Parc Guell ~ Barcelona to Do

Parc Guell

What to do in Barcelona? In 1900 Count Eusebi de Güell y Bacigalupi, a Catalan count bought a small rocky, treeless hillside property on El Carmel with little vegetation but with beautiful views of the harbor and asked his friend, Gaudi to create a miniature garden city to express the spirit of Catalonia as an independent nation.

Gaudi had created roads and walkways, steps and plazas with tiled benches curving around them, fascinating buildings, colonnades, viaducts, grottoes, etc.

The two gatehouses are guarded by the best known symbol of the park, a dragon-like mosaic lizard. You meet with it in various forms - refrigerator magnets, pot holders, coasters, post cards - in every Barcelona souvenir shop. Unfortunately, the lizard was vandalized a couple of years before.At one of the high vantage points of Park you can see the famous house of Torre Rosa, which interestingly enough designed by his disciple Berenguer, in which Gaudi lived for the last 20 years of his life.

Gaudi's old home is now transformed into a small museum for interesting furniture designed by the artist, drawings and some personal objects.The park with its terraces which remind the path layout of Buttes Chaumont in Paris, is very popular and well visited place; the buildings, walkways and stairs are all created by a very amazing fantasy, it is difficult to describe, must see this! Many think it very beautiful and surrealistic, but a lot of people describe a visit here as a nightmare. You should visit it and create your own opinion.

If you do not like the architecture of Gaudi, then you will probably appreciate the views of the city as the best part of this park.

To avoid the rather difficult climb, you can enter the park by the other entrance, which had a series of escalators on the right of the Avinguda de l'Hospital to bring you to the top of the hill.

Open daily:
November to February from 10am–6pm;
March & October from 10am–7pm;
April & September from 10am–8pm;
May to August from 10am–9pm;

Admission is free except Gaudi’s home (4 €)

Metro stop"Lesseps" (Green Line, L3) On leaving the metro follow the street signposts for the park.