A route through the architectural movement of modernism in Barcelona is what we will do today.
There is a route already planned, and to do it you will find for sale the guide to the Modernism Route , which can be found in bookshops and in the Modernisme Centres. With this route they will see a total of 120 works distributed throughout the city.
But what we are going to do today is a route that we have done as simple tourists, we liked and we recommend it.
And I’ll tell you how we started, and how we liked it very much, we recommend them.
Indice:
Free tour of Modernism in Barcelona
We started with a free tour of modernism. Why? Because we needed data and information that would tell us the history of each of the places in an entertaining way, and which would not lack, for example, a detailed description of the facades of the Sagrada Familia.
Free tours, if you don’t know how they work, are tours which you take first and then, based on your experience, you leave a tip according to the tour. Before leaving a tip, think about what a tour with these characteristics would have cost you if it had been paid.
After this recommendation, and our tour, what we did was return to each of the places we visited but now entering them, already with the information we had incorporated thanks to the guide.
►Book the modernism tour in Barcelona
Let’s go to a map and put together an itinerary so that they don’t go from one side of the city to the other but optimize their times.
MAP
As I told you, this is our route, we know there are many more, but these were our chosen ones. You will see on the map that we marked more than ten points. Shall we start with this route of modernism in Barcelona?↓
Palau Güell
We find here this urban palace built by Antonio Gaudí at the request of Eusebi Güel, it was one of the first important commissions that Gaudí received.
It was built between 1886 and 1890 and was the residence of the Güell family until they moved to Park Güell. It was declared a historical-artistic monument by the Spanish State in 1969, as well as a cultural asset of national interest, and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.
Information for the visit:
The schedule is from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m., until 5:30 p.m. or until 8 p.m. depending on the season.
The cost of general admission is €12.
The audio guides can be downloaded from the Palau Güell app
►Palau Güell page for more information
The rooftop is very beautiful, and the Palace is a good place to start getting in touch with Gaudí’s work.
►Have you seen our post with what to see in three days in Barcelona?
We are now going to…..
Casa Vicens
Our steps take us now, on this route of modernism in Barcelona, to this display of colour, a marvel.
Casa Vicens was built between 1883 and 1885 by Antonio Gaudí for the Vicens family as a summer home. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
Work has been carried out on a careful restoration of the house from 2017 to recover the original house designed by Gaudí in 1883
Information for the visit:
The schedule: Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The entrance fee is €16. Upon arrival you can access the download of the audio guide, always remember to have headphones with you on the tours.
► More information on the official website
We leave these two works of Gaudí behind and go to the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site
Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site
A must-see on this route of modernism in Barcelona.
The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau was founded in 1401 as a result of the merger of six hospitals that existed at that time in Barcelona. The Hospital de la Santa Creu, as it was called in this early period, was located in the heart of the city, in the current Raval district.
At the end of the 19th century, the population growth in Barcelona and advances in medicine meant that the hospital became too small. For this reason, the construction of a new building was proposed.
In 1902, the first stone of the new hospital centre, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, was laid. The new facilities were inaugurated in 1930.
After more than eight decades of healthcare activity in the Modernist Complex, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau moved in 2009 to new facilities built at the northern end of the architectural complex.
Information for the visit:
►Official website for more information
The schedule is from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., while Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m
The price of general admission is €15.
From here we can already see the Sagrada Familia, in a walk we will reach it.
Sagrada Familia
It is Gaudí’s masterpiece, and the greatest exponent of Catalan modernite architecture and is also one of the most visited monuments in Spain along with the Prado Museum and the Alhambra.
Begun in 1882, it is still under construction. Gaudí worked on it for most of his professional career, but especially in his later years.
Information for the visit
The schedule is from Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the moment, the purchase of tickets is only online.
Official website for more information
The price of general admission is € 26. They have a guided or audio guide. The audio guide can be downloaded from the official Sagrada Familia app.
We are going to the apple of discord. And we arrived at Casa Amatller
Casa Amatller
Antoni Amatller, a chocolate industrialist, bought a building on Passeig de Gràcia in 1898 to turn it into his new home. This previous building had been built in 1875.
The building was located right on Paseo de Gracia, Antoni Amatller hired the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to carry out a thorough renovation of the property, radically transforming the building.
