Barcelona Gràcia

Parc Güell. On a hill at the northern edge of Gràcia lies Barcelona’s most enchanting public park, designed entirely by Gaudí, and—in typical Gaudí fashion—not completed until after his death. After the pleasing results of his collaboration with Gaudí on Güell’s Palau, Eusebi Güell, a Catalan industrialist and patron of the arts, commissioned the renowned architect to fashion a garden city in the tradition of Hampstead Heath and other parks in England, where Güell had spent many years. Güell was fascinated with rank and power (he longed to be granted a title by the king), and he envisioned a utopic community devoid of the lower classes (the turn-of-the-century Beverly Hills). Started in 1900, construction slowed to a halt in 1914 due to financial difficulties, and only three houses were completed. The citizens of Barcelona were put off both by Gaudí’s shockingly bold designs and the park’s then-great distance from the city. As a result, only two aristocrats signed on and as a housing development it was a complete failure.

As a park, Park Güell is fantastic. In 1918, the Barcelona City Council bought Park Güell, and in 1923 opened the multicolored, dwarfish buildings and mosaic stairways to the public. The park has since been honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park, with its Catalan themes, religious symbolism, and natural influences (read: beautiful flowers), is a symphony of color and form. The most eye-catching elements of the park—the surreal mosaics and fairy-tale fountains—are clustered around the main entrance on C. Olot. The entrance’s Palmetto Gate, a replica of the iron work on Gaudí’s Casa Vicens, is flanked by two small buildings originally meant to house the community’s administrative offices. Visitors today can stop by the LAIE book and gift shop in the house on the left as you face the park entrance. These otherworldly houses were inspired by a Catalan production of Hansel and Gretel; the spire-topped construction belongs to the children, and the other, crowned with a bright red poisonous mushroom, belongs to the witch. Lavishly decorated with fan-shaped mosaics, the roofs resemble edible gingerbread and cream frosting. Behind Hansel and Gretel’s house, you’ll find the park’s restrooms and a popular cafe. (Coffee €1.50; tapas €1-3; bocadillos €3-6. Open during park hours.)

Facing the majestic double staircase, a cavernous stone area to the right, now under construction, was originally meant to house the carriages of park residents. When open, the structure, reminiscent of an elephant, serves as a shaded rest area for visitors. The staircase itself is divided into three sections, each with its own fountain. Tourists jostle to take pictures of their loved ones beside the gaping, multicolored salamander fountain as it drools into the basin below. The animal’s sleek body is covered with a tightly woven mosaic of green, orange, and blue. Some believe it is a reference to the coat of arms of the French city of Nîmes, the northern boundary of Old Catalunya. At the next level, a curvaceous red mosaic fountain holds a stone interpreted to be either an oracle or the philosopher’s stone. The mouth-like bench behind it is entirely protected from the wind and remains in the shade for three seasons (winter is the sunny one).

Stairs lead up to the Hall of One Hundred Columns (Teatro Griego), a Modernist masterpiece of 86 Doric columns (but who’s counting?). A spectacular open space meant for the community’s market, the hall’s columns support a ceiling constructed of white-tiled domes. Toward the center, musicians often play classical music, and multicolored medallions are interspersed among the ceiling domes. Josep Maria Jujol, Gaudí’s right-hand man, created every medallion, using scraps from discarded mirrors, plates, glasses, and even porcelain dolls.

Stairs on either side of the hall lead up to the Plaça de la Naturalesa, a barren open area partly supported by the columned hall below and surrounded by the serpentine bench. The shape of the bench is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also structurally necessary given the positioning of the columns below. It is also designed to cradle visitors’ buttocks and is consequently incredibly comfortable. All of this thanks to the rumored “creative methods” of Jujol. He is said to have made one of the workers sit bare-assed in the wet cement to add that extra, anatomically correct touch. Pieced together from broken ceramic remnants from local pottery workshops, Gaudí and Jujol’s multicolored bench is covered with brightly colored flowers, geometric patterns, and religious images. During the park’s restoration in 1995, workers discovered that the 21 distinct tones of white are cast-offs from the Casa Milà that had been cemented in the bench. The bench’s abstract collage later became a great inspiration for Joan Miró’s Surrealist work.

