Since the beginning of my Europe 2016 trip planning, one of the main attractions luring me towards visiting Barcelona, was the incredible Antoni Gaudí architecture.
{and the beaches, but we’ve established that right?}
I spot this one of a kind architecture allllllll over Instagram alllllll the time. So naturally, I was determined to see it for myself.
And guys, it’s so much better in person. Like basically everything in life.
The buildings Gaudí created in Park Güell are nothing short of real life gingerbread houses. The entire afternoon I walked around with ‘not my gumdrop buttons!’ replaying in my head.
I got so lucky with my afternoon as well. I woke up to a cloudy Barcelona morning. I know. I didn’t think they existed either. My entrance time to Park Güell was 13:00. I arrived at noon to take a look around the ‘free-entry’ areas and eat a small picnic. It was still cloudy {and I mean scary, dark, grey clouds} by the time I entered the park.
But within 15 minutes, the weather gods were on my side!
The sky cleared and the sunshine shone bright!
So far, this has been the most fulfilling experience for me here in Spain. For eight euros you can enter the park for as long as you would like. Meaning, you can sit and stare over the entire city of Barcelona for the entire afternoon. Bring a picnic, lots of water, and get ready to have your mind blown.
You can count on it to be crowded, but once you have captured your typical Park Güell shot above the gingerbread houses, you can simply move a few feet to the right or left and will have wide open spaces, just as magical, to sit back and enjoy the afternoon. There is plenty of shade towards the main entrance as well.
You simply MUST, MUST, MUST visit Park Güell if you are in Barcelona.
One of my favorite moments of the afternoon was during my picnic. Street vendors line the dirt roads leading up to Park Güell attempting to sell their hats, paintings, you name it.
Unfortunately, this is illegal.
I didn’t realize this until I witnessed my first police drive by. So picture this: these vendors have all of their goodies on plain, white, sheets. Suddenly, like dominos, each one grabs the corners of the sheets, fold all of their belongings, and flip the now rucksack over their shoulders. The police slowly drive {or walk} along the road and before they get to each vendor, the Spanish man has literally ran into the bushes and up a hill as to not be seen.
It is one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen.
The police continue to do this all afternoon. They will wait until the vendors have re-placed all of their items on their clean white sheets, then start the engine and make their way down the road. It’s like a cat and mouse game. And to be honest, it really is more like a game than anything. The vendors are laughing, the police give cheeky looks to those that didn’t make it all the way up the hill, and both parties are in on the fun. The vendors are still able to make sales, and the police are still doing their duty as officers of Barcelona.
But moving on with a couple tips for your visit:
The first being, if you are coming from the west entrance, you will be forced to climb up some vertical streets. Like, v e r t i c a l.
We are talking San Francisco status.
Luckily, the city of Barcelona is generous enough to include escalators in the middle of these streets! So you only have portions of the streets that you must physically climb yourself.
Wear comfortable shoes! {though I did it in sandals and felt fine}
Although it’s a hassle on your feet to enter this way, you won’t be disappointed when you see the views on the way! ^
Also, purchase tickets in advance! Either show up in the morning and purchase tickets for that afternoon, or take the safe route and get online. This place gets to capacity very quickly and will sell out every day in peak season.
Park Güell is not the only piece of work from Gaudí worth a visit. If you have time, also check out Casa Batlló and Segrada Família.
I stopped by Casa Batlló after Park Güell and it was just as spectacular. You just can’t beat Gaudí!
When you see these pieces of architecture in person, it is breathtaking. The amount of detail and intricacy that is involved is enough to have you staring for hours.
Segrada Família is probably the most well known piece by Antoni Gaudí, and fair enough. The exterior itself is a work of art. And then you go inside…
but I’ll have an entire post dedicated to that.
Up next!
Have you ever visited Park Güell? What is your favorite piece by Antoni Gaudī?