When Antoni Gaudí, the renowned Catalan architect, was tasked with designing a residential community within a lush park, he created something extraordinary. Originally intended to be a gated community with 60 houses, the project evolved into what we now know as Park Güell. Today, the park attracts around 12 million visitors each year, who come to marvel at Gaudí's architectural genius. Commissioned by Count Eusebi Güell in 1900, Park Güell features iconic landmarks like the Dragon Stairway, the Hypostyle Room, and the Porter’s Lodge Pavilion. Read on to find out if a visit to Park Güell is worth your time and money.
Essential Information for Visiting Park Guell
Handy information
| 📍 Best Entrance: | Entrance C |
| ⏰ Suggested Duration: | 1 hour |
| ☀️ Best Time to Visit: | Early Morning |
| 💜 Must See: | Doric Temple |
| 🎟️ Park Guell Entry Ticket: | €13 |
| 😍 Park Guell Guided Tour: | €19 |
| 🫶 Park Guell + Sagrada Familia Combo Deal: | €56 |
Must-see
Casa del Guarda
The Stairway
Sala Hipóstila
Plaça de la Natura or the Greek Theatre
Austria Gardens
Things to know
Number of visitors per year: 12 million
UNESCO World Heritage Site designation: 1984
Established: 1914
Architect: Antoni Gaudi
Architectural style: Modernisme
Opening hours and address
Daily: 9:30am to 7:30pm
Address : Carmel Hill
Gracia Barcelona, Spain
Get Directions
Why you must visit Park Guell Barcelona
Park Güell, covering 18 hectares of hilly terrain, was initially planned by Count Eusebi Güell as a small city for Barcelona’s wealthy residents. However, the project was abandoned after a few years. Despite this, Gaudí continued his work, transforming the area into a park. Since opening to the public in 1926, Park Güell has become a popular attraction. Read on to discover what makes this historic park unique and how to make the most of your visit in just a few hours.
Know before you purchase Park Guell Barcelona tickets
- 400 tickets are sold every half hour.
- The entry time on the ticket provides a 30 minute grace period, for e.g. a 10am ticket allows admission till 10:30am.
- Once a ticket is validated, you can’t leave the premises and enter again with the same ticket.
- Purchasing tickets online allow you to dictate entry timing according to your convenience, which might not be the case otherwise.
- Additional discounts are often available on purchasing the ticket online.
- You can opt for regular tickets or guided skip the line tour; get discounted ticked from headout.com
- Kids below 6 years are not charged a ticket, and young adults between, 7 – 12 can enjoy discounted rates.
- In case of a guided tour, your guide will meet you at the meeting point 15 minutes prior to your slot.
- The meeting point for Park Guell guided tours is at the Souvenirs Shop located in Carrer d'Olot nº 12, in front of the main entrance of the Park Güell.
- If you also wish to visit Sagrada Familia, you can avail discounted combination guided tours to Park Guell and Sagrada Familia. The discount combo ticket also includes transfers between Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
- With the Barcelona City Pass, you can get free entry to Park Guell.
- The official guides are architectural experts and you can choose from the options of monolingual or bilingual (English and Spanish) or multilingual guides.
- A free official audio guide is available for your smartphones, Android, and iPhone, that can help you take a self guided tour of Park Guell.
Recommended tickets
Park Guell's history
Park Güell was never intended to be just a park. It was originally envisioned as a utopian residential community set within a large green space. Eusebi Güell, a wealthy industrialist, hired Gaudí to bring this vision to life. Gaudí dedicated 14 years to the project, but after Güell's death in 1914, his heirs decided to halt construction since not a single house had been sold. In 1922, the city of Barcelona purchased the partially completed site and transformed the 17-hectare area into a public park, officially opening it in 1926. Over the years, Park Güell's popularity has grown. In October 2013, the park's most significant areas were restricted to ticketed entry to manage the increasing number of visitors.
Park Guell's unique architecture
Gaudí not only brought a fairytale to life with his architecture but also invented a technique called trencadís. This method involves creating mosaics from small, broken pieces of ceramic, a style that is widely used throughout Park Güell. Gaudí seamlessly blended his inspiration from nature into every aspect of the park. The fluid design, structures, sculptures, and motifs all reflect this connection to the natural world. Animals like salamanders, snakes, octopuses, and lions are represented in the park using trencadís, while floral motifs are scattered throughout, further integrating the park's architecture with its natural surroundings.
