In Barcelona, Finding Deals With Gaudí as Guide

I try to be judicious about which cities I describe as “magical,” but Barcelona deserves the word. While Madrid searches for its place among Europe’s capital cities, and Seville has its rich history, Barcelona has a particular allure I’d not encountered before. Whether it’s an impromptu evening soccer game in an alley deep in the Gothic Quarter, making new friends at a pintxos bar where patrons stand shoulder to shoulder, or thoroughly enjoying the admittedly touristy light-and-water show at the Magic Fountain near the National Palace, Barcelona’s delightful idiosyncrasies and fierce charisma make it an ideal sojourn for any traveler.

All you need to really feel like a Barcelonian, my friend Julia Miskevich, a former resident, explained to me, is “good vermouth and pickles.” That, and “maybe a cigarette and a very hoarse voice.” I found wonderful food and drink in the Catalonian capital (though I skipped the cigarettes), but I made a point of focusing on the creations of the modernist architect Antoni Gaudí, including his enormously popular and uncompleted masterpiece, the Sagrada Família basilica. And while Barcelona is not cheap, I cut corners where I could and was able to leave after several days with my wallet little the worse for wear.

Gaudí grew up about 60 miles down the Balearic coast in the small city of Reus. But he made his name in Barcelona, where he moved in 1868 to study architecture. By the time he graduated, his professional career was already well underway. And while he originally paid homage to the Victorian traditions of his time, he soon began working in innovative and shocking ways, experimenting with materials, colors and geometry, and incorporating inspiration from the plant and animal kingdoms.

Gaudí works are now a reliable moneymaker for Barcelona. It’s not cheap to go into his buildings: Even Park Güell, a Gaudí creation and public in places, requires timed tickets to gain access to certain areas (7 euros or about $8). There are discounts to be had, but they are limited. By registering your personal information and fingerprint with one of the Citizen Help and Information Offices in town, you receive free entrance to the park and discounts to some museums in the city — though not to the other famous Gaudí sites.

Which means you’ll have to fork over an entrance fee of 22 euros to Casa Milà — that’s for a ticket for a particular time. (The fee is 29 euros for the freedom to come when you please.) Some Gaudí exteriors can be viewed at no charge, including Casa Milà, a huge structure on the corner of Carrer de Provença and Passeig de Gràcia, which is shaped like a giant sea creature. Or maybe a spaceship. Or maybe a mysterious ancient quarry, as indicated by its nickname, the Pedrera. I did pony up for the admission, and it was worth the price — the building was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

Commissioned by an industrialist and built when Gaudí was in his creative prime, the structure was designed as apartments. Aspects of the natural and unnatural coexist in a symbiotic paradox: While wholly artificial and flashy in certain aspects, the facade resembles a piece of coral smoothed by the ocean, and the sea-creature-like figures adorning the rooftop made me feel as if I were inside an aquarium. A promotional video suggests that the house wasn’t created by Gaudí, but rather by nature itself, and it’s difficult to disagree. Don’t forget to make use of the informative audio tour, which is free with admission.