Visit green and colorful Park Guell Barcelona

When I recently went to Barcelona on a budget, I needed to make some decisions about what to see and what to do. The cool things to do in Barcelona can quickly add up and a city trip to Barcelona can become rather expensive. As we had already chosen to go to Montserrat by train, there was not much budget left to see Gaudi’s attractions in Barcelona. We decided to skip the Gaudi houses and the interior of the Sagrada Familia and went to the green and colorful park Guell instead.

The park Guell is one of Gaudi’s masterpieces. The park offers a lush natural environment in the urban jungle of Barcelona. Part of the park, the monumental zone, can only be entered with an allocated timeslot. The rest of the park used to be free, but now you need a ticket (with a time-slot) for the whole park. Although the park is no longer free to visit, in comparison to the other (quite expensive) Gaudi Houses, this is only a minor fee.

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This post was updated and verified in July 2024 to reflect current prices and data. If you see any mistakes or have updates, let me know in the comment section below.

Entrance Fee to Park Guell

The first time I went to Barcelona was a few years ago, and then there was no entrance fee for the park. I took an afternoon stroll, climbed a hill, and spent a whole afternoon in Park Guell.

Nowadays, they have restricted the number of visitors per hour and enforced a time-slot fee for the monumental zone of the park and tickets for the remainder of the park.

You can order your tickets online to save you waiting at the park and you can store the tickets on your mobile device, no need to print anything.

Check out all the information on the website of Park Guell or get your tickets here. Please keep in mind you can visit the park as long as you like, the allocated time-slot is only for the monumental zone.

Of course, you can also visit on a guided tour of the park, or combine it with other works of Gaudi like the Casa Pedrera and the Sagrada Familia.

What to see at Park Guell?

Park Guell lies to the north of the city center of Barcelona in the area called García. It is 15 ha big and lies on a hilltop. From different spots in the park, you’ll have magnificent views over Barcelona and the sea.

The park consists of pine trees, palm trees, and numerous flower beds which contribute to the green and colorful look of the park.

It’s not just the trees and the plants though!

The reason the park is so colorful is because of Antoní Gaudi. He created the park in 1900 and played with his mosaics, colorful benches, the modernista houses, and the big cross at the entrance.

This has become the symbol of the colorful park Guell in Barcelona.

The monumental zone

As mentioned before, you need to pay to visit the Park Guell.

The most famous part of the monumental zone is the Nature Square (Plaça de la Natura).

It is completely encircled by colorful mosaic benches and palm trees. The structure is partly cut from the rock behind it and partly rests on the rock formation underneath it. It is supported by man-made pillars which resemble wooden tree trunks.

This is called the Hypostyle room (Sala Hipóstila). This used to be the marketplace area. It is now in use to collect the water for the fountains.

When you look down from the platform, you’ll see the monumental staircase with the lizard, fountains, mosaic walls with colorful flower motifs, and two houses.

One house is the Casa del Guarda, (the park’s gatekeeper’s house). The other one is the Laie Park Guell Gift Shop. The last one can be entered without waiting and gives some insight into the architecture of Antoni Gaudi.

And it provides beautiful views over the colorful Park Guell.

You can walk further and check out the Portico of the Washerwoman.

The name comes from the former function as a path to the old house which was situated further along.

The portico looks like a giant wave. One side with an unfinished rock formation, and the other with columns.  This isn’t the most colorful part of the Park Guell.

But it is very interesting to see how Gaudi blended his man-made structures with nature.

The rest of the colorful Park Guell

When you google Park Guell, you’ll find numerous images of the colorful monumental zone of the park. But the park is huge and there is so much more to explore.

Take enough time to walk around. Get away from the crowded main area and be amazed by the colors and layout of the park.

You can take a lunch or an afternoon snack and enjoy nature in this crowded city. Get away from busy Barcelona and relax at the colorful Park Guell.

When to visit Park Güell?

You can enjoy the park year-round. The park opens at 8.00 am and closes at sunset. The times vary depending on the time of year.

There is plenty of shade with all the paths, walkways, balconies, and porticos so you can visit during the high of summer. I’d recommend visiting at the end of the afternoon or early morning.

The crowds will have thinned out and the light has this soft shade of gold. This will give your pictures of the colorful Park Guell and an extra shade of gold.

Do you want to learn more while visiting Park Guell, you can also book a guided tour of Park Guell*. You get your entrance fee to the park and a professional guide explaining all the ideas or works of Gaudi in the park!

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Have you ever been to the green and colorful Park Guell in Barcelona? What did you think? Do you think it is worth to pay for the entrance now? Please share your ideas below.