Modernism walking tour. Optional visit to Casa Amatller or Hospital Sant Pau
- Meeting point: place suits you best
- Licensed tour guide
- Tour lenght: 2,5 H
- Cup of coffee or chocolate in modernist building
- Highlights of Modernismm-Art Nouveau arquitecture in Barcelona
- Kid and wheelchair friendly
Overview
There is almost no other architectural style – apart from Gothic – that has influenced the face of Barcelona as much as the Modernisme – the Catalan art nouveau. The epoch of Modernisme left the city with a unique cultural heritage. This is proven by the fact that no other city has as many buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Barcelona. The list for Barcelona contains nine entries, and all of them are works from the Modernisme.
This enthralling guided tour will give you an intimate glimpse of the works by such renowned architects as Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch through the eyes of an expert.
You’ll find out a whole host of details about the history of modernisme as you wander through the magnificent “Quadrat d’Or“(Golden square) heritage district which is a true architectural showcase. From here, you’ll be able to admire the majestic Casa Batlló, the amazing Pedrera and other modernista architectural gems.
ITINERARY
Your guide will meet you at your hotel or place that suits you best to start with your modernista tour in Barcelona. During this tour you’ll learn about Modernisme movement, and visit a dozen or so of the Modernista buildings in the Eixample. In the old town, Ciutat Vella, there is the incomparable Palau de la Música, one of the best examples of catalan Art -Nouveau.
We stop at “Els Quatre Gats” (Four Cats) , it has been a Barcelona legend since 1897. Was a favorite of Picasso, Rusiñol, and many other artists who once hung their works on its walls.
You’ll experience the grandeur of Barcelona’s turn of the century Eixample, including Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller or La Pedrera, the most celebrated buildings on the famous Passeig de Gràcia.
Midway through the tour, you’ll stop at a cafe in Casa Amatller, one of the most famous Modernista buildings, to have a refreshment and enjoy the Art Nouveau atmosphere.
On this tour you will have an option entering to Casa Amatller or Hospital Sant Pau.
You will have an opportunity to enjoy a private guided visit of Casa Amatller. The construction of this private modernist house of Mr. Amatller in the Eixample of Barcelona are a true example of a period that was full of splendour and history, which would mark a before and after in the city of Barcelona. Chocolate Amatller was founded in Barcelona in 1797. After more than two centuries manufacturing superb quality confectionery, is one of the oldest in Europe.
Optional 4 hours tour included: Hospital Sant Pau is located 10 minutes by car/metro from Passeig de Gracia, in this case we will use metro or taxi. Sant Pau’s Art Nouveau landmark is an iconic place to find new and modern types of art exhibitions as well as its being one UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its outstanding beauty seen through the landmark itself. The building was designed by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and built between 1905 and 1930.
The Landmark also formerly housed the Hospital Sant Pau for more than eight decades. And it was well-known as one of Europe’s eldest healthcare facility.
ADDITIONAL INFO
- Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended as there is some walking involved.
- This tour is an example of modernista route, you will discover the golden age of Barcelona
- We can recommend a lunch or dinner in a unique environment where you can enjoy gastronomic and sensory experience through the decoration or the modernista atmosphere.
- If you have reduced mobility, please contact us before booking. We do our best to welcome everyone on board!
- Entrance fees to the monuments will be added to the final price depending on the number of people. Feel free to ask any question about this private tour ask at info@gauditours.net
WHAT WILL YOU SEE
Palau de la Música Catalana: Lluís Domènech i Montaner (Barcelona, 1850-1923) in just under three years, from 1905 to 1908. This concert hall in Barcelona, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was built at the behest of the choral society, the Orfeó Català, and commissioned from the architect and politician Domènech i Montaner. His team of associates included some of the foremost artists of the age, including Pau Gargallo and Eusebi Arnau, who created the sculptures, Antoni Rigalt who made the stained glass, Lluís Bru, who designed the mosaics, and Miquel Blai, who carved the sculptural group La Cançó (Song), on the corner of the building.
Casa Martí – “Els 4 gats”: The building, with its medieval-style exterior, invites us to step into its cosy interior which was the meeting place for the intellectuals of modernist Barcelona, at the end of the 19th century like Picasso, Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon cases..
Casa Martí was built in 1896 on Barcelona’s Carrer Montsió under the supervision of the architect Puig i Cadafalch. The building looks like a medieval castle, its façade inspired by the European Gothic style and decorated with the characteristic ornamental elements of Catalan art-nouveau, or modernisme. We can see beautiful stained glass, the meticulously crafted wrought ironwork, sculptures by Eusebi Arnau in the form of narrative capitals, and there is even a figure of Saint George on the corner.