Your Park Guell tour deconstructed
Porter’s Lodge Pavilion
Resembling something like gingerbread houses from Hanzel and Gretel, the two trencadís-speckled pavilions stand on either side of the entrance. The left building hosts a waiting room and telephone booth.
Dragon Stairway
Standing guard over the twin flight of steps is the infamous multicolored mosaic salamander aka the dragon. Easily the most popular attractions of the park, it is also an icon for Barcelona.
Doric Temple/ Sala Hipóstila / the Hypostyle Room
This picturesque structure is supported by 86 stone columns, the outermost ones lean in like bent trees giving the whole composition the naturalistic appeal, perfectly encapsulated by Gaudi.
Greek Theatre/ Plaça de la Natura/ Nature Square
Later renamed to Plaça de la Natura aka Nature Square, the Greek Theatre was originally intended to be an open-air theatre. Nowadays, the area is often dotted with souvenir sellers.
Laundry Room Portico
The spiral ramp is shaped in the form of a great wave resting atop slanting columns, serving as one of the finest examples of Gaudi’s naturalistic and organic design.
Banc de Tracadis
A mesmerizing, long, and serpentine bench adorned with tile-shard mosaics created by one of Gaudi’s closest contemporaries, Josep Maria Jujol. It lies alongside the Nature Square acting as a balustrade.
Austria Gardens
A donation of trees in 1977 from Austria was what christened this plant nursery as Austria Gardens. Developed later it has a completely different look in comparison to the rest of the park.
Gaudi House Museum
One of the park’s original homes was home to Gaudi himself and has now been turned into a museum about his life and work. You have to buy an additional ticket from the official website as the museum isn’t part of the standard Park Guell ticket or the guided tour.
Best time to visit Park Guell
Exploring Park Güell in the early morning light is an experience like no other. Arriving at the entrance before 9am helps you avoid crowds and secure the best viewpoints. Alternatively, you can visit closer to closing time to catch the sunset over the city. Just be sure to explore the park before dark, as it isn't well-lit after sunset.
Weekdays are the best time to visit Park Güell, as weekends are usually the most crowded. During peak tourist season, from June to October, expect larger crowds, making it harder to get tickets and take photos. For a more relaxed experience, visit between November and May when the weather is cooler and the crowds are smaller, allowing you to explore and take photos more easily.
All you need to know before visiting Park Guell Barcelona
Park Guell hours
Park Güell is open year-round without any holidays. From January 1 to March 30, the park is open from 9:30am to 6pm. Between March 31 and October 28, the hours extend from 9:30am to 7:30pm. From October 29 to December 31, the park operates from 9:30am to 5:30pm.
Park Guell Entrance
Park Güell is located on Carmel Hill, Barcelona, and has three main entrances: Carrer de Larrard, Carretera del Carmel, and Sant Josep de la Muntanya.
- Carrer de Larrard: This is the main entrance and is easily accessible by bus and metro. However, reaching the monumental zone from here requires walking up steps and some climbing.
- Carretera del Carmel: Located next to the parking lot for buses and taxis, this entrance is also accessible by bus and metro, with the option to take a taxi. The monumental zone is just 100 meters away, making this entrance, also known as Plaça de la Natura, very convenient.
- Sant Josep de la Muntanya: This entrance features an escalator that saves you most of the climb to the hill.
Here are 3 maps that show the Park Guell Entrances in detail. Download them and keep them handy on your phone to navigate to the closest entrance.
Carrer de Larrard
Carretera del Carmel
Passatge de Sant Josep de la Muntanya
Park Guell Directions
- By Bus - H6, D40, 24 and 92 lines
H6 and D40 lines stop at Travessera de Dalt, which is about a 10-minute walk from both the Sant Josep de la Muntanya and Carrer de Larrard entrances. 24 and 92 lines stop directly at the Carretera del Carmel-Park Güell entrance. The Bus Turístic (blue line) and the Barcelona City Tour (green "East" route) both stop at "Park Güell," which is a 10-minute walk from the Carretera del Carmel entrance. - By Metro – Green line L3
The L3 metro line stops at Lesseps and Vallcarca stations, both of which are about a 20-minute walk from the nearest entrance, Sant Josep de la Muntanya. - By Car
Park Güell has 13 taxi parking spaces—12 on Carrer de Marianao and 1 on Carrer d'Olot. There is also parking available for tourist coaches, which typically drop off passengers at the Carretera del Carmel entrance.
