Visiting Park Guell in Barcelona: Park Guell Guide
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A unique urban park in Barcelona with a fascinating history and an iconic view.
Park Guell Barcelona Guide: (Jump To)
It was a careless lack of planning on my park that led to a disappointing and uncharacteristically frustrating visit to one of Barcelona’s top attractions, Park Güell. Let me share the mistakes I made with you, so you can avoid our missteps.
About Park Guell
Park Güell is a public hillside park in the La Salut neighborhood of Barcelona. The UNESCO World Heritage site was conceived and built by famous Catalan artist and architect Antoni Gaudí after the suggestion from the park’s namesake Count Eusebi Güell.
Originally conceived as a planned residential community filled with the newest and most technologically advanced homes. Gaudí assumed people would flock to the community located far away from the smokey factories and high enough on the hillside for views of the Mediterranean Sea.
A show home was built (though not designed by Gaudí) and sixty plots of land were laid out and offered for sale. Upon the home’s completion in 1904, no one seemed to have any interest in the housing community.
To increase the neighborhood’s prestige Count Güell moved into the Larrard House, the only structure that existed on the property at the park’s conception. But still no takers on the community.
In 1906, Gaudí moved his family to the park taking residence in the show home. He lived there until his death in 1926. His home is preserved on-site as the Gaudí House Museum.
Park Guell Lizard
Probably the most Instagrammed spot in all of Barcelona is from the park’s focal point on the curved mosaic serpentine bench in the main terrace at the park. From there, a view of two fantastically decorated buildings with colorful roofs and whimsical spires serve as a backdrop example of the Gaudí style in the park and throughout Barcelona.
The terrace is supported by columns meant to represent tree trunks forged with local stone. Pathways meander under the vaulted terrace with benches throughout. Hillside walls are built to resemble bird nests.
I loved the natural beauty and unique atmosphere of the park. The melding of nature and modern design was truly before its time. Thankfully and ironically, we get to enjoy the park because people of the time failed to understand Gaudí’s vision.
Putting aside the park’s wonder and enchantment, visiting the park was one of my biggest disappointments during our four days in Barcelona. It was a failure of planning.
The park was the first thing we planned to see in Barcelona. We arrived via train from Madrid, checked into our hotel, and headed to the park.
Park Guell Tickets
Other bloggers advised that timed tickets to the park be secured in advance, but not knowing what time our train would arrive or how long it might take to get into our hotel, I found it impossible to buy a ticket for a specific time.
Easily reachable by subway and bus, we walked uphill from the station to the main entrance of the park. The park is free to enter and enjoy. There are many footpaths and hillside vantage points of the park’s architecture and of the Barcelona skyline.
The timed ticket gives you access to the famous main terrace and the park’s museums and buildings. I figured it was better to arrive and wait in a long line for tickets than to spend money on timed tickets that would either be expired upon our arrival or be so far in the future that we would spend hours waiting anyway. Sadly, I did not expect the tickets to be completely sold out for the entire day.
Because of our other planned activities in Barcelona, It would be difficult to return another day with timed tickets. While we were able to enjoy the park, we could only gaze at the most popular and famous areas from beyond the ticketed barricades.
You should secure a ticket in advance at the official website.
See Park Guell For Free
Later in the week, we got a hot tip that after 10 pm the park remained open and all areas were accessible. A few nights later we returned and were able to get onto the terrace for a stunning view of the night skyline of Barcelona and a seat on the serpentine bench.
The view was worth it, but the park is very dark at night. There are almost no lights and the weaving corners and staircases can feel unsafe in the dark. It was pitch black at times. We are not the squeamish type, and we didn’t have any trouble, but I wouldn’t advise visiting this way.
Hopefully, someday we will return to Barcelona and will be able to enjoy the park in the way we had hoped, in the meantime, I hope our readers can take some tips from our mistakes to fully enjoy this world-class attraction.
