Art Nouveau Barcelona – 12 Most Beautiful Buildings

Art Nouveau Barcelona is home to some of the most amazing, radical, out there architecture Europe has ever produced. Antoni Gaudi, architect of the monumental Sagrada Familia church, is its most famous exponent, but several of his contemporaries also created equally amazing buildings between the late 1880s and 1910, when Catalan modernisme – the regional variant of Art Nouveau – flourished.

Art Nouveau varied greatly around Europe. It was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement of late 19^th century Britain, but each region and country had its own variant. Hungarian Art Nouveau was known as Szecesszió (Secession), while in Germany it was known as Jugendstil.

Like its Hungarian equivalent, Catalan Art Nouveau partly grew out of a greater Catalan national consciousness. This wasn’t confined to architecture – it also encompassed visual arts and literature.

And there wasn’t any kind of uniform style. One row of houses in the city contains three very different Barcelona Art Nouveau houses – one is a German Baltic-style gabled mansion, another is decorated with ornate, florid stonework with possible Moorish and Baroque influences. And the third has an extraordinary roof that seems to be modelled on the scaly back of a dragon.

In this article I’ll show you ten of the best Art Nouveau buildings in Barcelona. I’ll describe each of them in detail, explain where they are and how to get to each. Some are widely known, others off the beaten track hidden gems. I’ll also suggest guided tours wherever possible. Enjoy!

Art Nouveau Barcelona

Buildings By Antoni Gaudi

Gaudi is by far the most famous of the Barcelona modernista architects, but he was always an outlier.  A deeply religious man, his work was greatly inspired by nature and natural forms. The astonishing Sagrada Familia church is his most famous work and I’ve included it here, but everything the man ever did was a complete one-off. He was to 20^th-century architecture what Pablo Picasso was to 20^th-century art, a revolutionary (though perhaps evolutionary may be a better word) genius.

1. Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is known as the ‘casa dos ossos’, the house of bones. The balcony balustrades are the main bony feature, like pelvis bones knocked into the wall to stop residents falling onto the street. The wall is a gorgeous series of floral mosaics, reaching all the way to that rooftop.

The dragon’s back is made from ceramic tiles, and it stands next to an unusual turret that, depending on your viewpoint, resembles a flower, vegetable or onion dome of an Eastern Orthodox church.  The rooftop is also adorned with superb bright ceramic chimney stacks.  

Tickets start at €33 per adult, with kids under 12 visiting for free. The standard ‘blue’ and ‘silver’ tickets give access to most of the interesting areas of the building. The gold and platinum options also give you access to the Batllos’ living area on the first floor.

Getting there: Metro to Passeig de Gracia

Tickets: Follow this link for the Casa Batllo self-guided audio tour

Gaudi’s Park Güell (pronounced ‘Gway’) is one of the most popular Gaudi sites in Barcelona, a park on a hill overlooking the city and Mediterranean. It was originally intended to be a housing development which never came to fruition. And Gaudi lived there until 1925, in a house which is now the Gaudi Museum.

Be warned – this is no ordinary park, it’s a riotous fantasy world. The two houses at the main entrance look like they’re made from gingerbread, and the blue and white mosaic turret on one of them can leave you feeling you’ve walked onto the set of a children’s TV series from the 1970s.

One of the joys of visiting Park Güell is that you can see so much of his extraordinary work up close. The outer wall and, most famously, the terrace wall and wavy benches are all decorated with superb mosaics. And don’t miss the magical mosaic dragon (I’ve also heard it called a salamander) fountain in the gardens.

 Getting there: Metro L3 to Lesseps

Entry: Book your Park Güell tickets here. For a guided tour of the Park, follow this link .

The Basilica I Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia – the Basilica of the Holy Family – is the most famous of Antoni Gaudi’s works. He took over the building of this vast church in 1883 after the resignation of the original architect. The scale – and pace – of the project is like that of many great medieval European cathedrals, which often spanned centuries.

This is partly explained by the fact that it has only ever been funded by donations, with no government help.  When I first visited in the late 1990s, there were just two sets of spires and one complete façade. The progress since has been staggering, with much of the interior now completed and the base of the central tower in place. The spire that will cover this will be the tallest church tower in the world. And another four spires, similar to those already completed, are also in construction.

It was hoped that the Sagrada Familia would be completed by 2026, the centenary of Gaudi’s death, though the scheduled completion date is now between 2030 and 2032.

