One of the best places to explore in Barcelona is Park Güell (locals pronounce it “para gwell”), a beautiful winding park with whimsical architecture and some of the best views of the city. It’s on the north end of the city and, similar to Montejuc, you feel like you are getting a quiet break from city life.
Park Güell, like many of the amazing building in Barcelona, was built by Antoni Gaudi. A visionary young Spainish architect in the 1920’s. His works are all over Barcelona and are completely unique and unlike anything you’ve ever seen! Think Dr. Seuss meets Disney, but with a sophisticated flair. (BTW these are the best Gaudi’s you should visit in Barcelona, including the world famous Sagrada Familia.)
You cannot visit Barcelona without seeing some of Gaudi’s works that all incorporate themes of nature, Christianity and Catalunya (this region of Spain). Park Güell is one of the best places to see Gaudi at work!
BTW- this YouTube video I thought was helpful on describing the best things to see in Park Güell and how to get good photos of your trip there!
Park Güell’s Background
I’m a little bit nerdy and like the history of the places I visit. Here’s a quick history to get you started…
Park Güell was originally the brainchild of Eusebi Güell, a wealthy entrepreneur in Barcelona, and Gaudi. Gaudi had already designed Palau Güell (Palace Güell, which is right off the popular street Las Ramablas and is open for tours) and several other projects for Güell. Güell’s idea was to create a beautiful park filled with amazing and beautiful homes for Barcelona’s wealthy to live in.
They planned for over 60 mansions to be built, as well as a grand marketplace and other buildings. But since it was so far away and no real road led up to it (a VERY bumpy and long carriage ride in those days) no one wanted to live there!! Only two houses were built (neither by Gaudi) and he and Güell were the only ones to live there.
Eventually, Güell gave the land to the city and it became a park for visitors and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It also holds a school for local kids (lucky kids!).
The Two Parts of Park Güell
The largest portion of the park is the natural park area. It is free to all visitors and where you will see locals exercising and walking their dogs in the morning.
If you go in the afternoon or later in the day you will see lots of vendors selling souvenirs spread out on blankets that you can usually barter with to get a good deal. This can be really fun shopping for cool Barcelona things to bring home but can also be annoying at times if you are just trying to walk down the path. They are right outside the Monumental zone because they are not allowed inside that area to sell.
There are lots of beautiful paths to explore in this zone, with playgrounds for kids to play on. You should definitely check out the Hill of the Three Crosses, the highest point of the park because it gives you GREAT views of Barcelona. It also gives you the best chance of a photo without other people photobombing you!
The second part of Park Güell is the Monumental zone and has all the beautiful Gaudi creations inside it. Remember that he didn’t get to build any of the mansions he wanted to in the park, but there are still many other things there he designed!
You do need to pay to get into this area, you reserve a specific entrance time but once you’re in you can stay as long as you like! (I have heard that if you show up before opening time you can get in for free but I haven’t done this and wouldn’t risk it.) GET TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME ONLINE. They sell out almost every day and have a crazy long line you have to wait in (and still maybe not get a ticket). Use discounts from your Barcelona Card to save or HeadOut.com to get money back on your next activity.
Check out more ways you can save money in Barcelona (and still do all the things you want).
Highlights of the Monumental Zone
If you walk in the main entrance, you will go right between two whimsical gingerbread-like houses. These were built to house the groundskeeper of the park and are now used as a museum you can tour. This is where you can meet your tour group if you sign up for one (we came in a different way and wandered around for a while before we figured it out!)
Keep going up the steps and you will go under the white terrace into the columns. It’s a little cooler under here in the shade. I loved looking up at the white ceiling that glimmers and has colorful mosaics dotting it. This area was under construction when we went, so we didn’t get to explore as much and I would have liked here.
Continue through the columns and go up the steps and out onto the top of the white terrace that lays across all the columns. This open area was originally intended to be an open marketplace/gathering place for Barcelona’s elite to meet and hold community events.
The view from the top is beautiful! Especially with early morning golden light.
Along the entire length of the edge winds a serpentine bench with colorful mosaics along it. The guide told up that it is the longest bench in the world and it is specially designed by Gaudi to self-drain rain so you’ll never sit in a puddle! Look for white mosaic patches where the colorful pieces were stolen and sold during the war. You can find some of the stolen pieces in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
This is a great photo op so take some time to get a pic from the bench!
Lincoln loved walking along the bench until it got crowded (and all of our pics got photobombed) and then happily played in the dirt while the guide talked.
If you head the other direction from the terrace towards the school you will come to the Natural arches walkways. These are beautiful and were obviously designed by Gaudi.