Park Guell map
Here's a compact Park Guell map that will come useful during your Park Guell visit. Download the Park Guell Map and keep it handy on your phone!
Park Guell facts that will leave you in awe
- Heritage: In 1984, Park Güell was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the category “Works of Antoni Gaudí.”
- The Iron Gates: The palm leaf-shaped iron gates that now surround the park were not part of Gaudí's original design. They were added after his death, brought in from Casa Vicens to replace the wooden gates.
- No Straight line: Gaudí believed that straight lines didn’t exist in nature, so he used only curved lines throughout the park, reflecting his natural inspiration.
- Flora and Fauna: The park is not only inspired by nature but also preserves it. You can find a diverse range of flora and fauna, including non-native species like parrots, short-toed eagles, and hummingbird hawk moths.
- The best vantage point: The terrace at Park Güell offers stunning views of Barcelona from its 110-meter long vantage point. Lined with colorful mosaic benches, these are considered some of the first ergonomically designed benches in the world.
Insider tips for visiting Park Guell
- Prepare to walk : The overall experience of Park Guell by Gaudi entails long walks, steep climbs, and stairs. So arm yourself with comfortable shoes and minimum weight in your carry ons.
- Saving time : Booking tickets beforehand not only saves you money but also spares you the wait in line or the wait for your time slot to arrive, lending you more time to enjoy the park in its entirety.
- Avoid the main entrance : If you have pre-booked your ticket, avoid entering from the main entrance. Choose amongst the other entrances as they are less crowded, hence allowing easy entry.
- Back-up : Food and Beverages uphill are scarce and overpriced, carry some food and water along.
- Sun-protect : If you are visiting during summers apply a good sunblock and carry goggles, caps or scarves to escape from the scorching heat as the shaded area in the park is a luxury seldom available.
- Limited Mobility : Though the free zone is wheelchair friendly, the staircases pose a hindrance for those who have limited mobility, especially in the monumental zone.
- Night views : While the entry at night is free of charge, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is not highly illuminated. You can enjoy the view of the town but not the works of Gaudi.
- Leave your luggage home : There are no luggage lockers available at the Park Guell. Hence, come along with minimum luggage as pulling a trolley or lugging a rucksack along the hilly terrain can be a tedious task.
Ready to visit Barcelona?
Here are a few more of Gaudi's wonders that you can explore while in Barcelona
There is a dash of Gaudi anywhere you turn in Barcelona. Curiosity will not let you leave the city without understanding why Gaudi is one of the most important architects and founding father of Barcelona’s eminent cityscape. If you are not the one for guided tours, go on a self-guided Gaudi tour exploring his mastery in the city.
Another gem of a building made by Antoni Gaudí hands is Casa Milà, Barcelona. The unique style of the building will leave you in awe. It was built using stones from the nearby mountains and looks like a stone house from the outside. For this reason, it is famously known as 'La Pedrera' (The Quarry) by the locals. The interiors are decked with quirky colours; dynamic, round floors; and a natural ventilation system. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 for its distinctive architecture, the structure has since inspired many designers around the world.
If you want to know the true essence of Antoni Gaudí’s unmatched passion for aesthetics, there is no other place than Casa Batlló, Barcelona to confirm it. Popularly called Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), the site was also declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2005. With no straight line or angle in sight, the fluidity of the house makes the house feel like a sea.
Antoni Gaudí’s first commission, Casa Vicens in Barcelona, turned out to be an icon and first great work of Catalan Modernisme. Today, it is a world-famous house museum set up to honour Gaudí, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site! You can inspiration from Moorish architecture in the form of horseshoe arches and vibrant facades. Many influences across the globe can be seen in the building especially with traces from Indian and Japanese forms of architecture.
Basílica de la Sagrada Família is an unfished minor Basilica. In 1883, Gaudi took over the project as Chief Architect after the previous architect, Francisco de Paula del Villar resigned. Although the basilica is inspired by the Gothic style, you can see a touch of Gaudi’s curvilinear Art Nouveau and Catalan Modernism forms. Art critic Rainer Zerbst commented that it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art! What makes it more fascinating is that Antoni Gaudi is buried in the crypts of Sagrada. The magic in its architect demands to be felt in person and you can only do that by taking a Sagrada Familia guided tour.
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