Park Güell – a Gaudi-designed park, in Barcelona, Spain.

I fell in love with the whimsical architecture of Antoni Gaudí while spending a month living in Barcelona, Spain. I visited Casa Mila (La Pedrera) and Casa Batllo. I took a Guadi walking tour. I visited his unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia. And I spend a morning wandering around Park Güell.

Park Güell (also known as Parc Güell or Parque Güell) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on Carmel Hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Commissioned by Eusebi Güell, famed modernist Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí designed and created the park between 1900 to 1914.

The sprawling Gaudi-designed park, which officially opened to the public in 1926, is composed of both gardens and architectural elements that all carry the artist’s signature elements.

There was so much to explore in this Barcelona park. There were towering doric columns and terrace walls. There were fabricated “birds nest”s built to mirror the trees planted on them. There were viaducts and a colonnaded footpath to walk between. There was a serpentine bench to stand over as a lookout across the rest of the park and Barcelona itself.

And there were signature Gaudí mosaics. Of course. Including the most famous symbol of the park, where every visitor stopped to take a photo: the multicolored mosaic salamander (also known as “el drac” or, the dragon) at the main entrance. It was a popular attraction, for sure, and people were lined up and pushing in for photos, making it hard to catch a glimpse. But I did manage to squeeze in for a selfie.

Photos from Park Güell:

Park Güell, a Gaudi designed park, in Barcelona, Spain.

Bucket List Idea: Visit Park Güell, a Gaudi designed park, in Barcelona, Spain.