Park Güell in the Gràcia district is Catalan architect Gaudí's modernist utopia. Lush, shady parkland overlooks the city and fantastical mosaic-covered, sculptural buildings are curiously inviting. In the scorching summer months this is one of the coolest places to be.
The park was built on the Cun Muntaner (bald mountain) estate, bought by wealthy industrialist Eusebi Güell in 1899 with the specific intention of creating a unique outdoor space. He hired Gaudí, of whom he was a long-term patron, to design and build a city-garden where plants and game could live alongside residential buildings.
Gaudí designed and directed the project between 1900-1914, adding his own utopian vision and style and taking inspiration from some English educational establishments to create a park-colony with separate buildings where people could live as they pleased, but within a community. Shaped in a seven-sided figure, with seven gates like Ancient Thebes, Gaudí placed 60 plots over the 15 acres. The project wasn't completed, didn't work as planned and the park became the property of the city in 1923.
What remains is one of Gaudí's most colourful projects and a great place to escape from the bustle of daily life. Additional structures were added by one of his closest collaborators, Josep Pujol, and all the buildings, steps and sculptures are covered in broken tiles, plates and stones to create a surreal scene.
There is a museum house here, where the architect lived from 1906 until his death, containing drawings and personal objects. At the centre of the park sits a sandy raised plaza, held up by columns and arches, with mosaic benches zig-zagging their way round the edge. Visitors can relax here in the sun, read a book, contemplate the day or admire the fantastic views across the city and out to sea.