Cities Tourism Guide - Park Guell & Gracia

Gracia Fashions, Gracia Clothing Shopping Gracia Barcelona

Heading up from Diagonal Metro along Paseo de Gracia you're moving towards one of Barcelona's best shopping districts (see Barcelona tourist guide weblink/shopping line and shopping routes section for Gracia shop listings).

Gracia clothes shopping is particularly good, leaning towards the designer end with names like Calvin Klein, Burberry, Armand Basi and Diesel all represented in the area. Paseo de Gracia has the highest land prices in Barcelona, so you might expect to find a tad of luxury in these here Barcelona parts. A selection of Gaudi commissions and Modernista centres such as the Fundacio Tapies are along or off Passeig de Gracia (in the Eixample area, see Sagrada and Eixample pages), but Gracia's other shopping hubs are more to the north, namely Carrer de Verdi which also has an art-house cinema and urban wear mecca Red Market (Carrier de Verdi 20).

Busiest Gracia Squares are Placa del Sol and Placa de la Virreina. Head to those for a choice of bars and restaurants.

Park Guell Gaudi Utopia, Gaudi Architecture Barcelona

Park Guell, Guell and Gaudi's utopian extravaganza, began like as an upmarket residential project, with architecture inspired by the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and residential all-inclusive complex inspired, Gaudi said, by certain English educational establishments. Guell bought the estate in 1899 and both he and Gaudi wanted to the Park to be inaccessible, viewing it as a potential island on the edge of Barcelona. Park Guell's deliberately chosen location beyond public transport was alluded to on Gaudi's death, when he was killed in a tram accident in a Barcelona tram accident in 1926. Dr Trias remarked, "The Tram took its vengeance on him for not letting it come near the Park Guell".

For a detailed account of Park Guell's creation, and details on what influenced both Gaudi and Guell on this project, plus fascinating Gaudi and Guell biographical details alongside numerous photographs pick up a copy of the very reasonably priced 'Park Guell. Gaudi's Utopia' by Josep M.Carandell and Pere Vivas at the Park Guell Visitor centre near the entrance, or at Casa Museu Gaudi shop.

Within the Park Guell complex is the fascinating Casa Museu Gaudi museum, Gaudi's home for a short period before he moved to be close to the Sagrada. Built between 1903 and 1904, Guell has still not sold it by 1906 so Gaudi purchased it and lived here with his father initially who died shortly after the move, and with his niece Rosita who later became an alcoholic and died in 1912. Rosita is said to have told a woman friend, "Don't even think of marrying a genius!" Gaudi's housed passed to an Italian family in 1926 - Chiappo Arletti who retained original furniture and the style albeit a few changes. They scarpered at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 (there's a story there), but the house remained within their family who donated it to the Amics de Gaudi association in the early 1960s. By 1963 it was a Gaudi museum, and Gaudi fans will want to visit here. A number of pieces of original furniture from other Gaudi commissions like Casa Batillo are within, plus numerous personal Gaudi artefacts and personal items. Gaudi's furniture design gives another insight into his vision, and is not dissimilar to the styles of other art nouveau greats such as Rennie Mackintosh/Glasgow's architectural son.

Park Guell, Carrer d'Olot 7, s/n, Barcelona. Tel. 932 130 400/ Guided Tours 934 283 934. (see Barcelona Tourist Guide weblink right for opening times). Casa Museu Gaudi, Ctra. del Carmel, s/n, Park Guell, 08024 Barcelona. Tel. 932 193 811. (weblink right for details, and an excellent shop with a superb collection of Gaudi postcards and Gaudi books is on-site).