Barcelona is all about architecture and, when I say architecture, I mean lot of colors, mosaics, glass and whole lot of other materials, unusual shapes and forms and hidden meanings. If you enjoy all that – mix of traditional and modernist, and the name “Music Palace” sounds intriguing enough, well, Palau de la Musica Catalana will take your breath away.

WHAT IS PALAU DE LA MUSICA CATALANA?

Palau de la Musica Catalana is a concert hall more than hundred years old, designed in the Catalan modernist style.

Many assume that Palau de la Musica Catalana is another masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi due to the certain similarity in architectural style, but this is not the case.

Palau de la Musica Catalana is work of Gaudi’s contemporary – Lluis Domenic i Montaner – an architect that created a building with striking, original design joining both traditional and modernists styles.

Famous Music Palace building was built more than 100 years ago, on the request of the choral society – Orfeo Catala,  that needed a space for their music performances.

In the mid-nineteen century choral singing started to gain on it’s popularity as a cultural event, emphasizing, through their singing, the values such as fraternity, work and progress as well as the ideas of conservative Catalanism.

1908 the building was inaugurated and, up to nowadays, it still serves it’s original purpose – music.

Some of the most remarkable Catalan and international artists performed in it’s concert hall.

WHAT THERE IS INSIDE?

As a visitor you can make a day tour of the building and see it’s impressive interior or you can visit some of the concerts and have a full experience.

Inside you will find:

• Foyer of the Palau

It’s the first room you will find yourself in upon your entrance.

This space serves as a rest area during concert intermissions and, also, in some special occasions it hosts presentations, conferences and similar events.

• Stairway

Leaving the foyer, you will cross a beautiful marble staircases that connect the vestibule with the upper floors. Pay attention to the beautiful decoration all around you.

• Lluís Millet Room

This is the intermission hall located on the main floor. It got it’s name after the founder of Catalan Choral Society.

It s a spacious room with impressive stained glass windows which look out onto the balcony.

• Balcony

From Lluis Millet Room you can go to the balcony and see the famous colorful mosaic columns. Red brickwork, glass and ceramic work, bright colors and floral motives, are the main characteristic of the balcony.

The balcony and it’s famous colorful columns became a hot spot among instagramers (and photographers in general) as one of the favorite places to take stunning photos.

• Concert Hall

Just on the opposite side of the Lluis Millet Room there is the Concert Hall – the most spectacular room of the whole building.

The Concert Hall is designed as large, oval auditorium with capacity of around 2000 spectators.

Glass and ceramic surfaces with sculptures of allegorical character and hidden meanings all around, is what this place makes truly magical.

Impressive, central skylight provide natural light as well as the large, side windows.

The stage hosted many remarkable Catalan, Spanish and artists from all over the world.

Palau de la Musica Catalana is considered to be a symbol of national pride of Catalonia and it’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In case there is a rehearsal ongoing at the day and time of your visit, they let you enter and watch it.

Luckily, that was our case so we were very positively surprised with it.

Watching the actual performance, for sure, makes the whole experience more complete, but, watching a rehearsal and the whole dynamic of preparing for the performance is so much fun.

And it’s included in the price of the tour which makes it much cheaper than watching the actual performance.

It’s not the same but still, I found it so much fun as you can enter/exit when you wish, there is barely anyone around you and you can see the whole “behind the scenes” dynamic on the stage.

AMENITIES

• Free Audio Guide (with your mobile phone)
• Wi-Fi
• Gift-shop (temporarily closed due to Covid-19)
• Hand sanitizers distributed at several points within the property
• Adapted Visit (wheelchair access, elevator in each floor, ramp enabled to access the balcony)
• Adapted toilets and wheelchair loan service on request
• Parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility
• Deaf signatories can request specific visits with an interpreter of Spanish sign language (minimum 12 people)
• The audio guides have text in different languages that are easy to read by enlarging the font size
• Blind or people with low vision: soon the audio guides will have an audio description
• Visually impaired or low vision visits are also organized with an individual guide (minimum 12 people)
• The Visits App of the Palau de la Música Catalana has compatibility with Google Talkback (for Android devices) and VoiceOver (ios) screen reader systems

FOOD & DRINK

Normally, there is a nice café bar – Cafe Palau, that offer food and drinks, located in the foyer of the building. Currently (November 2020), the bar is temporarily closed due to covid-19 situation.

TIME FOR VISIT

Even though this is very individual, to see all the rooms with taking photos and watching a rehearsal for some time, should not take you more than an hour.

At the time of our visit, the visiting time was unlimited (within the working hours – 10am – 3.30pm)

PRICES

• Self-guided tour – 10 eur (Mobile phone audio guide in Catalan, Spanish, English and French language)
• Guided tour – 14 eur (in Catalan, Spanish, French, English and Italian language)
• People with functional diversity have special prices. With a grade below 65%, the cost of the visit is € 8. With a degree higher than 65% the cost of the visit is free
• Accessible visit for groups – 11 eur (Catalan, English and Spanish)
• Inspires tour – 20 eur – Visit-drawing workshop (from 10am – 12pm, in Catalan language)
• Toccata and Fugue – Escape Room – 27 eur (Catalan, Spanish and English) – if you feel like playing after your visit 😉
• Special visits – check the web page for more details
• Tickets for concerts – check the web page

OPENING HOURS

For touristic visits:

Self guided tour: from 10am to 3.30pm

Guided tour: from 10am to 3pm

Inspires tour: from 10am to 12pm

For concerts and performances – check the calendar

LOCATION & HOW TO GET THERE

Address: C/Palau de la Musica 4-6, 08003 Barcelona

Metro: Urquinaona Station, Line 1 (L1) Red; Line 4 (L4) Yellow

Train: RENFE: Catalunya Square Station; FGC: Catalunya Square Station

Bus lines: V15, V17, 47

Barcelona Tourist Bus: (north and south routes): Casa Batlló – Fundació Antoni Tàpies Stop

City Tours (Tours Barcelona): Stop 2, Gothic

WHAT NEXT?

If you are in Barcelona you can’t miss visiting some of these impressive buildings:  Casa Batllo , Casa Mila (La Pedrera), Casa Vicens.

Want to know which are the best bars and restaurants and which local food should you try? Check out our post about Best tapas bars in Barcelona

Have fun in Barcelona!

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