You haven’t been to Barcelona until you’ve seen at least one of these

A trip to Barcelona just isn’t complete without seeing at least one work by the greatest architect the city has ever seen, Antoni Gaudí. To be fair, that’s not too difficult, as you’d be hard-pressed to avoid seeing his unfinished masterpiece – the Sagrada Família cathedral, which dominates the city – even if you wanted to!

His style was unique and distinctive, to say the least. When Gaudí completed his studies at the School of Architecture, the Director announced: “I do not know if we have awarded this degree to a madman or to a genius; only time will tell.”

Time has decided he’s a genius, and his works are some of the most unusual, creative buildings you will see in Barcelona – or, indeed, anywhere.

Even if you know nothing about him or architecture in general, you’ll instinctively know when you’re passing a Gaudí building – they’re unmistakable (and generally surrounded by tourists taking photos!).

Keep your eyes out for these important/bonkers buildings designed by Gaudí, the next time you’re in Barcelona:

Casa Vicens

Address: Carrer de les Carolines, 24

In late 2017, for the first time in its 130-year history and after years of restoration, Casa Vicens opened to the public.

Built between 1883 and 1888, this four-storey mansion was one of the first art nouveau buildings in Europe and Gaudí’s first important work. It clearly declared his artistic principles and distinctive style – he called it his “manifesto house”. Casa Vicens was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2005.

Casa Battló

Address: Passeig de Gràcia, 43

Originally built by one of Gaudí’s architecture professors in 1877, this house was purchased by a businessman (Mr Batlló) in 1903, who promptly put Gaudí in charge of the project to restore it. Gaudí broke all the bylaws of the city in the process, causing much criticism at the time. But the mutterings didn’t last long: in 1906 it was decreed one of the three best buildings of the year by the Barcelona City Council.

The marine-inspired façade features stone, glass and ceramics, which sparkle in the morning light, but there’s also a skeletal element to the house – hence its local nickname: Casa dels ossos (House of Bones).

Casa Milà

Address: Provença, 261-265

More commonly known as La Pedrera (‘the stone quarry’), this residential building has been variously described as looking like rising dough, a stone lung or molten lava. Originally a laughing stock, today it’s on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list.

Parc Güell

Address: Carmel Hill, La Salut neighbourhood

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Parc Güell was built between 1900 and 1914 and belongs to Gaudí’s naturalist phase. This garden complex boastsbreathtaking hillside views of the whole city – and a number of Gaudí-designed buildings and features. Don’t miss the colonnaded hall, and the iconic mosaic bench and salamander, known as el drac (‘the dragon’).

Sagrada Família

Address: Carrer de Mallorca, 401

The Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family (a.k.a Sagrada Família) is an enormous Roman Catholic basilica that’s the most famous of Gaudí’s works and pretty much the symbol of Barcelona.

He worked on it for 43 years, until he died in 1926, three days after being hit by a tram while while making his way – as he did every evening – to the Sagrada Família. Following a massive funeral during which much of Barcelona turned out to farewell the greatest architect Barcelona has ever seen, he was laid to rest in the crypt of his own masterpiece.

But more than 90 years later, the masterpiece remains unfinished. While it was hoped that the Sagrada Família would be completed in 2026, in time for the 100th anniversary of the architect’s death, it’s not expected to be finished until 2030.