Gaudí full day tour

Description The Park Güell Lizard sculpture, officially known as "El Drac" (The Dragon), was created by the Catalan artist Antoni Gaudí in the early 1900s as part of his design for the park. It is made of broken ceramic pieces arranged in a mosaic pattern, and is notable for its bright colors and fantastical, otherworldly appearance. Over the years, the Salamander sculpture has become a beloved symbol of Barcelona and an iconic image of the city. The sculpture is one of the most popular attractions in Park Güell, which is itself a popular tourist destination in Barcelona History of the park Güell lizard What was the park about Park Güell is a public park located in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí in the early 1900s and was intended to be a residential area for wealthy people. However, due to the fear of anarchist and communist terrorist attacks (at that time unfortunately were very frequent), the project was not successful, and the project was a failure. In 1918 Eusebi Guell, the patron of the whole project, passed away and his family did not want to proceed with the project. The Park Güell urbanization project was supposed to have around 60 houses surrounded by a big wall in the middle of the nature. It was a concept taken from the British Garden city movement started in the early 1900s. That is the reason why Gaudí used the word “Park” in English (with a “k”) while in Catalan the right word should be “Parc”). Greek area of the park The Park Güell is divided mainly in 3 areas: • The main entrance (also known as the “Greek area”). • The big central square and the surrounding pathways and viaducts • The Church at the top of the hill (called the Calvary hill) The main entrance is largely covered by the Greek staircase, which contains elements that remember by the Hellenic classic heritage. Gaudí wanted to transmit the concepts of “rationality and order” just at the entrance. As a matter of fact, the Greeks were the first civilization to develop the philosophy. They stopped using the myths to start using the rational mindset to build a civilization. This is exactly what Gaudí wanted to propose at the basement of the urbanization. Meaning of the Park Guell lizard Is the Park Güell lizard a salamander or a dragon? The Park Güell lizard is neither a salamander nor a Dragon. It is a serpent that represents Python, the monstrous lizard that was killed by Apollo in the Greek mythology. Today, the lizard looks less aggressive than when it was built. There are pictures from 1907 showing that he had claws and teeth, making it more fierce and dangerous. Philosophy vs mythology Gaudí wanted to explain, through a Greek scene, how the rationality overcame the mythology. In the central part of the staircase represent Python, the monstrous serpent, that guards the Sacred Oracle of Delphi (the statue just behind the lizard). These statues represented the superstition and the chaos, and how the Greek could overpass their myths to build a whole civilization based on the philosophy and order. How to get there? Location in the main entrance of the Park Güell. There are 2 entrances in the Park Güell, the main one, can be easily identified because there are two big iconic buildings that show the entrance of the park. It is located on Carrer d'Olot, which is in the Gràcia district of Barcelona (entrance B in the map below). This area is surrounded by small houses and is uphill. Back in the days, this hill was called “the bold hill” because it was completely empty and there were no trees. Thanks to the irrigation techniques that Gaudí implemented, the whole Park Güell now looks like a full green garden. There are additional gates to enter to the park from different sides (north, east and west). By bus There are different ways to get to Park Güell by bus: You can take the Bus line H6 or D40 and walk uphill for 10 min to reach entrance B in the map below. Alternatively, there are other two bus lines that go to the Park Güell that have their bus stop just at the east entrance of the park, Bus Line V19 and Bus Line 24. (entrance A in the map below). This alternative is ideal in case you do not want to walk uphill for 10 min. However, the bus stop does not get you in front of the main entrance of the Park Güell, so if you want to reach the Park Güell Dragon you have to cross the park walking (around 5-10 min). By metro In case you want to reach the Park Güell by Metro, you have to take the green line and step down at the "Lesseps" station, which is the closest Metro station to get to the Park Güell main entrance. From there, you can have to walk uphill for about 20 minutes and you will reach the main entrance. There are signs on the street that will indicate how to get to the park. Recommendations and best practices Best time to arrive The Park Güell is very large and, although it can get very crowded some days, there is always a lot of space to walk around. In summer, it is not recommended to visit around 1pm -3pm since it might get too hot. Best times to enter are always early in the morning 9:30 am or before closing at around 5pm. Possibility to take pictures Yes, the Park Güell is an open space where you can take pictures and videos everywhere. In case you want to know the best places to get panoramic views, the three best popular spots are: • The main square, with nice views over the main entrance. • The viaducts that lead to the casa Trias. • The church at the top of the hill. There is a place to take snacks nearby The Park Güell is not near the Barcelona city center, so there are not so many restaurants around. There are, however, a couple of bars inside the same park where you can grab a snack or a sandwich. However, if you are looking for a good restaurant meal, we recommend you walk 10 min towards Gràcia quarter and there are plenty of options. In case you like international cuisine, in Verdi Street there are plenty of options. Summary There are many concepts, statues or spots to understand in the Park Güell since Antoni Gaudí designed everything with a meaning behind. Every detail of the park has been thought with a specific purpose in the urban project that Gaudí had in mind. In order to understand the meanings of this incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site, we recommend exploring it through a private Park Güell tour , where an official tour guide will explain you all the secrets and history of the Park Güell.