The tour of its rooms leads us to know how these types of families lived at the time.
At the end of the tour you enter the chocolate shop.
Information for the visit:
It is open from Wednesday to Sunday. The visit is guided with a duration of one hour. The ticket price is €24.
Casa Amatller page for more information.
As we said, the tour ends with the entrance to the chocolate shop being able to taste some of its chocolates and buy some souvenirs
A tourist pass when you are visiting several paid places can be a good idea:
The next visit will be to the house that is right next door.
Casa Batlló
If there is only one tour that you can do besides the Sagrada Familia, it should be Casa Batlló.
The house is not to be missed, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and the visit is very well organized. The excellent audio guide they have takes you around the house accompanied by sounds and music that set the mood, as well as a very well made story.
In 1903 Josep Batlló, a textile industrialist who owned several factories in Barcelona and was a prominent businessman, acquired a house on Paseo de Gracia, very different from the one we see today.
Batlló granted Antoni Gaudi complete creative freedom, commissioning him to carry out works that were initially intended to demolish the building. However, thanks to Gaudí’s audacity, the demolition of the House was ruled out, and a comprehensive renovation was carried out between 1904 and 1906. The architect completely changed the façade and turned its interior into a true work of art.
Casa Batlló is a Unesco World Heritage Site and an icon of Barcelona.
How to visit
The schedule is from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and from Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m
For more information official website
The duration of the visit is estimated at one hour, but we were two without even noticing that time was passing.
The price of general admission is €35.
As I was saying, the tour is not to be missed, and when you get to the rooftop you have a bar to have a drink and take a short break.
►Get your ticket for Casa Batlló
We continue with the tour and go to Casa Milá (la Pedrera)
La Pedrera
We have already seen that in 1900 the Paseo de Gracia was the most important avenue in the city, the wealthiest bourgeoisie built their houses and commissioned the projects to the most prestigious architects of the time.
In 1905 Pere Milá has married with Rose Segimon. Attracted by the fame of the Passeig de Gràcia, they bought a tower with a garden and commissioned the architect Antoni Gaudi to build their new residence with the intention of occupying the main floor and renting out the rest of the apartments. Thus, it was, and would be, Casa Milá.
From 1929 shops were installed on the ground floor of the building.
In 1947 Roser Segimon, widowed for 7 years, sold the building, but continued to live on the main floor until her death in 1964.
After many years of neglect, Casa Milà “La Pedrera” – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 – was restored and opened to the public as a cultural centre in 1996.
Currently, since January 2013, the building has been the headquarters of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation.
Although the whole route is beautiful, the rooftop stands out in it.
How to make the visit?
Schedules:
Monday to Sunday: 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Night tour: 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
General admission costs €25, and night view €38
►Get your ticket for La Pedrera
As you have many options for tickets, including the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, we leave you the official pages
We now direct our steps towards the Palau de la Música.
Palau de la Música
The Palau de la Música Catalana was built between 1905 and 1908 by the modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner as the headquarters of the Orfeó Català. The building is located in the Sant Pere neighborhood, one of the most beautiful areas of Barcelona.
The Palau de la Música Catalana is an architectural pearl of Catalan modernism, the only concert hall declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
The entrance to the auditorium leaves you speechless, it is wonderful.
Data for Sight
Hours: from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.
Official website for more information
The price of general admission is €12. The guided tour costs €18.
►Get your ticket for the Palau de la Música Catalana
Park Güell
This park was designed by Antonio Gaudí, commissioned by the businessman Eusebi Güel. Built between 1900 and 1914, it was inaugurated as a public park in 1926.
A tour of it will make us continue to admire Gaudí’s work, and appreciate the views from it. If you choose the sunset to visit it, it will be a very good option and you will enjoy the moment.
Information for the visit
The cost of admission is €10 and the access hours are from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., 6 p.m. or 7.30 p.m. depending on the time of year.
More information on the official website
What else to do?
To this route of modernism in Barcelona we can add many more works, the house of the Punxes for example, the view of the Arc de Triomphe, the former Born Market, the Lleo Morera house, in short there are many architectural works that show us modernism in all its splendor and make Barcelona such an incredible city.
►Do you want to visit art museums in Barcelona, the Articket BCN pass is a very good option↓↓
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NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
