Parc Guell, Catalonia, Spain

5travel_butterfly_JEN 5:00 PM Sep 11, 2022

Tips on transport, our overall Parc guell experience, and getting a tour guide.... Amazing experience.
What a wonderful tour. We booked it through the main Parc guell website, and it was fulfilled by a company called Headout. Our tour guide was called Angela (I think!) and she was so knowledgeable about guell and gaudi, and their friendship, she explained the history of Barcelona residents at the time and the history of how the park became what it is today. Her passion for gaudi really shined through.he was a genius, well ahead of his times. We came away impressed with the park, an appreciation for gaudi, and and understanding of the architecture in barcelona. Strongly suggest you visit Parc guell before visiting the Sagrada Familia. The designs at Park guell are breathtaking. The organisation of the Headout company was good. Note you cannot enter the park early. We arrived at 1030am for an 11.30 tour but we couldn't get in so waited patiently. Some older folk were slower and we went at their pace. Being a tour group you get to skip 2 queues. Please note there are about 3-5 entrances to park guell, make sure you allow time to get to the right entrance. Angela waited significant time to be fair to those running late this is because she recognised the importance of them seeing the park, and not wishing they miss it. Thank goodness she did wait because 4 sets of people came 5-10 mins late having gone to the wrong entrance. We had a lovely time. Definitely worth paying for the tour, you learn so much that would be missed if you did a solo walk around. Just a note about transport.... We caught the local bus for about €2.40 euros (one way ticket paid cash in the bus, buses also take card payments) and then walked to Sagrada Familia afterwards... Suggest you get the local bus because there is an enormous hill to walk up otherwise! We had arrived into Barcelona at passeig de gracia and walked 10-15 mins (mostly a straight line) to tetuan roundabout. Caught the V19 bus and got off at the stop called Ctra del Carmel Ana Maria Matute. Loads of tourists get off so you know when you have arrived. It makes sure you get to the right entrance too. Enjoy.

5Jacqui F 5:00 PM Aug 21, 2022

Wonderful park. Make sure to book in advance.
If you’re new to Barcelona, as I was, it can be confusing to work out which of Gaudi’s amazing works you should take in, especially if you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg (and several days) visiting all of them. Obviously the Sagrada Familia is a must, but after that, I would recommend the Park Guell. It showcases some beautiful and quirky constructions, and at only €10 it’s a snip compared to some of the other sites. You MUST book in advance in the summer months, for two reasons: Firstly, they only allow limited numbers in, and secondly, it’s one hell of a climb to the main gate from Valcarra Metro stop, and you don’t want to get there and be turned away, as several people were when we got there. There seems to be another entrance on Ctra. Del Carmel, which doesn’t require quite the same endurance as climbing to the main gate, but it’s a treat to be up on the hill and walk down to the precincts at the bottom where Gaudi’s buildings nestle into the hillside. You’ll be parched by the time you get to the main gate, but you can fill your water bottle in a fountain in the children’s play area. From there is a pleasant wander up to Casa Trias, one of only a couple of houses ever built in the park, and then down through crazy architectural structures, to Gaudi’s home. Though not designed by him, the house is stunning. It contains a small museum, which costs an extra €5 to get in. But it’s interesting to see where Gaudi lived and worked and there is a great video about his life in one of the upper rooms. When you exit the museum there is a shop below and you can walk up through a wisteria-covered pergola he constructed to give him some privacy. From there you walk down to linger and the viewpoint, and make your way down through the staircases and pavilions that make this park such a treat.