Park Güell

Park Güell began as a garden suburb planned by Gaudí for his patron, Eusebi Güell, and became a public park in 1926. Its Monumental Zone is pure fantasy: a long, wave-shaped bench covered in broken-tile mosaic, two gatehouses that look like gingerbread, and a mosaic dragon guarding the main stairs.

The terrace looks over the city to the sea, with the spires of the Sagrada Família in the distance. Beyond the Monumental Zone, shaded paths and viaducts of rough stone wind up the hill, past the house where Gaudí lived for many years, now a small museum.

Entry to the Monumental Zone is by timed ticket. The park sits on a steep hill, so we take you to the gate by car rather than walking up from the nearest metro station.