The Trias house is part of the Park Güell, an urban area conceived for wealthy people to live outside the city. The project itself was a failure. Only 3 houses were built because the bourgeoisie had fear of the terrorist attacks of the anarchists, which happened in Barcelona during the first years of the 20th century. One of the three houses you can find in the Park Güell is the Casa Trias. The owner, Mr Trias, was a close of Güell and Gaudí. The house was build by a disciple of the Domènech i Muntaner (another very famous architect in Barcelona) that was also collaborator of Gaudí. The house was built in 1905 in the upper side of the park. Interesting fact: in 1926 when Gaudí was in the hospital after being struck by a tram, it was Mr Trias son, who was a medicine student, who recognized him in the hospital. Till that moment, Gaudí was treated as a beggar because he did not have any identity documentation and was wearing shabby clothes. Gaudí passed away a couple of days after. The Trías house is not open for a visit. Most tourists and visitors can see the main structure from outside, but the inside is not open for visits. In order to make the most of a visit to the park, we recommend taking a Park Güell private tour to fully discover the key elements of the amazing urbanistic project from Antoni Gaudí. You can also check the position of the Casa Trías checking the layout of the Park Güell ,

The Park Güell was planned on a hill far away from Barcelona to avoid all its hygiene and public order problems of the early 20th century (1900). Gaudí designed the main entrance of this area welcoming the visitors who arrived after a long journey with two buildings following the principles of simplicity and utility. The look and feel of the houses seem to be influenced by the story of Hansel and Gretel, from the German Brothers Grimm. The first building on the left was planned to be used by the gatekeeper as his personal house to control the entrance and maintain the security of the urbanization. The one on the right side was designed to accommodate the visits: a building where people would go if interested in buying one of the forty parcels planned (in the end, just one parcel was sold).

The Park Güell is a public park located on Carmel Hill in Barcelona. It was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, who is known for his unique and whimsical style. The park was originally intended as a housing development for the wealthy, with Gaudi himself designing several houses that were built on the site. The park is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination. It features a variety of architectural elements, including colorful mosaics, twisted sculptural forms, and winding paths that wind through gardens and terraces. The park also offers panoramic views of the city and the sea. As Antoni Gaudí always respected nature, he decided to develop the spaces adapting them to the slopes of the hill, that is why he made the project for the creation of the viaducts to connect all the different areas of the park.
The viaducts consist of two levels: the upper level was planned for cars and carriages; the lower level was planned for pedestrians, so that in summer they could walk in the shade and, in case of rain, they were sheltered as they were walking around.
Nowadays, as you walk along the lower part of the viaducts, you may find musicians and artists who create an even more magical atmosphere.