In almost every beautiful city in the world, there is a beautiful park and I’m inexplicably drawn to them on sunny days – perhaps borne of a longing to feel instantly more comfortable in any destination. Barcelona is no exception to this rule and Park Guell has been an essential stopping point on each of my visits to Barcelona. Initially planned to be a large estate by businessman Eusebi Güell, a lack of buyers resulted in the plans falling through with only two of the sixty planned houses being built. The architect? Who else but Antonio Gaudí. When Güell died, his house was sold to the city council who opened Park Guell as a public park and thus, a main attraction for tourists to the city.
Awed by the fairytale land of mosaic and colour, we entered the park and greeted ‘el drac’ – a salamander shaped fountain guarding the steps.
The park is somewhere you could easily spend hours getting lost in, only being re-orientated when you glance out at the stunning views of the city laid out in front of you.
While the surrounding park areas are free to visit, an entrance fee is charged to allow access to the ‘Monumental Zone’, including the terrace, the area underneath and the two famous houses. In my opinion, it’s completely worth it to spend a few hours people watching on the terrace.
The house where Gaudí lived for twenty years is also visible in the park, although it was actually built by another architect! Its pink spire rises up towards the back of the park where, in the spring, oranges hang from the trees surrounding it. This Mediterranean garden theme is visible throughout the park and was initially
Don’t want to pay for entrance? Climb up high and these views are completely free. You’re welcome.
Laura x
1 Comment
Rachel Kershaw
January 23, 2016 at 5:12 pmI love this park and have a picture of it up in my house, I hope to go back some day x