10 Points of Interest & Landmarks in Costa de Barcelona That You Shouldn't Miss

The Basilica of the Sagrada Familia is a monumental church devoted to the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Construction began in 1882, based on plans drawn up by the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, and Antoni Gaudi was commissioned to continue the project in 1883. The Temple has always been an expiatory church, built only from donations. As Gaudi said: "The Expiatory Church of the Sagrada Familia is made by the people and is mirrored in them. It is a work that is in the hands of God and the will of the people." In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the site as a minor basilica

Casa Mila, popularly known as La Pedrera, is a most unusual building, constructed between 1906 and 1912 by the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) and declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1984. Today it is the headquarters of Fundacio Catalunya La Pedrera and houses a cultural centre that is a reference point in Barcelona for the range of activities it organises and the different spaces for exhibitions and other public uses it contains. A visit to La Pedrera, landmark building and container, gives us a better understanding and appreciation of architecture and transports us to the period when Antoni Gaudi lived.

Stunning outside, unimaginable inside!

Gaudi’s most hidden treasure, the Gaudi Crypt which is located inside the Colonia Guell, a textile village packed with surprises just 20 minutes outside Barcelona. The Crypt is the church of twisted columns, the laboratory for the Sagrada Familia which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.

The Masia Freixa is a building inspired by Gaudi and built by architect Lluis Muncunill i Parellada between 1905 and 1910. It is built on the structure of an old textile mill owned by industrialist Josep Freixa, who later converted it into his family residence. Of interest are the rounded cross-sections and the use of the parabolic arch, which make the building one of the treasures of the city’s Modernist Heritage. The City Council bought the farm in 1959 and its gardens became the city’s first public park. Located right in the middle of the Parc Sant Jordi, at present it is home to city council offices and the Tourist Office.