Look at them from the side and you will see the ocean tidal wave they are shaped like. Each column itself has symbolism in Christianity and nature, shaped like hurricanes and even the biblical woman carrying water from the well (I couldn’t help but think of Chiquita Bananas…).
The Monumental zone is amazing and you can’t help but wonder what it might have been like to live there had Gaudi and Güell’s dream come true.
Getting to Park Güell
The good news is… unlike in Gaudi’s day you don’t have to hike for hours or take an uncomfortable carriage ride to get to the park. You can take the bus, metro or taxi! (Heads up, ride shares like Uber or Lyft are not legal in Barcelona.) There are pros and cons to each.
Taxi: fast and will take you directly to the entrance of the park, but it is definitely the most expensive way to go.
Metro: this is the way we took, because 99% of the time the metro is the best way to get anywhere in a big city. This might be the 1%… The metro is fast and cheap. BUT the closest station drops you off quite a distance away and at the bottom of a HUGE hill…and the park is on the top. We had to run there to make it on time for our tour and arrived very hot and out of breath!! The walk is pretty though and has some nice cafes on the way. Just be aware of the climb. There are escalators along the stairs (something I had never seen out on the street before) but only about half were working when we were there. Definitely not doable if you have a stroller.
Read about how to ride the metro in Europe like a pro (even if you’re a bit nervous).
Bus: cheap, slower than the metro but takes you directly there. PLUS you get to see the city as you go. I will definitely do this next time.
Getting Tickets to Park Güell
Go as early as possible! Even with tickets timing out entrance times, the crowds get bad fast there. You are also going to get the best pictures the earlier that you are there. Not only does everyone look better in the morning golden hour, but you’ll get much less photo-bombers in your pictures.
We arrived before opening time and only a few people were there, within an hour of opening crowds were already forming.
We loved it, but we like being outside and walking. BUT if members of your group have difficulty walking distances or stairs, I wouldn’t recommend it. It would be too hard to get around.
Once again, and like most things in Barcelona, get tickets ahead of time online. You can end up waiting for hours for an entrance time hours later still or no ticket at all.
You can get combo tickets with Park Güell and other famous Gaudi’s in Barcelona. You usually save a little money on both by doing this, but it means you don’t have a lot of time to explore the park after the tour. I loved just walking around after but if you’re someone who like to fit in a lot of activities it’s a great way to do it. The group usually takes care of transportation between locations too! I would not recommend combining it with Sagrada Famlia, unless you only had a very short time in Barcelona. Sagrada deserves attention and time and you will definitely want to not feel rushed onto the next thing while there.
Park Güell Paid Tour: yes or no?
When you buy a tour it includes the park admission price. They usually last about 1 hour but are packed with great info and you can walk around as long as you like after. I thought it was the perfect length to learn a lot and feel like I got my money’s worth, without it being too long to stop enjoying it.
A normal ticket is 10€ and guided ones about 25€, so the tour is worth 15€ish. Buy them with a discount code from your Barcelona Pass or use HeadOut to get money back for another activity (read here for more info on both of those).
Park Güell with Kids
I travel everywhere with Lincoln, so of course I loved Park Güell with kids!! There are playgrounds in the natural (free) area as well as winding trails if they just need to run to get some energy out.
It’s a really great break from the city and a different thing to do other than a museum (I’m a big museum lover but even I need a break sometimes!).
Things to keep in mind:
- There can be crowds. Going early and in off seasons will help A LOT with this. There will almost always be a crowd in certain areas like the view from the bench over the park and by the lizard. But there are also a lot of places that you can roam. Link was making sand angels and running around without bothering anyone. (In fact, a tour group of cute Chinese grandmas LOVED him and started playing with him.)
- It is NOT stroller accessible. Bring your baby carrier mama! (This one is the best and my all-time favorite kid travel item. You can change positions and use it up to 45lbs!) Lots of steps, uneven paths and tight walkways. I let Link walk a lot because we were in no hurry and he was proud of himself for climbing the steps on his own.
- Do the Monumental zone first, then go to the natural area. Kids’ patience is thin so use it looking at the stuff you want to (or learning in a tour). Then let them do their thing playing on the playground and on the trails.
- There great places to lunch in the natural area, so get some sandwiches (bocadillo de jamon is the national favorite) and bring them with you!
Park Güell is an amazing experience in Barcelona, and definitely a must see if you are there more than a few day. I loved seeing all the whimsy and thinking about how the park might have looked if it had been completed in Gaudi’s vision.
If you fall in love with Gaudi (I definitely did) in Barcelona, Park Güell is such a different place you will love the experience. Here is some of the other best Gaudi’s in Barcelona to put on your list!
Have you been to Park Güell? What was your experience?