It’s fascinating to see how different parts of the Basilica vary. The Nativity façade, on the east side of the church, was the first to be built. The statuary on it is similar to traditional Gothic sculpture. The Passion façade, on the western side of the Basilica, is very different in feel, much harsher and more austere. Many of the figures are angular, and the Roman soldiers escorting Jesus to his crucifixion look like something out of Star Wars. Their helmets are very similar to the chimneys on the rooftop of La Pedrera (see below).

The interior is a breathtaking sight, and here, more than anywhere else, you can see the influence of nature, the thin pillars resembling the barks of trees, even perhaps the stems of flowers.

Barcelona has become horribly overtouristed in the 30 years since I first visited the city. But this church is one of the most outstanding creations of the modern age, and I’d urge anyone to see it at least once in their lifetime.

Getting there: Metro L2 or L5 to Sagrada Familia – the station exits are across the street from the Basilica.

Entry: There are always long queues at Sagrada Familia, so I recommend this skip-the-line entry ticket with the option of a guided or self-guided tour.

La Pedrera (‘the quarry’) is an apartment block on the corner of Passeig de Gracia and Carrer de Provença in the Eixample district of the city. Built for Pere Milà and Roser Segimon, a coffee heiress,  between 1906 and 1912, it’s one of the best-known Gaudi buildings in Barcelona, and one of the most famous Spanish landmarks.

La Pedrera caused a lot of controversy when it was built. As I recall a fellow visitor saying on the rooftop, ’There isn’t a straight line in sight’. The apartment balconies are curved, resembling waves of water. The rooftop is filled with numerous sculptures, many doubling as air vents, and Gaudi planned a prominent statue of the Virgin Mary there too. The owners strongly disapproved, and Gaudi almost resigned from the project as a result. The nickname ‘La Pedrera’ was meant to be derogatory, but it stuck – for over a century!

The building looks fantastic from across the street, but the best place to appreciate it is on the rooftop.  According to the building’s website, the air vents are meant to symbolise soldiers turned to stone.

The standard La Pedrera ticket includes entry to the rooftop, the two courtyards (Butterfly and Flower) and an apartment decorated and furnished as it would have been in the early 20^th century. There are also exclusive tours taking you to some areas not usually open to the public, and sunrise and night visits to the rooftop.

Getting there: Metro to Passeig de Gracia.

Entry: You can book the standard Casa Mila La Pedrera ticket here. And you can also book the evening rooftop tour, with all the sculptures lit up at dusk, by following this link.

The Güell Pavilions, in the northern suburb of Pedralbes, are one of Gaudi’s early works, and his first for patron, collaborator and friend Eusebi Güell.

Güell was a wealthy industrialist, having inherited a family fortune and made another from his textile business. In 1884 he was renovating part of his estate, and commissioned young Gaudi to build the gatehouses, the dragon gate and, inside, a stable block and training building for the horses.

The most renowned part of this early Gaudi work is the wrought iron dragon. It’s named Ladon, after the creature defeated by Hercules in the mythological Garden of the Hesperides.

Getting there: Metro L3 to Palau Reial, then a 400-metre walk (turn left up Avinguda de Pedralbes – it’s 250 metres along the street on your left).

Visiting times: The Pavellons aren’t open at the time of writing, but you can see the exterior of the buildings and the dragon gate from the street.

This red-brick museum, crowned by a metal sculpture that could easily have been called ‘Bad Hair Day’, is possibly the first building of the Barcelona Art Nouveau movement.

Domenech I Montaner had visited Prussia and the Baltic region shortly before beginning work on this building, which looks like an ornate factory front. The area he visited has a rich tradition of usage of red brick in everything from castles, churches, town halls to housing. And this building, constructed between 1880 and 1885, offers up a few hints of what was to follow over the next 30 years in Barcelona.

The Arab influence is clear in the shapes of some of the smaller windows, and the intricate brick patterns are a forerunner of similar ideas that are explored later in the modernista period. There is also ornate patterned metalwork along the top of the building, another feature that others like Gaudi came to use in the following decades.

Where: Carrer d’Arago 255 – a two-minute walk from Casa Batlló

Getting there: Metro L2, L3 and L4 to Passeig de Gracia

Opening times: Tuesdays to Saturdays 10 am to 7 pm, and Sunday 10 am to 3 pm.

Another of Domenech i Montaner’s buildings is a short walk away, just around the corner on the busy Passeig de Gracia.  Casa Lleo Morera – named after the original owner’s son, Albert Lleo i Morera. It’s at the end of the famous Illa de la Discordia (Manzana de la Discordia in Spanish, Block of Discord in English), a few doors away from Gaudi’s Casa Batlló.

