7 architectural gems to see in Barcelona—from Gaudí and beyond
Gaudí's creations—including his Sagrada Familia—dominate the conversation. But the 2026 World Capital of Architecture has a range of styles to marvel, from medieval to modern.
Barcelona is the birthplace of Catalan Modernisme, an architectural style characterized by curved lines and fluid shapes, ornamentation inspired by nature, and by the expression of national symbols, such as Catalonia’s patron Saint George. “Catalan Modernisme developed right after the 1888 Universal Exposition,” says Dr. Mireia Freixa, emeritus professor of art history at the University of Barcelona. “It developed as an original neo-medieval style, drawing inspiration from Catalonia’s golden age of medieval art, a modern style rooted in tradition.” Antoni Gaudí is its most famous proponent, but Modernisme architects like Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s and Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s designs are prevalent throughout Barcelona.
Though Modernisme dominates, it isn’t the only style in Barcelona. The 2026 World Capital of Architecture has remnants of Roman settlement under the rule of Emperor Augustus, buildings by modern architects like Frank Gehry and Toyo Ito, and 21st-century avant-garde superstructures. If you’re visiting Barcelona, you should explore the city’s architectural diversity through seven gems across styles and eras.
(How to spend a day in Barcelona, from artisan shops to tapas bars.)
1. Gaudí’s buildings
There is no talk of Barcelona’s architecture without Gaudí. Seven of his creations are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. In 2026, the Sagrada Família achieves a significant milestone – completion of the central Tower of Jesus, making it the world’s tallest church. Casa Batlló also has a new look after a 7-year renovation, with updated facades and restoration of 85,000 Nolla mosaic tiles in the inner courtyard.
Gaudí’s buildings reflect his diverse interests as an architect. Park Güell’s kaleidoscopic pavilions and terraces, including the Dragon Stairway and the Hypostyle Room, are known for trencadís, a mosaic style he championed, that uses broken ceramic tiles often left over from other projects. Casa Vicens, his first major masterpiece, is inspired by Mudéjar architecture, with its green-and-white tiled facade. Though more sombre, the undulating facade and wrought-iron balconies of Casa Milà, and the arched gates and sculptural chimneys of Palau Güell, are visually arresting.
2. Palau de la Música Catalana
Designed by Gaudí’s contemporary, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Palau de la Música Catalana, a concert hall, combines Gothic, Spanish, and Arabic influences.
Dr. Freixa says, “In Domènech i Montaner’s buildings, the most important thing is to walk around them slowly, enjoying the small details.” The concert auditorium is a sumptuous integration of floral-mosaic columns, sculptures of muses, and a stained-glass skylight suspended like a teardrop. On the red brick facade, Saint George protects Beethoven and Wagner, and a queen with a distaff presides over a party in a reference to La Balanguera, Majorca’s national anthem.
Also check out the Recinte Modernista Sant Pau, which, along with the Palau, is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Originally a hospital, twelve connected pavilions set amidst landscaped gardens and an embellished facade made this one of the prettiest hospital stays ever.
3. Barri Gòtic
The name means Gothic Quarter, but Barri Gòtic’s architecture ranges from the first-century B.C. Roman walls to the 20th-century embellished Pont del Bisbe. Its Jewish Quarter is home to Sinagoga Major, one of Europe’s oldest synagogues, while the streetlights at Plaça Reial were Gaudí’s first independent commission.
Barri Gòtic features several Catalan Gothic-style buildings. “Catalan architects did not want to imitate the organic profusion of detail in northern Gothic”, writes art critic Robert Hughes in his book Barcelona, so the structures don’t have the ornate decorations common in Gothic monuments elsewhere in Europe With plain surfaces, prismatic forms and flat-roofed bell towers, buildings feel like fortresses, exemplified in churches like Santa Maria del Mar and palaces like Palau Reial Major. Some buildings, like the 15th-century Barcelona Cathedral, are more embellished, courtesy of the neo-Gothic ornamentation added during 19th-century renovations.
Barri Gòtic is forever busy, but its squares are enclaves of peace and refined design. The Plaça del Pi is known for its art market, while the pockmarked facade of the Baroque church at the Plaça de Sant Felip Neri tells the story of its bombing during the Spanish Civil War.
(How artists and artisans are reviving this old-school Barcelona neighborhood.)
4. Illa de la Discòrdia
The “block of discord” on the Passeig de Gràcia is known for five buildings of contrasting styles, each by a key Barcelona architect. Start at number 35 with Casa Lleó Morera by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, sometimes called a family-sized version of the Palau de la Música. Lions and mulberry trees on the facade give the building its name, and a temple-shaped turret housed machine guns during the Spanish Civil War.
Casa Mulleras by Enric Sagnier at number 37 and Casa Bonet by Marcelliano Coquillat at number 39 forgo design bells and whistles for sedate Neoclassical and Neo-Baroque facades, respectively. Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Amatller at number 41 returns to Modernisme’s chaotic beauty, with camera-toting dogs, glassblowing frogs, and blacksmith rabbits on the facade, culminating in a stepped structure in the Flemish Renaissance style. And then at number 43 is Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, often called the House of Bones due to the skeletal stone columns and mask-shaped balconies that stand out against the colourful mosaic facade.
5. Torres Glòries
While awarding the 2008 Pritzker Prize to architect Jean Nouvel, the jury complimented his ability to rupture scale and form and manipulate light and layers of transparency. These abilities are on full display at the 472-foot Torres Glòries that he designed. Layers of aluminium and glass in shades of red, blue, green, and grey come together in a shiny bullet-shaped structure that stands out in the city’s skyline.
“Its shape and surface draw inspiration from the nearby Montserrat mountains and the Mediterranean light, so it feels both futuristic and rooted in the local landscape,” says Marta Fernández, tourism counselor of the Embassy of Spain in Singapore.
Suspended in the observation deck at the dome is Cloud Cities Barcelona, an interactive sculpture by Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno that feels like walking through a mirror-encrusted spider’s web.
(A food guide to Barcelona, from historic markets to atmospheric vermouth bars.)
6. Mercat del Encants
Among Europe’s oldest flea markets, the Mercat del Encants or “market of charms” has been a hub for second-hand goods since the 14th century. However, a 2013 renovation transformed it into an architectural spectacle. An 82-foot golden canopy with origami-like metallic folds spreads out over the stalls, and its shiny reflective surface mirrors the bustle of the market below. Locals and tourists can browse the shops conveniently located on a sloping promenade.
The market is in Plaça de Les Glòries, a hub of modern architecture. On one side, the National Theatre of Cataloniafeatures a Greek temple with a contemporary glass facade. The Disseny Hub, the city’s anvil-shaped design museum, is on the other side.
7. Fundació Joan Miró museum
Fundació Joan Miró museum celebrates Catalan artist Joan Miró, known for his playful blending of abstract and surrealism. Designed by Miró’s friend, architect Josep Lluís Sert, the building combines rationalist architecture with Mediterranean flourishes.
Miró and Sert designed the museum with blinding white concrete, and several blocks arranged in geometric shapes around a central Mediterranean patio. Inside are local touches, such as ceramic floor tiles and Catalan vaulted ceilings; artworks like “Gold of the Azure” and “Village and Church of Mont-roig” pop against the austere backdrop. Don’t miss the museum’s exhibition on Miró and the United States (on display until February 2026), which explores Miró’s influence on American artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
(The ultimate hotel guide to Barcelona)
