Antoni Gaudí was a modernistic architect drawing inspiration from nature. Gaudí once said, “There are no straight lines or right angles in nature. Therefore, buildings should not have straight lines or right angles.” Most of his work is in Barcelona and is a must see when you visit. When my family and I went to Barcelona this summer, we decided to visit as many as we could in one day. We visited Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, and La Sagrada Família. You could say we had a very Gaudí day in Barcelona!
Park Güell
We started the day at Park Güell bright and early in the morning. It was tough getting everyone up, but it was worth it. The earlier you go the better, it starts getting very crowded mid-morning. If you go before or after opening hours it is free. We took the metro to where the Park Güell bus picks you up and brings you to the park.
The view of the city from the park is amazing, you can see all the way to the Mediterranean. The tile work here is magnificent, thousands of broken pieces making beautiful mosaics. All the arches, curves and attention to detail is awe-inspiring. The park is huge, you could spend hours wandering around. The area where you need admission tickets is only a small fraction of the whole park. Buy your tickets here.
Casa Batlló
This home was designed by Gaudí for the Batlló family and was my favorite of the Gaudí works we went to. This home made me feel like I was under water. The swirling shape of the chandelier reminds you of a seashell. The textured glass banister with blue tiles behind it looks like ripples in the ocean. The tile on the roof reminds you of the spine of a dragon or dinosaur. I am usually not a fan of audio tours, but I learned so much from this one. Buy your tickets here.
Casa Milà
The design of Casa Milà caused a lot of controversy amongst its neighbors for its unconventional appearance. It was also the first residence to have an underground garage. We did not tour the inside of Casa Milà, but we did see it from the outside. Being just a few blocks down from Casa Batlló, it was not a far walk. From the outside, you can see the curves of a building with no right-angles. Inside on the 1st floor is a café you can eat at if you want to take a peak inside without doing a tour.
La Sagrada Família
La Sagrada Família was Gaudí’s lifelong project, in his later years he dedicated all of his time to it. It is still not complete, the projected completion date is 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death. We visited around 5pm and the light coming through the stained glass windows was stunning. Afternoon light gives you a lot of warm color reflections, I would imagine morning light gives you some cooler color reflections. Again you will find nature-inspired details, such as turtles at the base of columns and stair cases that look like seashells.
We decided to go up one of the towers on our visit to La Sagrada Família. I chose the Nativity facade because I thought the lighting would be better from that side of the church for that time of day. The Nativity facade towers are on the front, older side of the church and the Passion facade towers are on the back, newer side of the church. Buy your tickets here.
All of these Gaudí works are worth a visit, I hope I inspired you to go and see for yourself! Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly. If you liked my very Gaudí day in Barcelona blog post, then check out The Best Beaches on the Algarve Coast!
