Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, Pedrera, Güell Parc and Palau Güell are staple Gaudí monuments that give Barcelona its magic.

But here are some of Gaudí's lesser-known, beautiful contributions to design and architecture in Barcelona:
- Fountain of the Three Graces in Placa Reial
- Gigantic fountain in Parc de la Cuitadella
- The amazing wrought-iron embellished street lamps that line the streets are 125-year-old originals in the heart of the city. In Plaza Reial, by Las Ramblas, Passeig de Gracia and the old port entrance.

www.way2stay.com/area-info-Barcelona-en-52.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

I'd recommend it because it's a beautiful church designed by Gaudi, an artist. It wasn't finished when I went but it was still beautifully carved, a masterpiece I'd say. It reminded me of an amazing, whacky jungle; there were towers painted incredibly and when you climbed up to the very top you could see all the wonderful sights of Barcelona. It's not like any other church I've ever been in and well worth the effort to climb to the top.

Ella Lazenby (age 9).

Barcelona, metro Sagrada Familia.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

One of the entrances to Cathedral La seu is through the cloistered courtyard. It’s a wonderful space, stone flagged floors, arched recesses, gothic columns and lush green foliage. One can easily imagine walking slowly around the cloisters in quiet contemplation. Ah, except for the interruptions of the geese which share the space.

There are 13 geese, each representing one-year of the life of the martyred Santa Eulalia, the patron Saint of Barcelona. One does get the sense that the geese feel they are the real owners of the courtyard; everyone else is just an interloper. And they are probably right.

Inside the beautifully cool interior are some wonderfully ornate side chapels, paintings and gilding. The high ceiling has carved round plagues at each axis and the patches of weathering on the roof rather than detracting from the decoration actually add to the feel of the place, giving a sense of history and continuity.

The choir stalls are handsomely decorated with coats of arms and all through the cathedral are wonderfully rich colours and decorative flourishes. It is an incredibly impressive building, a focal point for the area and community, imposing yet also welcoming and peaceful.

A lift takes you to the roof and a walk along the bouncy steel walkway not only gives you fantastic views over the city but also allows you to see up close the architecture of the cathedral itself.

Plaça de la Seu
Barri Gotic. Metro: Lines 1 and 3 (Catalunya Station) and Lines 2 and 4 (Urquinaona Station.)
www.catedralbcn.org

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Designed by Gaudi, begun in 1883 and still being constructed, the Sagrada Familia radiates a compelling presence in the city, even before you visit it. Maybe it is the fact that it is unfinished, maybe it's the unusual architecture and decoration - which includes broken bottles and ceramics - but there is something so creative about the building that it'll work on your imagination.

From a distance the facade looks like someone has taken a lump of clay, kneaded and moulded it into a mass of spikes, icicles, holes and ridges. Closer up and you begin to pick out elements, even closer and you become overwhelmed by the intricate details. Inside the lines of the stone are clean, elegant, tactile.

The structure and composition of the building is very organic - photographs show how some of the columns were inspired by trees - and it is almost as if the building has developed on its own burgeoning from the earth, expending and blossoming as it grows. I particularly sensed this inside the structure and when climbing around inside the thin towers, the building has such a strong sense of identity, its own identity, separate from the person who designed it and the people building it. Maybe that is in part what makes this a remarkable structure, the way that is both representative of Gaudi's vision but is also somehow independent. This is not just a building it's an ongoing work of art.

Carrer de Mallorca 401
Metro: Line 2 or 5 Station: SagradaFamilia
www.sagradafamilia.org

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Obligatory on any visitor’s itinerary is the church of the Holy Family designed by the ultra-pious architect, Gaudi. George Orwell said that this was one of the ugliest buildings on Earth, and expressed wonder as to why the Anarchists hadn’t wrecked it in the Spanish Civil War. It is worth seeing for its ugliness. The stonework is like icing on a cake that has melted. It is not worth the eight Euro to go inside and see what is essentially a building site of scaffolding and cranes. Rightly or wrongly, it has become a symbol of the city.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This city has a deserved reputation for its architecture. Many of the buildings are majestic with classical styles, but a dominant theme through the city is that of Art Nouveau, with its curvi-linear decorations.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

When you go to Sagrada Familia, don’t jump back on the Metro but persevere up Avinguda de Gaudi. You’ll eventually come across this still part-working hospital that you are free to stroll around and ogle. Unesco protected, this lesser known of the Modernista works is a visionary place created by Domenech i Nontaner for Barcelona’s medial needs at the turn of the 20th-century. It would have been worth getting ill just to have been able to stay there.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

While everyone flocks to Gaudi’s still-in-progress spires, it’s very much worth remembering that there’s a medieval cathedral still standing proud in Barcelona’s old town. There’s perhaps a touch of irony too, in the fact that the finishing touch was not applied to this building, in the early 20th century, until nearly 700 years after its inception. It is beautiful, as are its surroundings, and revealing of how the centre of this city has shifted according to fashion. Don’t pass it by.

