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Park Guell (Barcelona) – Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting

Park Guell (Barcelona) – Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting

Park Guell (Barcelona) – Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - The Greek Theater

Park Guell (Barcelona) – Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting

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If there was anything good (or at least less bad) about Corona virus, that would be the fact that we got to know better the city we are living in.

I think that’s not only our case. I bet all of us, all around the world, got to know better our neighborhoods our cities and the countries we are living it.

Since Barcelona is not our home town, we took it as an opportunity to explore all the places that are, normally, crowded with tourists. And that was a very different kind of experience.

We were able to visit the main touristic attractions and see them in totally different context – with no long queues and no crowds. And that was the best part of it.

One of the places we visited recently is the famous Park Guell and we truly enjoyed seeing it in this different light, quite and peaceful.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting

If you are coming to Barcelona, Park Guell is a must visit place and one of the city’s most iconic places that you should not miss at any cost.

In this text we will give all the necessary information that you can use in order to create your own tour guide to Park Guell + some useful tips for visiting.

WHAT IS PARK GUELL?

It’s the most impressive public park in Barcelona located on Carmen Hill from where you can have the most amazing panoramic view of the city.

Eusebi Guell assigned the design of the park to his friend and trusted architect – Antoni Gaudi.

Actually, what is now Park Guell, was, initially imagined as a housing development project.

The main idea was to built a closed community with high-quality homes equipped with the latest technological advancements providing the maximum comfort to its tenants.

At the same time, they imagined a community promoting Catalan traditions and Christian values which was reflected in the architecture full of symbolism.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Eusebi Guell decided to abandon the project and, few years after his death, Barcelona City Council acquired the site from his inheritors and turned it into a public park.

Nowadays, we can enjoy this beautiful green oasis within the city while imagining the housing community with fancy, high-tech houses that was meant to be on it’s land.

Even though the initial project failed, what happened after was, actually a huge success.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - the laundry room portic

Park Guell today is one of the most visited places in Barcelona by both locals and tourists.

According to the internet, more than 9 million people visit the park per year. Some web sites mention around 14.000 visits per day.

Now, try to imagine all those people roaming around at all times.

Well, due to corona virus travel restrictions those numbers dropped dramatically in the past year. And we got the opportunity to see the park with only few persons around.

With or without people, Park Guell is absolutely stunning and will, most likely, become your favorite park ever.

WHAT THERE IS INSIDE?

In it’s essence, it’s a park – huge park with lots of trees, walking paths where you can enjoy the fresh air and nature but it’s also much more.

In Park Guell you can see not only nature but also some true architectural masterpieces.

You can do an organized tour with a guide or you can be your own tour guide, see it at your own pace and use our tips for visiting in order to prepare better.

Here is what you can find inside:

  • The Austria Gardens

This part of the park got its name after the park got a donation of trees from Austria in 1977 and it was used as a municipal plant nursery.

The garden has nice views and, from it’s center, you can see the two houses that were built in Eusebi Guell’s time. One of those houses was acquired by the Gaudi family and now it is the Gaudi House Museum.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - the austria gardens

  • The Gaudi House Museum

shows the personal side of the famous architect but also shows his work and documents related to his life. Here, you can learn something about his life and see some of his architectural achievements the furniture that he designed over the years.

Currently, this part of the park is closed due to covid-19 but, hopefully, it will soon be back to normal functioning.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - gaudi house museum

  • The Greek Theatre or Nature Square

At the center of Park Guell there is the large square bounded by the undulating bench covered with gorgeous tile mosaic. Here, you can make a break, sit and enjoy the most spectacular views.

Also, it is one of the best spots for taking photos so, don’t miss it.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - The Greek Theater

  • Viaducts

Close to the central area of the park you can see the Point de Baix – first of the viaducts that connects different parts of the park. Gaudi planned these viaducts to lead carriages from the main entrance to the higher parts of the park.

There are 3 of them – Pont de Baix, Pont del Mig and Pont de Dalt and you will see signs showing their direction so you cannot miss them.