From here, sweeping paths supported by columns (meant to resemble palm trees) swerve through hedges and ascend to the park’s summit, which commands tremendous views of the city. A pleasant walk through the grounds begins at the path directly to right when facing the salamander fountain. Follow the wide path past the sunny flower beds and open grassy area and veer right toward the shaded benches. As the path twists uphill, the turreted, pink Casa-Museu Gaudí appears on your left. Farther ahead, the Pont dels Enamorats offers views of the city all the way to the sea, and Gaudí’s stone trees—tall columns topped with agave plants—are interspersed with curved benches. Around the next curve, Casa Trías (1905), the park’s third house, purchased by the lawyer Trías Domènech and still owned by his family, is surrounded by less scenic walking paths that loop around to the left along Avenue del Coll del Portell. Farther along the wide, main path, past a grassy area with a small playground and plenty of benches, an upward slope spirals to El Turo de Les Tres Creus. Originally destined to be the park residents’ church, the small tower is topped with a mere three crosses, which appear to form an arrow when you look toward the east. This peak is the park’s highest point, offering a dazzling 360° view of the city below. To head back down, follow the twisting path that slopes toward the sea. Check out the views of the Hansel and Gretel houses and other park structures. At the Avenue Sant Josep de la Muntanya entrance, follow a narrow path to the right until it becomes El Viaducte de la Bugadera as it passes Güell’s house (now a school) on the right. The irregularly shaped stone columns that support the covered passageway are composed of fascinating shapes. You’ll find the statue of La Bugadera (the Washerwoman) on one of the last columns in the passageway. Stairs ahead lead back to the Pl. de la Naturalesa. (Bus #24 from Pl. Catalunya stops at the upper entrance. Info center ☎93 284 62 00. Park and info center open daily 9am-dusk. Free. )

Casa-Museu Gaudí. Designed by Gaudí’s friend and colleague, Fransesc Berenguer, the Casa-Museu Gaudí was the celebrated architect’s home from 1906 to 1926, when he moved into the Sagrada Família for the months leading up his death. Gaudí’s leftover fence work from other projects was used to create the garden of metallic plant sculptures in front of the museum. The three-story house is a great place to examine Gaudí’s anatomical furniture designs from the Casa Batlló, paintings of several of his works by notable artists, and his bronze-cast death mask from close-up. The ceilings, different in every room, highlight the otherwise sober spaces with touches of color and eye-catching patterns. Before leaving, peek into the Modernist bathroom where the toilet seat curves in Gaudí’s trademark saddle-shape. (☎93 219 38 11. Carretera del Carmel. Inside Park Güell, to the right of the Hall of One Hundred Columns when you are facing away from the sea. Open daily Apr.-Sept. 10am-8pm; Oct.-Mar. 10am-6pm. Last entrance 15min. before closing. €5.50, with ISIC or under 18 €4.50, under 10 free.)

When in Gràcia, look up. The neighborhood’s narrow, tree-lined streets are home to several of Modernisme’s lesser-known architectural masterpieces. Casting your eyes skyward can also prove rewarding: warped wrought-iron balconies and brightly patterned walls inform you that yes, you have stumbled upon a masterpiece. Because these buildings are private houses, their interiors are closed to the public. The houses are so distinctive, however, that even a good look at each exterior is well worth the (sometimes lengthy) walk.

Casa Vicens. Gaudí designed Vicens between 1883 and 1888 for a local tile manufacturer; it is fittingly decorated with blocks of cheerful green, white, and yellow ceramic tiles accented with red-painted brick. The famous architect studied Arabic design to come up with the casa’s rigid angles. By contrast, the graceful, fluid ironwork of the balconies and the palm-leaf gate foreshadow the architect’s style in later projects. In the summer, bougainvillea brims over the right hand corner of the house, adding a pleasing touch of purple. (C. Carolines, 24-26.)

Casa Ramos. Jaume Torres completed Casa Ramos in 1906. Today the house includes three separate buildings that share a façade. The Modernist floral motifs and insect-patterned grilles are eye-catching, despite the fact that its ground floor is now almost entirely occupied by storefronts. (Pl. de Lesseps, 32, Lesseps.)

Casa Cama. Francesc Berenguer designed this building’s two stained-glass-enclosed turrets. The building repeats a long-stemmed flower design in the paint job and the window. Notice the beautifully carved wood shutters. (Gran de Gràcia, 15.)