Placa de la Seu

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Quite apart from the permanent collection of Catalan, Spanish and other European contemporary art, and the special exhibitions, the museum is itself a work of art (architect Richard Meier). Just walking around its spaces is an uplifting experience.

5 minutes walk from Las Ramblas;
Plaça dels Àngels, Barcelona 08001;
tel: 93 412 0810;
www.macba.es

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This elaborately decorated, art nouveau (modernista in Catalan) concert hall is an absolute must see. It's exciting enough looking at it outside, but the whole of the inside is exhilarating with a riot of sparkling stained glass and swirling forms. There’s a huge expression of colour and light, especially in the auditorium itself with its stunning, golden-brown, stained-glass ceiling - a highlight in every sense. Guided tours only, some in English, last just under an hour, and it's best to book in advance. Don't be put off - this is really one to remember.

Calle Sant Francesc de Paula, 2; tel: 902 442 882; nearest metro: Urquinaona

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Fabulous Gaudi house with gorgeous exterior and fascinating interior - tour with audio guides. Highlight is the rooftop with chimney pots on tiles like a beached sea monster.

Passieg de Gracia

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

You cannot come to Barcelona and not see Gaudi's cathedral masterpiece. Truly awe-inspiring. When I was there was only half completed but should be much nearer to completion by now.

Couldn't be easier. Sagrada Familia has it's own metro station (strangely enough called Sagrada Familia) on Line 2. Just catch the metro heading towards the eastern terminus of Line 2 at Pep Ventura. The cathedral is a five minute walk from the metro station

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

It’s another of Gaudi's very different designs (an apartment block) and in my book more impressive than La Pedrera (Casa Mila) further up the Passage de Gracia. Although an extensive renovation rather than design and build, it wowed me on my second visit to Barcelona as much as La Pedrera did on my first. More expensive at 16 euros for a full tour but worth it. A work of art.

Beautiful curvy and colourful designs, light and airy rooms, crafted woodwork, ceramics, glass and light fittings ahead of their time age (1905-7). The view of the exterior from the street alone is amazing (lit at night) and free if you are in a hurry.

Nr 43 Passeig de Gracia, 08007 Barcelona; L'Eixample distrct nearest metro: Passeig de Gracia

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Nestled behind the Cathedral, the City History Museum tells the story of Barcelona in a series of buildings that are interesting in their own right. The highlight, though, lies beneath the medieval buildings where the Roman city has been extensively excavated and preserved. It's fascinating and an amazing achievement.

Pl rei 7, Barri Gotic. www.museuhistoria.bcn.es

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Just as you wouldn't visit Paris without taking a peek at the Eiffel Tower, you can't visit Barcelona without a trip to La Sagrada Familia. Nevertheless, Evelyn Waugh managed it - refusing to get out of the car to even look at it when he was in town, considering it to be a crime against Catholicism. Of course some might take that as a compliment. Whatever else it is, the still-unfinished church is an arresting sight; by turns elegant, grotesque, inspired and twee. If you've got a head for heights, ascend one of the towers (best by foot, though there is a lift), and enjoy the views across the city. It is Antoni Gaudi's most famous legacy to Barcelona, and he lies buried beneath the nave - having dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to its construction, he died before it was completed.

C/Mallorca, 401; Tel: 93 207 30 31; Nearest metro: Sagrada Familia; www.sagradafamilia.com/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Two hours by train, north of Barcelona, is the town of Figueres. In Figueres is the Salvador Dali Theatre-Museum. No trip to Catalonia is complete without a visit to Dali’s self-constructed museum which is a work of art in itself. His idea was to give the visitor an experience of the truly surreal (the word seems to be often misused these days) and the visitor is not disappointed.

The building itself is wonderfully outrageous, and the exhibits give a good insight into Dali’s way of working and sense of humour and you can even see the crypt where the man is now buried. This museum has nearly a million visitors a year, so join the queue and be entertained by the exterior and its adornments while you wait.

Figueres

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

It's a palace of music and concerts are held here, but it also attracts visitors for its modernist tilework and stained glass. The interior of the building is beautiful and crowned by a fantastic (and huge) inverted dome of stained glass in the main auditorium. Guided tours are every 30 minutes during the day - just wait outside the door until they let you in - it's worth it.

Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona shares a lot in common with London's Tate Modern - mostly that the building itself is more impressive than the art collection inside. Richard Meier's whiter-than-white building is well worth a visit, though, and the square outside has become a hangout for Barcelona's skateboarders, families and tourists alike.

Plaça dels Angels, 1 08001; Nearest metro: Plaça Catalunya, Plaça Universitat; www.macba.es

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends