Park Güell in Barcelona Tickets and Tours

Park Güell is Gaudí's living work, conceived as a refuge and resting place for the most important family in Catalonia at the beginning of the 20th century, the Güells. It is a manifesto of modernist urbanism, with large green areas and incredible views of Barcelona.

Visiting Park Güell is something that anyone in Barcelona would recommend, and in this guide I'm going to give you all the tips to get your tickets at the best price and tricks to make your visit unforgettable.

This is the best value for money option for visiting Park Güell, with the biggest advantage being early access to Park Güell, which will save you from the queues and crowds of tourists.

Once inside you'll take a tour of the main areas with a local guide, discovering every nook and cranny and learning about Gaudí's artistic vision at every turn, with beautiful views of Barcelona framed by the iconic tile-decorated structures. At the end of the tour, you can stay in Park Güell for as long as you like to explore it at your leisure.

Recommended: If you're an early bird on your sightseeing tours and don't like crowds of tourists.

You also have the option to combine Barcelona's two most interesting sights in one tour, combining Park Güell and Sagrada Familia in a half-day tour.

You'll take a tour with a similar route to the previous option, seeing the main sights of the park while learning about Gaudí and the importance of Park Güell to Barcelona's modernist urbanism, and then you'll head to the Sagrada Familia where you'll tour its exterior facades and interior.

One thing to note is that this tour is bilingual in English and Spanish, and your guide will narrate in both languages in succession. Although it may seem a little strange, the truth is that it's quite smooth and not a problem.

Recommended: If you're looking for a combined experience that will help you discover the two icons of the city in depth.

If you want to tour Barcelona in the company of a specialized guide with a visit to Park Güell and Sagrada Familia, this is the tour for you. You'll see the city's most famous sights and its main tourist attractions.

The tour starts at La Rambla and takes you to visit various points of interest in the city, stopping for a coffee at Els Quatre Gats, which used to be frequented by Picasso and is the place where the artist had his first exhibition, and enjoying a tapas lunch before visiting the two jewels of Barcelona, Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia.

Duration: 6 hoursRecommended: If you're only going to be in Barcelona for a short time and can only choose one tour, this is it. It is also a good option if you like combined experiences.

What you will see

When you buy your Park Güell ticket, you will receive confirmation by email and you can either print it out or take it with you on your mobile phone. Either way, you will need to present the QR code at the access point.

Tickets have a fixed time and you are allowed to enter up to 30 minutes after the allocated time. For example, if you have a ticket for 10:00 in the morning, you will be allowed to enter the park from 10:00 until 10:30. Once inside, there is no time limit and you can stay in Park Güell for as long as you like.

In any case, I recommend that you arrive at Park Güell a little before the time indicated on your ticket to make sure, as once you have passed the 30-minute time limit, your ticket will be considered invalid. Tickets to Park Güell only give access to the monumental area, which is the tourist part of the park. To the north of the park is the forest area, which is reserved for Barcelona residents only.

Inside Park Güell is the Gaudí House-Museum, for which a separate ticket is required as access is not included in the park tickets.

Alex's Traveller Tip

You have up to 30 minutes after the time indicated on your ticket to enter Park Güell. After this time, your ticket is considered invalid.

How to get to Park Güell

To get there by metro, you have two options. One is to take metro line 3 to Vallcarca station, and from there walk to the park (it's very well signposted, so it's just a matter of following the arrows). There are escalators to help with the climb, as it is a bit steep. From the metro, it takes about 15 minutes to walk to the park.

The other option is to take the same metro line 3 to Lesseps, but the downside is that although the walk to the park is a bit shorter, there are no escalators to get there, so in the end it's better to go to Vallcarca.

You can also avoid the walk by taking bus 24 from the Lesseps metro station to Park Güell, and it will drop you right at the door. The downside: it's usually full.

Opening days and hours of Park Güell

The site is open every day of the year and the opening hours for visitors to Park Güell vary throughout the year, depending on the season and the time of year:

Duration of the visit to Park Güell

A typical visit to Park Güell takes around 1 hour 30 minutes, as the monumental area alone will take you a long time. If you want to stop and enjoy the park and the views of Barcelona at your leisure, allow about 2 hours for your visit.

If you visit Park Güell at sunset, you will probably want to stay a little longer to watch the sun go down over Barcelona. It is one of the busiest times in the park and the crowds are quite high, but it might be worth it.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Park Güell is as early as possible, if possible, at opening time. You'll avoid the large groups of tourists that visit the park in the middle of the morning and can enjoy a leisurely stroll.

If you're particularly overwhelmed by tourists, remember that with the Park Güell Tour with skip-the-line entry you can visit the park before it officially opens to visitors and experience it as if you were a local, as Barcelona residents are allowed to enter the park at special times before and after opening and closing respectively.

Where to eat in Park Güell

I advise you to bring your own food and water on your visit to Park Güell, as there are not many options for eating and the places around the park are quite expensive and not particularly good. You may be able to wait for food if you visit the park early in the morning or at sunset, but packing a bottle of water in your backpack is definitely one of the best ideas.

Gaudí, through the patronage of the Güell family, was in contact with the cream of Catalan society in the early 20th century, and set out to recreate the English garden cities that the Catalan bourgeoisie knew and admired.

With the creation of Park Güell, Gaudí developed a truly original urban planning model. In his conception, the park was to serve as a residence for Barcelona's wealthy families, and the passageways for pedestrians and carriages were organically interwoven, as was the large central square, which was to be used as a market, recreation area and cultural space.

In addition to its cultural interest and for providing an insight into the tastes, aesthetics and social dynamics of the period in which it was created, Park Güell is a must-see not only for the artistic delight offered by the plasticism of its structures and the creativity of its architectural design.

The so-called Carmel bunkers are on a mound near Park Güell where, at the time of the Civil War, an anti-aircraft battery was located. Today it is the best viewpoint in Barcelona with stunning views of the city and a popular place to watch the sunset. After your visit to Park Güell, especially if you go in the afternoon, you might want to stop by the Carmel bunkers to end the day.

It's about a 20-minute walk from Park Güell, and you can also get there by metro (Alfons X station on line 4). Remember to wear comfortable shoes as the climb up to the bunkers is a bit steep, and I recommend wearing a jumper or sweatshirt if you're going to see the sunset. If you pack some snacks and water or a couple of beers in your backpack, you're sure to have a great time.

Along with Park Güell, a visit to the Sagrada Familia is an experience not to be missed on your trip to Barcelona. Whether you're planning to visit it on your own or on a guided tour, my guide at Barcelona Sagrada Familia Tickets and Visits will help you with the best tips to enjoy it to the fullest.

Another visit you might find interesting is the Camp Nou. On the Camp Nou Experience you will tour the stadium, enter the pitch and immerse yourself in a retrospective of FC Barcelona and the club's greatest footballing achievements, read all about it here: Barcelona Camp Nou Stadium Visits.

Barcelona also has a varied selection of museums that I recommend you explore. To do so, read my guide to Barcelona Museums to find out which one to choose and how to get your tickets at the best price!

Finally, if you want to continue exploring Gaudí's architecture, I recommend you visit La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. In their respective guides, La Pedrera in Barcelona Tickets and Tours y Barcelona Casa Batlló Tickets and Visits you will find all the information and tips to get your tickets or take a guided tour.