Park Guell was actually my favorite part of our fabulous week in Barcelona. I’ve been staying with my boyfriend, Sy, in a beautiful apartment through Sweet Home Abroad.
Park Guell Barcelona is a system of parks and architectural delights that was designed by Gaudi for entrepreneur Eusebio Guell. Construction on Park Guell began in the 1900s. It was intended to be a residential park for well-off families and expats in Barcelona.
Park Guell is a UNESCO world heritage site. Allow at least 2-3 hours to explore and appreciate this beautiful park.
First off, make sure that you book online in advance, otherwise, it could be full. If you don’t book an advance ticket, you could end up disappointed. Another good tip is to go early (preferably the first entrance tickets at 8 am or 8.30 am in low season) when it won’t be over-run with tourists taking selfies!
How to get to Park Guell
Don’t try to walk from the city centre – it may not look far, but check the scale on your map! You can take a taxi, which should be around €15 Euro from the centre, or you can get on the metro to one of the following stations, and walk the rest of the way up the hill to the park.
Local buses and the tourist bus also stop at Park Guell. You can find full directions for buses here.
Inside the Monument Area
You can actually walk around some areas of the Park for free, but without a pre-paid ticket, you cannot get into the main monument area. At just €7 each, and reductions available (students, disabled) it is well worth the money.
In the free section, you can walk up past the ticket office to explore Gaudi’s bridge and beautiful parks. You can see the ‘Gaudi House Museum’ and pay an extra fee of €5.50 to go inside. Inside, you will see Gaudi inspired furniture including furniture from Casa Batllo and Casa Mila.
It was a house built as a ‘show-home’ to show what the residential plots would look like. Unfortunately, only two out of the proposed sixty plots were actually built on due to regulations and restrictions, as well as concerns about the sustainability of such a project.
The House
The house in Park Güell was actually inhabited by Gaudi for the last 20 years of his life. The highlight of Park Guell is, of course, Gaudi’s famous Salamander…
This has become an icon or symbol of Gaudi’s work, and of Barcelona itself.
Walk up the stairs past the salamander to find the Sala Hipóstila, a temple beneath a stunning platform, which is supported by 88 stone columns.
Head up the stairs or through beautifully landscaped gardens to the right and you will come to the viewing platform. This platform gives stunning views of the park and actually doubles up as a drainage or filtering system for access rainwater. The platform edge is stunningly embellished with a mosaic finish and makes an extremely and surprisingly comfortable seating area.
What you will find to the left of the main entrance is different from what you find on the right, so make sure that you fully walk around the park. I loved exploring the slanted tunnel arches.
If you look carefully towards the end of the arches, you might even see a few faces!
Overall, I absolutely loved Park Guell. It is an amazing day out but can be done in a couple of hours if you have other things to see. Park Guell would be suitable for kids because they love exploring the tunnels and little buildings!
Remember to book in advance and take water if it is a hot day. There are plenty of tapas and Paella restaurants nearby for when you are ready to eat.
If you loved this post, look out for my next blog on Art Nouveau in Barcelona in Barcelona! You might also like to read about Barcelona Travel Tips.
Further reading on Park Guell Barcelona
- Gaudi Barcelona – Discovering Art Nouveau
- Barcelona – 5 Top Travel Tips
- Bike Tour Barcelona with Budget Bikes
Have you ever been to Park Guell? I’d love to hear from you!