Casa Lleó Morera: In 1905 designed by the brilliant architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner The Casa Lleó Morera stands on the southern corner of the block known as the “mansana de la discòrdia” (block of discord), where the Casa Amatller, by Puig i Cadafalch, and the Casa Batlló, by Antoni Gaudí, are also located. Today, everyone agrees that it is this disparity which makes one of Barcelona’s major Modernisme landmarks great.
Casa Amatller : This amazing building, the Casa Amatller 1898 to refurbish the building by Puig i Cadafalch, a contemporary of Gaudí, which combines the neo-Gothic style with a ridged façade inspired by houses in the Netherlands, worked with some of the finest artists and craftsmen in Barcelona of the modersnista times, headed by the sculptors Eusebi Arnau and Alfons Jujol.
Casa Batlló: The architect Antoni Gaudí undertook a radical refurbishment of a building in Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia dating from 1875 to create one of his boldest works. Gaudí’s imaginative efforts were key to the development of the project, as was the decorative work of the artisans who collaborated with him between 1904 and 1906.
Casa Milà – “La Pedrera”: This is the culmination of Antoni Gaudí’s career, designed as a modernista building tailored to the new social needs, without forgetting his main source of inspiration: nature and organic forms. Built between 1906 and 1912, the Casa Milà occupies an entire corner of the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona’s Eixample. Curved, sinuous forms are the main elements inside and outside La Pedrera. The Casa Milà’s façade resembles the moving sea, the waves interacting with the seaweed-motifs on the wrought-iron balcony railings.
Palau Montaner: Just off the Passeig de Gràcia, on the corner of Carrer Mallorca and Roger de Llúria, stands one of the few remaining mansions in the Eixample. A mosaic at the top of the façade bears the completion date, 1893, surrounded by ornamental and symbolic motifs which give an idea of the sumptuous decorative elements inside. The building has been the seat of the Spanish Government in Barcelona since 1980.
Casa Terradas – “Casa de les Punxes”: A “large Gothic castle” standing in the middle of Barcelona’s Avinguda Diagonal catches the eye of any visitor to the city. Josep Puig i Cadafalch was commissioned to redevelop the buildings and linked them together on one site behind a vast brick façade. His project, which was completed in 1905, resulted in an imposing triangular structure which rises up like a grand medieval castle with four turrets, one on each corner. The nickname, “Casa de les Punxes”, comes from the conical roofs, which end in a spike.
Palau Baró de Quadras: On one side, a neo-Gothic palazzo and, on the other, a “modernista” residential block, the Palau Baró de Quadras is a chocolate box bursting with imagination which changes depending on which side you view it from. In 1900, the Baron de Quadras commissioned Josep Puig i Cadafalch to refurbish a residential block on Carrer Rosselló. The architect transformed the building completely, between 1902 and 1903, providing it with two distinct façades which make it particularly interesting. When viewed from the Avinguda Diagonal, the building is reminiscent of North-European palaces and the façade on Carrer Rosselló, retains some elements of the original building, decorated in the “modernista” style, with elements of the “Viennese Sezessionsstil”.
Casa comalat: Like a tribute to Gaudí, the Casa Comalat contains many elements of Gaudí’s architecture, and is one of the most original examples of home-grown art nouveau in Barcelona: modernisme.
The architect Salvador Valeri i Pupurull worked on the Casa Comalat from 1909 to 1911, and was clearly influenced by Gaudi’s organic forms. Dating from the final phase of the “modernista” era, this is a highly original building comprising two façades with a common element: the Gaudiesque curve.
Sant Pau Recinte Modernista (optional): The Modernista Sant Pau Complex was built between 1905 and 1930 and designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner as a garden city for nursing the sick. After being used as a public hospital for a century, its newly refurbished pavilions shine again in all their splendour. A visit to this exceptional architectural ensemble is a unique experience.
By the late 19th century, the old Hospital de la Santa Creu in Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood needed to be relocated because it had become obsolete and too small. The result was an ambitious project inspired by the breakthroughs in health and hygiene at the time. This is Europe’s foremost art-nouveau complex and an icon among Barcelona’s dazzling array of landmarks which embodies the city’s innovative spirit. It was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997.
A visit to this magnificent complex allows you to delve into history, art and the present day. As you stroll, admire the building’s lovely exteriors. Domes, roofs, façades, sculptures and stained-glass windows are the most outstanding elements. You can also enter the Sant Rafael Pavilion and see its interior exactly as it was designed at the start of the 20th century. Moreover, you can take the underground tunnels communicating the various buildings and visit the most representative heritage spaces of the Administration Pavilion.
WHY GAUDÍ TOURS?
- Skip line at all top sites. No need to pre-purchase tickets yourself.
- Specialized agency in Gaudí and Modernism
- Professional and fully licensed local guides
- Totally flexible.
- We adapt to your characteristics, age, condition or interests.
- Travel tips from friends: recommendations to help you plan the rest of your stay in Barcelona.