A day of Gaudí

Visited one at a time, Gaudí's buildings look like curiosities. Visited together in a single day, you are following an idea through one architect's head: no straight lines, no right angles, everything shaped by force the way a plant or a bone is.

Order matters

Start with Casa Batlló — small, house-sized, the easiest place to read the idea. Then go up to Park Güell: the same thinking applied to landscape, with a view over the city. Leave Sagrada Família for last. In the other order, the first two feel flat.

Book ahead

All three sell timed tickets and sell out days in advance in busy months. Do not plan on buying at the door; the queue at Sagrada Família costs hours.

What to do inside

Do not rush Sagrada Família, and look up. The glass changes sides through the day: blues and greens on the east in the morning, reds and oranges on the west in the afternoon. Sitting down for ten minutes may be the best part of the visit.

One small note

There is a metro between them, but walking down Passeig de Gràcia is an option too — and it is the handsomest street in the city.