. The fee includes entrance to La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo, as well as an audio device so you can hear everything the guide is saying.

Nattie on the Road

Gaudi Architecture Tour of Barcelona