Barcelona is a beautiful city with some of the best clubs, coolest restaurants, and most unique architecture I’ve ever seen. Many of the famous buildings within Barcelona were designed by Antoni Gaudí i Cornet, a Spanish architect from Catalonia. Three of my favorite Gaudí sites are Casa Batlló, Parc Güell, and La Sagrada Familia. Gaudí’s style propelled the Catalan Modernista movement and popularized a nature-based organic style. Each of his works is highly individualized and remind me slightly of Dr. Seuss’ fictional world. Gaudí’s style is very dreamlike, there’s nothing else like it!

Casa Batlló is a building in the center of Barcelona. While this building was originally a house for the wealthy Batlló Family, it is now considered to be one of Gaudí’s best designs. Inspired by the ocean, this design has a certain “underwater” feel to it, from its dragon-like structural features to its calming aqua colors.  The Caso Batlló is located in Passeig de Gracià, one of the most famous boulevards in Barcelona. Some other upscale and beautiful neighborhoods to visit are La Rambla, which has a beautiful 1200-meter boulevard, Gracia, which is filled with live music and artsy boutique stores, and El Born, which houses the Picasso Museum and La Santa Maria del Mar.

The Barrio Gotico is one of Barcelona’s oldest neighborhoods and contains the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia. This Cathedral is breathtaking and very intricate in detail. The plaza surrounding this cathedral is also filled with lots of restaurants and shops. Barrio Gotico is a gorgeous part of the city that is based on a labyrinthine street plan with narrow streets and plenty of city squares. If you stop to visit the cathedral, I’d also recommend walking to the Plaça Reial, Plaça Sant Jaume, and the Portal de l’Àngel. Plaça Reial has an amazing variety of restaurants, as well as delicious paella, a traditional Spanish dish that is made with rice, vegetables, meat, and spices!

This beautiful view is from a balcony within Parc Güell, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Barcelona’s top attractions to visit. Parc Güell was constructed by Gaudí and bears his signature modernist design on top of Carmel hill. After Guell’s death in 1923, this area was donated as a public park. As you can see, the color, pattern, and design of these buildings are quite unique.

I loved this portion of the park as it showcased Gaudí’s gorgeous tiled mosaics. The columns and ceiling is beautiful and makes it feel like you are underwater. These doric columns also support the roof of the lower court within the central terrace. 

This is the Gaudí House Museum, which was the residence of Antoni Gaudí for nearly 20 years. The building has four floors and is painted a soft peach color. It’s definitely a beautiful building to stop and admire!

Although my visit to Barcelona was short, I saw so many cool sites and shops and ate at a ton of great restaurants. The city has amazing energy, from the nightclubs to the street performers to the architectural sites. If you have been or want to go to Barcelona, let me know what you think of the city in the comments below!

XO, Kim

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