Casa Fuster. Lluís Domenèch i Montaner designed this asymmetrical neo-Gothic building between 1908 and 1911 and made its cylindrical corner tower his focus. Get up close to see the nesting birds, roses, and other intricate designs sculpted at the top of the ground-floor columns. (Pg. de Gràcia, 132.)

Casa Bonaventura Ferrer. Pere Falques completed this house in 1906. It is one of the few Modernist baroque buildings in Barcelona, and is perhaps the least impressive of the houses we list—it looks more like a hunk of rock than anything else. (Pg. de Gràcia, 113. Diagonal L3/5 or Fontana L3.)

Plaças In Gràcia

In the neighborhood’s plaças, locals gather over long meals at outdoor tables. A quick stroll through the plaças is a great way to get acquainted with the area (and, if you’re willing to linger, with the locals).

Plaça Ruis I Taulet. This plaça is home to the Torre del Reloj (clock tower), an emblem of the Revolution of 1868. The tower was designed by architect Antoni Rovira i Trias and built with four faces so that it could be seen from all corners of the neighborhood. The clock itself was the work of Swiss-born Albert Billeter. A plaque on the tower commemorates a human tower that the Castellers (a tradition apparently still practiced in Catalonia) once erected next to the Torre. Facing the plaça is Gràcia’s sky-blue town hall, a Modernist work designed by local architect Francesc Berenguer and adorned with Gràcia’s coat of arms. (Fontana. Walk down C. Gran de Gràcia and make a left on C. St. Domenec. The plaça is on your right.)

Plaça Lesseps. This is where you surface when you come out of the Lesseps metro stop. The public art installed here (which takes the shape of a giant, partially-submerged metal boat) incited great controversy when it was first installed. It is meant to symbolize unity, as this area is the “seam” of Gràcia and the Zona Alta and the intersection of several major roads. (Lesseps.)

Plaça Del Diamante. This plaça was made famous by Merce Rodoreda’s 1962 novel of the same title, which was translated into English as The Time of the Doves. The plaça features a sculpture of La Colometa, the main character in Rodoreda’s novel. This is one of the two plaças in Gràcia that nightlife centers (the other is Plaça del Sol). Show up around 8pm and stay as long as you like. (Fontana. Walk up C. d’Asturies.)

Plaça Virreina. This calm plaça is bordered by tapas bars, pastel houses, and the Church of St. Joan de Gràcia. On Sunday mornings, the square transforms into a market where locals sell secondhand goods. (Fontana. Follow the directions to Plaça del Diamante, but continue several blocks farther.)

Plaça Del Sol. This square is skirted by a fantastic selection of cafes and bars that teem with young locals at night; the neighbors always complain. The plaça has a raised concrete center, so join the crowd to talk, drink, and smoke. It also boasts a statue by Joaquim Camps entitled Astrolabi that represents a sun dial and the twelve signs of the zodiac. (Fontana. Walk down C. Gran de Gràcia to Trav. de Gràcia and turn left. Make another left up C. Sol.)

Plaça Revolució De Septiembre 1868. This modest plaça is dotted with trees, and celebrates—you guessed it—the Revolution of 1868, also known as La Septimbrina. The uprising dethroned Queen Isabel II and ushered in a period now known as the Sexenio Democrático (the six democratic years, 1868-1874). The Bourbon dynasty was restored in 1874. Now, the square is bordered by several restaurants. (Fontana. Walk down C. Gran de Gràcia to Trav. de Gràcia and make a left. Make another left up Torrent de l’Olla; the square is on your right.)

Plaça De John Lennon . Plaça de John Lennon, created in 1993, honors the rock musician with a record-shaped plaque that reads “Give Peace a Chance” in Catalan. This is a favorite playground for local children and their parents. (Fontana or Diagonal. From Fontana, walk down C. Gran de Gràcia, make a right on Trav. de Gràcia, and then another right on C. Quevedo. The plaça is on the left.)

Plaça Raspall. This square is a popular gathering spot for Gràcia’s gypsy population. A plaque remembers the musician Gato Pérez, who wrote the well-known (in Spain) rumba “Y ahora vengo yo..cantando aunque no sea Moreno” (“And now, here I come—singing although I am not dark-haired”). (Fontana or Diagonal. From Fontana, walk down C. Gran de Gràcia, make a left on Trav. de Gràcia, a right on Mare de Deu dels Desemperats, and another left on C. Tordera.)