Park Güell

Park Güell was designed as a housing estate for sixty families and failed commercially — only two houses were ever built. The city bought it in 1922 and opened it as a park, which is why a speculative development is now Gaudí's most photographed public space.

Overview

Eusebi Güell wanted a garden city on a bare hillside outside Barcelona; buyers did not come, and the terraces, viaducts and the great serpentine bench were finished while the plots stayed empty. The bench is faced in trencadís, broken tile mosaic, made from factory rejects and offcuts. The viaducts under the paths are built of stone quarried on the site, so the structure and the hill are the same material.

Highlights

Only the monumental zone is ticketed and timed; the surrounding park is free and holds the best views over the city. Book online — the on-the-day slots sell out and the entrance is a walk uphill from the metro. Go early: the bench faces east and the light on the mosaic is best in the first hours.

Overview

Highlights

Location