Barcelona is one of the most unique cities that I’ve ever visited, and that is largely down to its stunning aesthetic. The buildings on these streets are works of weird and wonderful art with whole personalities of their own, but the list of famous architecture in Barcelona is so lengthy that it can be tricky to know which to visit and which to skip.
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Famous Architecture in Barcelona: The Modernistas
At the turn of the 20th century Barcelona lay at the very heart of the Catalan Modernist style of architecture, and the driving force behind it was Antoni Gaudí. This quirky chap designed some of Barcelona’s most famous buildings, although there were penty of other influential architects who also helped to sculpt the city streets into the colourful grid we see these days.
Modernisme was Catalunya’s answer to the Art Nouveau movement, favouring curved lines, natural motifs, a whole lot of symbolism and some incredibly ostentatious, fantastical shapes and colours.
La Sagrada Família
Think of famous architecture in Barcelona, and it’s likely that this absolute stunner is what immediately springs to mind. A true Spectacular Spectacular, and a church unlike any other.
Construction on La Sagrada Família began in 1882, and has been going ever since, following Gaudí’s original designs as closely as possible. This iconic masterpiece looks to me like a giant wax candle melting into the ground, and it can be seen towering above the Barcelona skyline from just about any high vantage point in the city.
This is the one Barcelona building which I fully believe that every visitor to Barcelona needs to see, and it’s worth every penny of the ticket price although it’s not cheap. There is so much detail to notice, and the inside of the building is just as spellbinding as the exterior, with plenty of intriguing stories enjoy.
Tickets for La Sagrada Família are €26 for basilica entry, or €36 for basilica entry plus tower entry. If you want to include a guided tour, tickets are €30 or €40 with tour entry. Get tickets from La Sagrada Família’s official site, or if you want something more personal book a small group tour through Get Your Guide.
My Complete Guide to La Sagrada Família
Gaudí’s Three Houses
Three of the most famous buildings in Barcelona are fantastical private residences designed by Gaudí, and while all three are absolute stunners, entry is also very expensive. I think that unless you’re a big fan of quirky architecture, you might want to just view the houses from outside. Or find a more unique way to visit, which is more memorable than queuing up, snapping a few photos and leaving.
Visit Casa Milà late in the evening to see a light show on the roof terrace and enjoy a glass of bubbly, or head to Casa Batllò for a rooftop concert.
Casa Vicens
Casa Vicens was Gaudí’s very first commission way back in 1885, and when it was built this private residence became the talk of the town. The house was turned from on ordinary summer home into an abstract work of art, with a red brick exterior covered in patterns of aquamarine coloured and yellow marigold patterned ceramic tiles. The rooms inside are equally as bursting with colour, and the courtyard filled with palm trees is an oasis of calm in the city.
Casa Vicens is about half an hour’s walk away from La Sagrada Família in Grácia, and it’s not as well-visited as some of Barcelona’s other modernist houses. Personally, I think that’s solely because of its location being that little bit trickier to reach; so if you want to visit somewhere with (potentially) fewer other visitors, head here.
Tickets for Casa Vicens are from €22 for an exact time slot, or from €26 to turn up at any time on your booked day. Tickets are 20% cheaper if you book them at least 5 days in advance, and a few euros more expensive if you buy them at the entrance! Book tickets for Casa Vicens here.
Casa Milà
Also known as La Pedrera (‘The Quarry’), Casa Milà is another one of the private residences that Gaudí was commissioned to design; but this one is smack bang in the middle of the Passeig de Gracia. The exterior is devoid of colour, and appears to be warped into bulbous waves pinned into with wrought iron balconies, like extremely fancy staples.
I’ll be honest: this colossal structure, which takes up an entire mammoth corner, is not my favourite of Gaudí’s houses, probably thanks to the lack of colour, so I’ve opted out of paying the entrance fee to look inside.
Tickets for Casa Milà are €29, and you should definitely book in advance to avoid the long queue. (To avoid the crowds even more, book onto an early morning tour.)
Casa Batlló
Casa Batlló is the far more colourful neighbour of La Pedrera; this not so humble abode just down the street is gleaming with a kaleidoscope of mosaic tiles on undulating surfaces, and the turreted roof is said to have been built to resemble a dragon’s back. The weird and wonderful exterior has also earned it the nickname ‘House of Bones’, although it’s definitely got a more joyous vibe than Casa Milà.
The team at Casa Batlló is also truly pioneering, with a workforce inclusion unit which has employed over 100 neurodivergent individuals who are all on the autistic spectrum.
Tickets for Casa Batlló start at €25. Book in advance to avoid the queue! Or go for a nighttime visit instead.
