Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is an ordinary 19th-century block of flats that Antoni Gaudí transformed between 1904 and 1906 for the textile industrialist Josep Batlló. He reshaped the façade into a rippling surface of glass and ceramic fragments, added balconies that look like masks or bones, and topped the building with a roof ridge of scaled tiles that is often read as the back of a dragon. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Gaudí's works and stands on the stretch of Passeig de Gràcia nicknamed the Block of Discord, next to buildings by other leading Modernista architects.

The main visit, which the house presents as The House of Inspiration, takes about an hour and 15 minutes. It leads through the noble floor that the Batlló family lived on, with its curving woodwork and large windows over the avenue, then up through the light well, tiled in blues that deepen towards the top so that the light is spread evenly, to the attic of white arches and the rooftop with its chimneys. On the second floor, the immersive exhibition Beyond the Façade, created by United Visual Artists, adds a contemporary layer to the visit.

This is one of the most visited buildings in the city, so it pays to book a time slot online and to arrive early or late in the day. The house is open daily from 9am to 10.30pm, and seasonal night visits run in some periods. Casa Batlló has a team of neurodiverse staff to help visitors, and its shop is well regarded for design-led gifts. Families tend to enjoy the dragon story and the digital elements, while architecture fans may prefer a quieter morning slot.

There is plenty more to see within a short walk. The neighbouring houses on the Block of Discord, including Casa Amatller, show how differently the Modernista architects approached the same street, and La Pedrera is ten minutes further up Passeig de Gràcia. Passeig de Gràcia station on lines L2, L3 and L4 is a couple of minutes away, and the avenue's shops and cafés make it easy to combine a visit with an afternoon in the Eixample.