It’s very different from the red-brick Tapies Museum around the corner, but there are also some similarities, including the patterned decorative stonework. Casa Lleo Morera was built between 1902 and 1905, with much more lavish decoration than its predecessor. There’s some Arab influence in the patterned stonework, windows and pinnacles along the roofline, and also a turret (or tempietto) more reminiscent of the Baroque period, complete with modernista mosaics.

Where:  Passeig de Gracia 35, on the corner of Carrer del Consell de Cent

Getting there: Metro L2, L3 and L4 to Passeig de Gracia

Visiting times:  English guided tours are scheduled for 11.00 daily Tuesdays to Sundays. The house is closed Mondays. The tours visit the first floor of the house.  You can book tickets here.

Tours: This Barcelona walking tour covers the Gaudi and other modernista sites along Passeig de Gracia, and includes over an hour exploring the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) nearby.

The ‘Palace of Catalan Music’ is magnificent from outside, but its interior is perhaps the most beautiful of all Barcelona Art Nouveau buildings.

It’s in quite a confined space on the corner of two narrow streets – it would have looked even more impressive with some more space to appreciate it.  The façade is decorated with several figures, from Sant Jordi (St George, the patron saint of Catalonia) to Beethoven, Bach and Wagner.

However, the best is inside. There are two rooms on the standard guided or self-guided tour which you absolutely must see – the Main Auditorium and the balcony of the Sala Lluis Millet.

The Main Auditorium is one of the most beautiful concert halls you’ll ever see. It’s flooded with colour and light from the stained-glass windows and skylight. The Sala Lluis Milletg is where audience members go for a drink during concert intervals. The adjacent balcony is stunning, its pillars beautifully decorated with floral and other patterns.

Getting there: Metro to Urquinaona, or a 5-minute walk from Plaça de Catalunya.

Visiting times: It’s open 9.30 am to 3.30 pm daily.

Tours: This self-guided tour of the Palau de la Musica (with audio) is a great way to explore the building at your own pace

This hospital complex – originally dating back to the early 15^th century – was rebuilt by Domenech I Montaner between 1905 and 1930. It’s the largest complex of Barcelona Art Nouveau buildings, with twelve pavilions interconnected with corridors underground. Most of the functions of the Hospital have now moved to the modern building next door, but some departments remain there to this day.

After the closure of the crowded hospital in the Raval district, the new hospital was a whole new world, with far more space for patients and pleasant surroundings far more conducive to recovery and recuperation.

You can visit the Hospital on a self-guided tour daily, and there is only an English guided tour on Saturdays. The visit includes four of the twelve buildings and the gardens.

Getting there: Metro to Sant Pau-Dos de Maig   

Visiting times: Daily 9.30 am to 6.30 pm (April to October), and 9.30 am to 5 pm November to March

Tours: this ticket covers the former Hospital and grounds, and is worth booking in advance as it often sells out.

Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf was built as the main entrance to the 1888 World Fair, which was held in the Parc de la Ciutadella.  It’s at the northern end of Passeig de Lluis Companys, a grand promenade leading to the park.

The Arc de Triomf – partly influenced by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris – was built in red brick, like several other early modernista buildings in Barcelona. It also includes several Mudejar Revival features. This style of architecture evolved after the most Muslims were expelled from Spain after the Christian Reconquista of the country. Mudejar architects were Muslims who stayed on, working for Christian employers, often on Christian projects including churches.

Vilaseca de Casanovas, like contemporaries Gaudi and Domenech i Montaner, incorporated Mudejar elements into his designs, particularly the pillars and turrets. The many sculptures add to its exotic appearance.

Continue your walk along the promenade, crossing the street ahead to enter the Parc proper. Immediately after entering, you’ll see the red-brick Castell dels Tres Dragons, now Barcelona’s Zoological Museum.

This early Art Nouveau building pr ceded Vilaseca de Casanovas’ Arc de Triomf by a few years. In 1883 he was commissioned to re-design a renowned umbrella shop on La Rambla, the city’s famous pedestrian street.

And he did so with Oriental motifs, particularly the Japanese-style umbrellas on the walls of the building’s main facade.  But its best-known feature is the Chinese dragon on the corner of the building, with an umbrella hanging below. A bizarre combination, perhaps, but there are plenty more of those in Barcelona.

Getting there: Metro to Liceu (L3); the building is very close to the famous Joan Miro pavement mosaic roughly halfway along La Rambla.

Visiting times: You can only see the building exterior, as the premises are now occupied by a bank.