Park Güell
Park Güell is undoubtedly one of Barcelona’s most famous architectural destinations and as a result this green space overlooking the city can get extremely busy. The park was actually commissioned as a residential neighbourhood for Barcelona’s wealthiest families, but when nobody actually bought the plots of land for sale, it was turned into a public park.
Fantastical sculptures covered in rainbow mosaics, colossal columns, sweeping staircases and a thousand green parakeets fill the park, which is actually divided into two sections: the monuments area where Gaudí’s architectural work is concentrated, and the forested area which is more like an actual city park.
I would definitely recommend visiting Park Güell outside of peak time. (Even better still, visit the whole of Barcelona outside of peak time. Ordinary entry tickets start at €22 per person, or you can pay slightly more to book a skip-the-line ticket with a guided tour.
Palau de la Música Catalana
I love this building. In fact I’d go so far as to say that the Palau de la Música Catalana is one of the most beautiful buildings in Barcelona. This concert hall was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and the level of detail both inside and out is absolutely breathtaking. We’re talking mosaics galore, a stunning stained glass ceiling to let in all the light, and a crowd of sculpted muses playing different instruments watching over it all.
I went on a guided tour of the Palau de la Música Catalana and loved every second of it, although of course the next step up from that would be to attend a concert in the building.
A guided tour of the Palau de la Música starts at €22 per person. Book tickets here. Or check the full programme if you want to experience the concert hall as it was originally intended: filled with music.
Exploring the Palau de la Música Catalana
Sant Pau Recinte Modernista
If all hospitals looked like this, I might not have such a massive phobia of hospitals. A hospital has stood on this site since the 1400s, but this stunning complex of buildings- which takes up an entire city block- was built between 1901 and 1930: another of Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s works. Sant Pau remained in use until 2009, and a visit here isn’t just worth it because of the incredibly beautiful architecture and peaceful atmosphere, but also because you can learn a lot about the history of the site and its medical story.
Of all the famous architecture in Barcelona, this is probably one of the least-visited, but I’d argue it’s the most interesting to see. I visited on a self-guided tour, but I’d definitely go back and book a visit with a guide; this is a location which undoubtedly is full of stories.
Entry to Sant Pau is €18 per person. My experience is that it’s possible to just turn up to Sant Pau Recinte and just stroll on in; there was no queue when I visited at the height of summer. However, if you want to book ahead, head over here.
Famous Architecture in Barcelona: The Gothics
Barcelona Cathedral
The Sagrada Família is often confused for Barcelona Cathedral; let’s face it, Gaudí’s masterpiece does overshadow the medieval cathedral in both fame and stature, although the Sagrada Família is actually a church if you want to get technical. But this cathedral is well worth a visit, not just for the imposing gothic architecture, but also for the garden in the middle of the cathedral cloisters which houses palm trees, an orange tree and thirteen real live geese. (There are thirteen of them because Saint Eulàlia was thirteen years old when she was martyred. The cathedral is dedicated to the saint, and its official name is the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia.)
There’s also a stunning view of the Gothic Quarter and the surrounding rooftops of Barcelona from the roof of the cathedral; just take the lift to the top.
Tickets for entry to Barcelona cathedral start at €20 per person including rooftop access.
Pont del Bisbe
The Pont del Bisbe is another of Barcelona’s most famous pieces of architecture, in fact the bridge is definitely one of the most photographed spots in the city. In the heart of the Gothic Quarter, the ‘Bishop’s Bridge’ connects the Catalan parliament to the president’s residence, and as part of the government buildings it’s not actually possible for tourists to cross the bridge.
The most unexpected part of all? Despite its appearance, the Pont del Bisbe is actually a fairly contemporary creation. Inspired by the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, this neo-Gothic bridge was constructed in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exposition.
Here’s the location of the Pont del Bisbe.
Famous Architecture in Barcelona: The Moderns
Torre Glòries
The list of famous architecture in Barcelona isn’t restricted to the medieval and the modernist, in fact part of the beauty of this city and its incredible aesthetic is the mixture of old and new side by side. The Torre Glòries has the appearance of an ultra-shiny bullet rising from the ground, and resembles The Gherkin in London. It’s won awards for its energy-efficient design and has become an absolute icon of Barcelona’s skyline.
Visitors can head to the Observation Deck 125m up, for 360º views of the city, and then head up even further into the dome of the tower, to Cloud Cities- an immersive art installation which encourages visitors to climb on upwards on a network of steel cables and geometric panels.
Check ticket availability and opening times. Tickets start at €18 for general admission to the Observation Deck, to €22 including Cloud Cities entry.
And then of course, you could just head out into the streets of Barcelona and see what you find. Look up, look down, look all around! The city is chockablock filled with famous architecture, but there are also hundreds of unique buildings to be found: all you have to do is look up. Sometimes the most seemingly insignificant structures are the most beautiful of all.
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