[VIDEO] Traveling Solo in Barcelona, Spain #5: Exploring Park Guell

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Exploring Parc Guell in Barcelona, Spain

Park Güell is one of Spain’s most popular tourist attractions. It is located located in La Salut, a neighborhood in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. The park was built from 1900 to 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. Designed by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and named after sponsor Count Eusebi Güell  hence the name ‘Parc Guell’). The original intention was to develop a housing in the park, but it was never successful. Only two houses were built, and none of them were designed by Gaudi. The first house ended up with Guell. The other house was built as a show house and was later on put up for sale but no buyers came forward, Gaudi ended up buying the house for himself and his family.  The estate remained Gaudí’s family home until his death in 1926. It is now the Gaudi House Museum.

A park that won’t disappoint you. It was definitely unique in every way, the structures and the atmosphere was no like any other park I had visited, it was like being in a different world. 

Today is my 3rd day in Barcelona, and my itinerary for the day is to visit Park Guel. I’ve heard a lot about this park, and I’ve seen quite a lot o videos too and I was very excited to see this place. The day forecast was supposed to be rainy, luckily, it did not even rain when I was there. It was slightly gloomy in the first hour that I was there, an all the rest was sunny. While I was strolling the park, I was do thankful that the day turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. Park Guel is an open nature space, and the best way to explore and enjoy the park is to walk around without having to carry an umbrella. So let me share with you my adventure. 

General Information:

Website: https://parkguell.barcelona/en
Address: 08024 Barcelona, Spain
Opening Hours: All year round; 08:00am - 8:30pm (last hour access 7:30pm)
 With Entrance Fee: Yes; General Ticket €10.00 (Ticket)

How Long Do You Need to Visit Park Guell?

For a relax visit, allocate at lest half day. There are areas to explore even outside the ticketed area. If you come early, you can go inside the do the outside when the park gets crowded. The ticketed have the highlights of the park.  If You only want to explore the ticketed area, 1-2 hours is 

How to Buy Park Guell ticket?

Ticket can be bought online in their website. The general admission ticket cost €10.00 and that already include use of Bus Guell that takes you from Alfons X metro station (L4). to the Park and vice versa. Click Ticket for more details

Can I Cancel or Change Date for Unused Ticket?

parkguell@bsmsa.cat & contacteparkguell@bsmsa.cat

How to Get There?

Here are 5 options that will get you to Park Guell. Click HERE for detailed instructions

  • Metro (green line (L3), Lesseps or Vallcarca stations)
  • Bus (H6, D4- lines)
  • Bus Turistic and Barcelona City Tour
  • Taxi
  • Coaches for groups

Where to Eat in Park Guell? 

Yes, there’s a cafeteria inside have the basic, the likes of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, pasta and pastry. Enough to get you by if you are really hungry, but do not expect much on the quality of food.  You can also bring snacks with you then eat somewhere else, I guess this is the better option for your money. 

Highlights of  Park Guell

  1. The Serpentine Bench – The Serpentine Bench is a popular artistic mosaic tile bench along the terrace around Park Güell. It was created using the Trencandís technique, a type of mosaic made from cemented-together tile shards and broken ceramics, a technique which was invented by Gaudí and was used in many of his works. This serpentine bench is colorful and vibrant at the same time artistic and functional.
  2. El Drac – This is a statue of mosaic salamander licated at the gates of Park Güell . ‘El Drac’ could mean ‘the dragon’  or the ‘Park Güell lizard’. The statue was created from brick and is coated with Gaudí’s signature Trecandís technique, the same technique applied in designing and making the Serpentine Bench.
  3. Austria Gardens and the Gaudí House Museum – The Austria Gardens were originally meant to be part of the housing estate, with 60 villas planned to be built there, a plan that never implemented. Due to the failure of this housing plan, the Park Güell was opened to the public, and the Austria Gardens became a plant nursery. One of the house built in the estate became Antoni Gaudí’s home, and is now currently the Gaudí House Museum.
  4. Sala Hipostila, or the Hypostyle Room – the Hypostyle Room is made up of 86 columns which holds the roof. The ceiling is the focal point of the Hypostyle Room, again showcasing all-over white Trecandís, spiral designs and four circular ceiling lamps that represent each season of the year.
  5. Laundry Room Portico – The Laundry Room Portico was designed to mimic an ocean wave, as such it was constructed in a slanted shape. It is one of the finest examples of the organic architecture upheld by Gaudí.

When is the Best Time to Visit Park Guell?

Early morning visit is definitely better, If you can get there as soon as the park opens, the better. Just like any attraction, the later it gets, this place (although huge) gets really crowded and busy. People as expected are concentrated to the highlights of the Park, and taking a good photo is quite a challenge. If you come early, you get the chance to take a nice photo with less people in your background.

Tips in Visiting Park Guell

  1. Buy the ticket in advance: Although this place is not as busy as Sagrada Familia, this is also considered as a major attraction that show case Antoni Gaudi’s work. There is a maximum of 400 people every half an hour. It is always safe to get the ticket in advance  just to be sure.
  2. Come at least 30 minutes before your entry time in the ticket: If your ticket is for 8:30 am, you can still enter up to 9:00 am. After that, you loose your chance to enter and may need to purchase another ticket. Factor in the travel time and the entry time in your ticket.
  3. Free Bus GUELL service: You can use Bus Guell free of charge.  This is a shuttle service that takes you directly from the Alfons X metro station (L4) to Park Güell in only 15 minutes. This is useful if you are taking the public transportation to get to Park Guell.
  4. Check the Highlights of the Park – So as not to miss the highlights of the park, be sure to have a look at the brochure that you will get when you enter the Park.
  5. Bus is better than Metro – Taking the Bus is definitely a better option, of course that is if you have the option to take the bus. The bus (24) stops 2 minutes away from Parc Guell so you walk less. Taking the Metro (Line 3) will require 12 minutes uphill walk to get to the Park. If you have an option to choose which one, go by Bus. There’s an even better option if you are close to L4, the Bus Guell is FREE from that pick-up point and will take you in-front of the Park.
  6. Bring Snack – There is a cafeteria inside, they do have the basic hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, pasta and pastry maybe enough to help you get by before a real meal. I did not find the food appealing at all, but the again, it is just preference.
  7. Wear  Comfortable Shoe for Walking – You will be doing a LOT of walking inside  the park, make sure to wear a comfortable foot ware. Leave your fancy shoes and wear a comfortable walking shoes to enjoy going around.
  8. Sunscreen, Hat, Sunglasses – Park Guell is mostly open area, so hiding from the heat will be quite challenging especially if you are visiting during the Summer season.

My BEST of Barcelona Videos

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Categories: Attractions, Barcelona, Travel, Travel Video, Video, When in Europe, When in Spain

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