You can’t visit Barcelona without seeing Gaudí’s influence everywhere you go! He is the city’s most famous architect and helped shape the design of the city during the 19th and early 20th century. His finished and uncompleted works stand as testimony to his genius.

In this post, you will find everything you need to know about Gaudí’s masterpieces in Barcelona.

Antoni Gaudí

Born in 1852, Antoni Gaudí belonged to the Art Nouveau movement, with his first designs being centered around Gothic and traditional Catalan architectural styles. However, it wasn’t long until he developed his own style that set him apart from all others.

Referred to as God’s Architect for the religious themes in his work, several of Gaudí’s creations have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. His most famous work, La Sagrada Familia is not only the most popular attraction in Barcelona but the most visited monument in all of Spain.

Gaudí died tragically in 1926 after being hit by a tram on his way to church. He was knocked unconscious and, because he didn’t have any identification on him, people assumed he was a beggar and just left him there. He was eventually taken to a hospital, but it was too late by the time people realized who he was. He died of his injuries shortly after.

Casa Vicens

Casa Vicens was Gaudí’s first important work. The house was constructed between 1883-1888 and is made of undressed stone, red bricks, and colored ceramic tiles in checkerboard and floral patterns. The client was the owner of a brick-and-tile factory, so the ceramic tiles pay tribute to his employment. This is one of Gaudí’s works that fall into his orientalist period, as this work has Middle Eastern and Far Eastern influences.

Casa Vicens is open daily from 10 am – 8 pm and the entrance fee is 16 euro.

Carrer de les Carolines 20

Lampposts Placia Real

The first commission that Gaudí received after graduating from school was to construct street lamps for the city. At the request of the city council in 1878, he designed lamps with three and six arms and crowned them with a winged helmet. They were symbolic of the commercial power of Barcelona, made of cast iron and marble. They are all gone now except for the ones left in Placia Real and Pla del Palau.

Placia Real

College of Saint Teresa

The building looks like a fortress, this is a convent school that Gaudí designed for the Order of Saint Teresa of Jesus. The project was already underway when Gaudí became involved, but he made some changes to the plans to better reflect his personal style and vision.

You can only admire this building from the outside.

Carrer de Ganduxer

Cascada Fountain in Parc de la Ciutadella

Gaudí helped design the fountain while he was still a student. He was responsible for the design of the fountain, the bandstand, and the park’s entrance gate, a project that stretched from 1873 to 1882. Baroque in style, the fountain is massive, intricate, and awe-inspiring. We loved sitting in the park!

Parc de la Ciutadella is open from 10 am – 10 pm.

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Casa Calvet

The Casa Calvet was built by Gaudí for the textile manufacturer Pere Martir Calvet, who set up his business premises on the ground floor and in the basement and used the upper floors as his private residence. In 1900, Barcelona City Council awarded it the prize for the best building of the year. The building pays tribute to the baroque Catalan style and was built from stone quarried on Montjuïc, and features splendid ironwork on the balconies. The hall and ground floors are particularly interesting and the latter now houses a restaurant, where you can see the typical Catalan ceiling, granite Solomic columns, and arches with their vine-shaped reliefs.

Carrer de Casp, 48

Bellesguard Tower

The Bellesguard Tower, also known as Casa Figueras, was built by Gaudí between 1900-1909. It was built as a second house for Figueras and was meant to feel like a medieval fortress with sporting towers and battlements. There are some Art Nouveaux elements mixed in here that give it a modernist take on a classic Gothic structure.

The Bellesguard Tower is open from Tuesday – Sunday from 10 am – 3 pm and the entrance is 10 euro.

Carrer de Bellesguard 16

Park Güell

The Park is named after Eusebi Güell, a rich entrepreneur and count that had a great passion for Gaudí’s work and who became his patron. The park was originally conceived as part of a luxury residential complex, but over the years this idea was dropped and instead they designed a park that could be the setting for a fairy tale.

The park was opened in 1922 and in 1984 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This green space measures 17 hectares and includes rounded forms, columns that look like tree trunks, animal figures, and geometric shapes. Most of the architectonic elements are decorated with mosaics made from colorful ceramic pieces.

Park Güell is open daily from 8 am – 9.30 pm and the entrance fee is 10 euro.

Carrer de Larrard

Palau Güell

Located off La Rambla, Palau Güell built in 1886. It was designed for one of Gaudí’s patrons, Eusebi Güell. The home is centered around the main room used to entertain high-society guests. The main party room has a high ceiling with small holes near the top where lanterns were hung at night from the outside to give the appearance of a starlit sky. There are colorful tree-like chimneys on top. It’s a bit creepy and gothic. This is one of our favorite Gaudí buildings!

Palau Güell is open from Tuesday – Sunday from 10 am – 5.30 pm and the entrance fee is 12 euro per person.

Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3-5

Casa Mila

Casa Mila is another building designed by Antoni Gaudí and commissioned by Pere Mila and Roser Segimon.
the name comes from the fact that it was the new home of the Mila family. The couple occupied the main floor and rented out the other apartments.

It is Gaudí’s most iconic work of civic architecture due to both its constructional and functional innovations, as well as its ornamental and decorative solutions.

The building is also known as La Pedrera because it resembles an open quarry in appearance, the building features forms drawn from nature. The goal was to evoke the sense of a snowy mountain. It is a total work of art!

Casa Mila is open daily from 9 am – 8.30 pm and the entrance fee is 24 euro.

Provença 261

Casa Batllo

Casa Battlo is a proclamation of joy, a canvas of marine inspiration, and a dream world that evokes nature and fantasy.

Antoni Gaudí gave Casa Battlo a unique façade, full of imagination, thanks to his work as a free and joyful artist. He created an exuberant and marine-inspired façade, adding involuntary sculptures, recycled materials, and decontextualized objects, converting them into art.

On the ground, noble and first floors, the façade incorporates slender stone columns in the shape of bones, decorated with characteristically modernist floral elements. The balcony railings were made in the shape of masks.

The building is crowned with a spectacular roof composed of large scales, which resemble a dragon’s back. This was our favorite Gaudí building!!

Casa Battlo is open daily from 9 am – 9 pm and the entrance fee is 24,50 euro.

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La Sagrada Familia

The most famous of Gaudí’s works is la Sagrada Familia it is also the one that seems to never be finished. The church has been under construction for over 100 years. The groundbreaking was in 1882 and is supposed to be done in 2030. Gaudí was a devout Catholic and spent the last 10 years of his life working on this project. The church blends influences of man, nature, and religion in its detailed architecture. The audio guide is worth purchasing as it covers the history of the church in detail. We recommend visiting in the morning or late afternoon so you can witness the sunlight cascade throughout all the stained glass.

La Sagrada Familia is open daily from 9 am – 8 pm and the entrance fee is 22 euro with an audio guide.

Carrer de Mallorca