The fantasy of Casa Batlló enthralls people passing-by on Passeig de Gràcia. This building stands halfway up and in clear contrast to the adjacent houses, Casa Lleó Morera and the Casa Amatller.
This is another of the main projects of Antoni Gaudí, that demonstrates his magnificence and his incredible creativity once again.
If you are in Barcelona, you can’t leave it without visiting Casa Batlló. Thousands of tourists visit it every day, so it’s better to buy your tickets in advance to avoid long queues.
If you want to be sure to get your entrance for Casa Batlló, you can buy your tickets here!
1. HISTORY OF CASA BATLLÓ
Casa Batlló was originally built in 1877 by Emilio Cortes, that was the architecture professor of Gaudí.
Josep Batlló, a business man that owned various factories, purchased this building in 1903 and hired Gaudi to redesign it in 1904. The idea was to reconstruct the whole building after demolishing it, but the architect was smart enough to preserve the structure without the need to demolish it.
After two years working on it, the project was completed on 1906.
In the last century, the building had several owners, but in the 1990s it was bought by the Bernat family, that are the actual owners. This family is known for the renovation and introduction of the building to the public.
Nowadays, Casa Batlló is an UNESCO World Heritage site, and more than 1 million visitors visit this site each year.
2. THE CREATIVE DESIGN OF CASA BATLLÓ
Only a creative and artistic mind can turn an old building into one of the incredible creations of his artwork which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
It is a land of imagination, a marine-inspired backdrop, a universe of fantasies that elicits life with its primal components, and that is whimsical.
Casa Batlló is one of Gaudí’s masterpieces and completed this task by changing the design of the existing building. The ultimate result will be clear to everybody: an immense, poignant, and captivating artwork recognized and loved for a hundred years.
3. ANTONI GAUDÍ
Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan architect and one of the main exponents of Catalan Modernism. He’s not known just for designing the Casa Batlló, but also for his other relevant works: Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Milá, Casa Vicens, etc.
He was very passionate about nature, religion and architecture, that all influenced his work and creativity.
After a life full of successes, he died in 1926 at the age of 74 years, while he was working on the building of Sagrada Familia.
4. EXTERIOR OF CASA BATLLÓ
Casa Battló has a total surface of aprox 5,000 m². The back of the building is facing the inner courtyard, and the front is facing Passeig de Gràcia.
The exterior of the building is really impressive and fascinating. Also if you are living in Barcelona since many years and you can see this building every day, it’s impossible to walk by it and not stop to admirate it or take a picture.
The exact theme of the façade is still a mystery, but it’s probably inspired by nature.
5. INSIDE CASA BATLLÓ
Casa Batlló has a main floor, a ground floor, four other self-contained floors, a roof terrace, a loft, and a graveyard. The personal entrance to the main floor and the public stairway inside the house has been enlarged and tiled like it was a portion of the exterior façade.
Everything inside the building is curved and it’s really surprising. You can make a virtual tour of Casa Batlló directly from the official website or, if you want to visit it in person, you can simply book your ticket online here.
The first floor, also known as Noble Floor, is the home of the main reception rooms, that receive the natural light thanks to the very large windows that give to Passeig de Gràcia.
The windows get smaller as you go higher and, thanks to this detail, you can enjoy how the different lights change the colors of the decorations inside the building.
The roof terrace is impressive because is rich of colors and mosaics. Here you can notice the high level of creativity of the designer, that is always always able to surprise.
The roof offers amazing views of the city and is especially popular for its dragon back design, representing an animal’s spine by using tiles of different colors on one side.
6. HOW TO ARRIVE TO CASA BATLLÓ
Casa Batlló is located in one of the main streets of Barcelona, Passeig de Gràcia.
The metro stop is just next to the building with three metro lines (purple line L2, the green line L3 and the yellow line L4) and it’s called Passeig the Gràcia.
The area is also served by buses (H10, V15, 7, 22 y 24) and trains (RENFE – Passeig de Gràcia station – and FGC – Provença station).
7. OPENING TIMES TO VISIT CASA BATLLÓ
Casa Batlló is open every day from 9am to 8pm. The last entry is allowed at 7pm.
Sometimes, the opening hours can change because of some private events, but this is not common.
You can check if there are tickets available here.
8. WHAT’S NEXT CASA BATLLÓ
If you have plenty of time to explore the city, go and watch some of the most beautiful places to visit near Casa Batlló.
It is based in Passeig de Gràcia, that is a strategic location close to the center that allows you to visit several things next to it.
Casa Milà
Also known as La Pedrera, Casa Milà is another incredible building designed by Antoni Gaudí.
It is also located in Passeig de Grácia and you can easily reach it by walking from Casa Batlló.
Plaça Catalunya
This square is considered the heart of Barcelona, and it is one of our favourite meeting places.
It stands between the Eixample district of the industrial revolution and the old town (Ciutat Vella). It is the square where so many buses from the airport arrive, so it’s really probable that it will be one of the first things that you see when you visit Barcelona.
