Hiking Park Güell - Barcelona, Spain

Spain!!! Wooo hoooo!!!! Park Guell is the most amazing park ever and well worth the money. I would go back in a heartbeat if ever the opportunity comes up again. Go! and make sure to see the entire park. Do not miss walking around the perimeter and seeing the nature. It is what Gaudi intended. RIP amazing architecture. It is very easy to just stay in the central region...but then you would miss the little details that are hidden in the fabric of adventure that Gaudi so richly embraced!
About the Park: In 1984, UNESCO declared Park Güell a World Heritage site. This distinction is awarded to natural areas and cultural features in the world that are deemed of great value and which must be protected in order to guarantee their conservation. We found that the park can be enjoyed fairly easily in a half day to full day's time, depending on if you walk or saunter. It is difficult to pick a favorite area, but we particularly enjoyed the three crosses and the 100 columns area. It is a good idea to check holiday schedules, because some buildings close on the holidays including Gaudi's Museum. We took the Metro from our hotel by the coast because it was a pretty far walk and we wanted to save our energy for the park itself. It is almost always crowded; however, they have timed entry with limited tickets for each day which has really improved the crowds. The park has also opened multiple areas to enter and exit with what you would think would be the main entrance is actually only for exiting. That keeps the crowds from pooling at the dragon. There are multiple souvenir shops outside the gates of the park which do have better prices than the souvenir shop located inside the park. Don't miss going inside the park shop though! There are great views from the second floor. Tickets are timed and you have to make sure you enter the park within 30 minutes after your allotted time. Guards are at each gate checking the tickets for correct date and time.
Purchase tickets online before you go at the below link. They are frequently to almost always sold out. I witnessed MANY people trying to get past the guards and they are strict. There was an entrance with a young person (probably summer help) being yelled at by a patron, right in her face, but even she didn’t budge if the tickets were at the wrong date/time. We also saw a group of young guys jump the high fence to get in (it was actually pretty impressive) and the security were on them pretty quickly… cameras everywhere… Although an older officer, who was overweight, had to run uphill after them, and I was very, VERY worried for his heart. Bless his heart though, he was giving it his all. It would have been really nice for him to have had an EV. - hey park administration..get him an EV okay?! His dedication alone deserves one!
Tickets:
parkguell.barc...
Facilities:
There are bathrooms and water filling stations throughout the park. They do have small snack items in the on campus park shop (expensive) but nothing of substance. More like fudge gifts etc… Thus, if you require food sustenance frequently, bring some fruit, juice, or granola bars.
The Metro:
Metro tickets can be purchased at every terminal electronically. You can choose English went prompted and use your credit card. Watch for people standing too close to you to skim your card. We just bought single passes because we were mostly wandering while in Barcelona. The only thing we absolutely HAD to do, in my opinion, was Park Guell. The Metro map is at the link below. The Metro runs a lot like American trains except, when we were there, you had to push a button or pull a lever to get out… where American trains, at least what I have been on, are automatic. They are easy to navigate even if you only speak English.
Metro map:
www.mapametrob...
Souvenir Shop:
We don’t typically bring home souvenirs anymore because we are at the point in our lives where we are starting to get rid of stuff instead of accumulating. However, I still like to go in stores and look around. The shop located inside Park Guell and shops right outside the gates are really fun to go into, but they are pretty expensive. While waiting for out timed tickets, we meandered to a shop farther away from the park that had a lot of locally made items at decent prices. We come from the Midwest so our cost of living is extremely low, so everywhere other than home, is expensive to us, but for Barcelona, this shop was reasonable.
Shop:
Barcelona Handmade Gifts
Baixada de la Glòria, 24, Gràcia, 08024 Barcelona, Spain
They are open 7 days a week, but it is locally owned and operated, so that can change without notice.
Attire: There was sandal wearing when we were there, but I would recommend closed toe shoes, with a non-slip sole. Many of the areas are sandy with loose stones and gravel. You won’t need hiking equipment, but reasonable shoes to keep from a twisted ankle is highly desirable.

[@johnmartin6385]

Beautiful park, thank you for sharing!

[@dianetourje1359]

Spain must spend a fortune refurbishing & maintaining the area