Barcelona’s best architecture

Barcelonans, understandably, call it a ‘giant suppository’. Designed in 2005 by French architect Jean Nouvel, it features an innovative, shimmering skin of 4,500 LED lights that display delightful, infinitely varied coloured patterns.

This massive pile is Catalan Gothic at its most grandiose, full of wonders: lavishly ornate chapels, Renaissance sculpted choir stalls, and the crypt of patron saint Eulalia. The cloister is especially charming, and you can climb to the rooftop for panoramic views of the city.

The former home of the Batllo family, Gaudí’s shimmering, colour-drenched townhouse is a Modernista masterpiece. One of three Modernista masterpieces in a single block.

The first private home Gaudi designed, this bright Orientalist building only opened to the public in 2017, so it’s a relatively new addition to Barcelona’s Modernista scene – as such, its brightly-tiled and painted interior is often blissfully quiet.

Gaudi’s otherworldly masterpiece, shaped like a curvaceous cliff with a surreal roof guarded by twenty-eight knight-like ‘witch-scarers.’

Barcelona’s Gothic jewel was built in the 14th century by the sea-faring community in only 50 years – hence its rare stylistic harmony. During the Spanish Civil War, its accumulated Baroque decorations burned, leaving behind the bare bones of its sublime interior.

Frank Gehry’s giant ‘flying fish’ (some say goldfish or even whale) was built for the 1992 Olympics and to adorn the newly regenerated port area. At 56 metres long, 35 metres high, with shimmering gold scales that change colour with the light, it’s become a well-loved city landmark.

Ponderous and strange, Gaudi’s Art Nouveau town palace, commissioned in 1886 by the oligarch Eusebi Guell, is full of astonishing innovations, from its sweeping ramp to the subterranean stables, lofty parabolic cupola, and chimney sculptures covered in broken tiles.

Gaudi’s endlessly playful, imaginative garden is a lyrical delight, with majestic views over Barcelona.

This hospital complex (1902-30), designed by Domenech i Montaner, is a cherished icon of the Modernista style. A World Heritage site, patients are still treated here, its enchanted pavilions glittering with colourful mosaics, tiles and sculpture.

Gaudi’s extraordinary, iconic masterpiece – and the most spectacular church of the 21st century.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s 1929 masterpiece was revolutionary for its simple form and spectacular use of extravagant materials, such as travertine and marble. It has inspired many important Modernist buildings since.

Luminous museum of modern and contemporary art, housing the world’s top collection of works by Joan Miro. Set in a striking rationalist-style building, designed by Josep Lluis Sert.

Catalan’s gorgeous Modernista concert hall, Palau de la Musica, is a must-see for its extraordinary architecture alone. Designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, the palace mesmerises with intricate ornamentation, stained glass windows, and lavish interiors. Today, it serves as a vibrant cultural venue hosting a variety of concerts, operas, and choral performances.

The city’s oldest covered market was rebuilt in 2005, and crowned with an undulating roof of multi-coloured tiles, a dazzling 21st-century response to Gaudí’s use of trencadi broken tiles.