Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló started life as an 1877 residential building, then was remodelled by Gaudí between 1904 and 1906 for the textile magnate Josep Batlló. The facade is built around a Catalan dragon myth: the curved tile roof represents the dragon's back, the cross-topped turret is the lance of Saint George, the bone-shaped balcony columns are the victims, and the round windows on the second floor are skulls. It became UNESCO World Heritage in 2005 and is the most-Instagrammed building in Barcelona by margin.

Three ticket tiers exist in 2026: Blue (€35, audio-guided with AR tablet, includes rooftop), Silver (€45, fewer crowds, late-evening slots), and Gold (€55, skip-the-line + small group). The Be the First GetYourGuide ticket (€42) opens the building 30 minutes before the official 09:00 opening — the only way to photograph the dragon-spine rooftop without crowds. The visit covers six floors plus the rooftop. Plan 75 minutes end-to-end; the building is wheelchair-accessible.

Casa Batlló sits on Barcelona's grandest boulevard, the Passeig de Gràcia. Two doors down is the Manzana de la Discordia, a block where three Modernista architects — Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch — built competing masterpieces between 1898 and 1906. Walk five minutes north to Casa Milà (La Pedrera) for a combined Gaudí morning; or south to Plaça de Catalunya for the gateway to the Gothic Quarter.