  • The Laundry Room Portico

On the eastern side of the Greek Theatre square you will see an original iron door which leads to where used to be the gardens of the former Gaudi’s house. Later on the house was repurposed to a school.

This path will lead you through a pine grove and a structure of unusual columns designed by Gaudi.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - The Laundry room portico

  • The Hypostyle Room

This is, basically a large, covered space, initially imagined as a market place. It is made up of 86 columns crowned by an architrave on which the undulating bench is placed.

The ceiling is formed of small domes decorated with tile mosaics.

The Dragon Stairway

Here you can see a large stairway with a water fountain in the center.

Halfway up the steps you can see the emblem of Catalonia and a big dragon sculpture decorated with tile mosaic. The dragon is one of the most recognizable images of the Park Guell and one of unofficial symbols of Barcelona as well.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - The dragon stairway

***

These are just main points in the park. Everything is marked and you will see signs along the way showing you different directions and what you can see taking each of the different paths.

AMENITIES

  • Picnic zone – with wooden tables and benches where you can relax with friends or family and enjoy some nice food.
  • Free Audio Guide (with your mobile phone)
  • Free Wi-Fi (for using the Park Guell aplication)
  • Toilets
  • Pets friendly
  • Partially adapted for people with reduced mobility – There is a specific itinerary adapted to people with mobility difficulties.
  • Gift shop

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - Picnic zone

FOOD AND DRINK

  • Kiosks, food and drink stalls – normally, there are several food and drink stalls inside the park so you can grab a drink or something to eat.  Currently, due to corona virus, those are closed but, hopefully, everything will be back to normal soon.

**Normally, prices in those kiosks are quite higher than outside of the park so, better option is to bring some snacks and drinks with you.

TIME FOR VISIT

  • Visiting time is unlimited – you can stay as much time as you want (within the working hours, of course).
  • To see the whole park with calm, you need approximately 2 – 2,5 hours.

PRICES

Entrance to the park used to be free but recently (since 2020) they started to charge the entrance.

  • General admission – 10 eur (self-guided tour)
  • Guided tour – 22 eur (groups of max 15 people, tour available in English, Catalan, Spanish and French).
  • Private guided tour – 50 eur (Guided tour for reduced groups of 2 to 6 people; tours are offered in English, Catalan, Spanish and French).

**For buying tickets online or more information about the prices – visit the official website.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - the house

OPENING HOURS

  • Monday to Sunday from 9:30 am – 7:00 pm

** To enjoy your visit even more, we recommend going during the sunny part of the day. If it is not too hot, of course.

In summer, your best time for visit will be either early morning or afternoon.

You can either visit it in the morning and have the whole day in front of you or you can visit the park in sunset time as the view of the city will be spectacular.

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - The Greek Theater

LOCATION & HOW TO GET THERE

  • Address: Park Güell, 08024 Barcelona 
  • Metro: Green line (L3), Lesseps or Vallcarca stations
  • Bus lines: H6, D40 – Travessera de Dalt station (from there walking 10 min until Park Guell)
  • Bus Turístic (blue line) – the stop “Park Güell”
  • Barcelona City Tour Bus (green color) – the stop “Park Güell”

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - the view

 

WHAT NEXT?

Now that you visited one of the most iconic places of Barcelona, what next?

Interested in work of the most famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi?

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.

***

Even though we enjoyed visiting the most touristic places in Barcelona without tourists and crowds, we must say that we kind of miss that busy atmosphere of the city and it’s most iconic spots.

We hope everyone will be able to freely travel again soon and enjoy all the beauties all around.

We also hope this post and our tips for visiting Park Guell were helpful to anyone planning their trip to sunny Barcelona.

If you are around, drop us a message 😉

Park Guell (Barcelona) - Tour Guide and Tips for Visiting - tile mosaic

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Happy Travels!

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  • HAVE YOU BEEN TO BARCELONA YET OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO VISIT IT SOON?
  • LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
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