Inside the Casa Batlló: Tips for your visit

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Inside the Casa Batlló: Tips for your visit

One of the secrets to happiness is visiting a building by Antoni Gaudí. Casa Batlló is one of the most significant and recognizable buildings in Barcelona, Spain. It sits on the fancy, most expensive streets in Spain, Passeig de Gracia. Recently, Casa Batlló brought its “tech A-game”, introducing hologram-like images in some rooms and on walls. It also brings immersive audiovisual experiences (think – lots of lights and sounds). Read more about your visit inside the Casa Batlló!

Visit Casa Batlló in the winter when the trees are bare, and you can take a pic of the facade

What to expect when checking in

Casa Batlló is a narrow and tall apartment block. It wasn’t originally designed to hold large crowds, so staircases and rooms are usually crowded. When you show your ticket, you’ll get headphones for your audioguide, and you’ll start your tour on the bottom floor. Did I mention the building is loaded with tourists? Yes, accept that now.

Depending on which ticket you buy, your experience will be different. The most basic ticket is the Blue Ticket, which, in my opinion, should be enough for you to enjoy Casa Batlló. Fair warning though, entrance into the Casa Batlló is pricey – at 35€ available only online. It’s 39€ if you buy your ticket at the door. So buy your ticket now!

General visit tickets

Casa Batlló offers three different ticket levels. I’ll go into it later below. But here’s what you get for each ticket:

Blue: (35€) Audioguide and Gaudí Cube. Buy your Casa Batlló BLUE basic ticket

Silver: (43€) Audioguide, Gaudí Cube, Gaudí Dome, virtual reality tablet, access to original concierge room. Buy your Casa Batlló SILVER basic ticket

Gold: (45€) Audioguide, Gaudí cube, Gaudí Dome, virtual reality tablet, access to the original concierge room, private residence of the Batlló family, FastPass, flexible date change, and free cancellation. Buy your Casa Batlló GOLD ticket

They also offer discounts. If you have kids ages 12 and under, take advantage because children get in FREE.

In addition, they have “Family Tickets”. Bringing a kid is advantageous because you get access to all the spaces under the Gold Ticket. And your child 12 or under gets in free. If you’re an adult, you pay. But you can bring up to 9 kids with you, and they get in free!

Virtual reality tablet

If you choose the Silver or Gold option, you get a virtual reality tablet, giving you an experience of augmented reality. It’s meant to help you imagine what Casa Batlló was like 100 years ago. Just point your tablet to a wall, and historic figures and scenes from the past will pop on to your screen.

You get a glimpse of what the original interior looked at with the virtual reality tablet

Going inside

The noble floor, or the main floor of the museum

After you show your ticket, you enter through the communal Entrance Hall on the bottom floor. From there, you’ll have to climb one flight of stairs.

The visit mainly takes place mostly on the Noble Floor. This floor was the home of the Batlló family. It’s about 700 square meters (about 750 square feet). It has many fine details of the dining hall, study, living room, and a view of Passeig de Gracia street.

The view from the inside of Casa Batlló

TIP: Because of the popularity of this Barcelona attraction, the Casa Batlló feels crowded. It may be difficult to take photos without people in your picture frame. Your best bet is to reserve your ticket for the very first hour!

It’s really hard not to have tourists in your shot

Visiting the Loft

This area has a stark white ceiling, resembling the rib cage of an animal (I imagine I’m like Jonah in a whale’s body). It has 60 catenary arches, and makes for gorgeous minimalistic photography.

Visiting the Roof area

This is a fantastic area to share a drink or two as the Casa Batlló puts on a show in the evenings. Many say that the top of the building resembles the backbone of a dragon, which is a familiar symbol of Catalonia. (According to the legend of Sant Jordi (St. George), also a Catalan holiday, this saint slew a dragon to save a beautiful princess.)

Too many people wanted to take selfies here.

The roof area has the terrace as you see, but you can also enter this tiny room (inside the “dragon’s backbone” as shown below)

The roof terrace is where they celebrate Magic Nights

Another place to visit is the balcony side of the Casa Batlló. This is on the first floor.

The back of Casa Batlló

Gaudí Dome

The Gaudí Dome is an immersive experience of augmented reality or AI. With vivid lights and sounds, it demonstrates the inspiration that catapulted the vision of Gaudí.

Gaudí Cube

Gaudi Cube is another audiovisual experience where you’re inside a 6-sided LED cube. Titled “In the mind of Gaudí” by Refik Anadol, it features the largest digital library of Gaudi, such has plans, drawings, videos, 3D models, and more.

FAQs

Is going inside the Casa Batlló worth it?

YES! If you can afford the 35 euros. As one of the most popular attractions in Spain, it clearly shows the genius behind Antoni Gaudí’s modernist architecture. Again, it’s not cheap! But…if I were to choose between Casa Batlló and Casa Milà (La Pedrera), I would choose Casa Batlló. And between Casa Batlló and the Sagrada Familia, I would choose the Sagrada Familia all the way.

What are other ways I can visit Casa Batlló?

Other tickets to buy:

Be the First (45€) –  This allows a limited number of people inside the Casa Batlló so that you can take photos and catch the early rays. It’s only available for the first two slots of the morning on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Time slots are 8:30am and 8:45am. Kids can even get in FREE! Buy your Be the First Casa Batlló tickets here.

Magic Nights (69€ – 79€, 39€ for Spain residents) has a schedule of live music, including flamenco, jazz, rumba, and more. What’s included: a table, a drink, and a live musical show. See the schedule here. It takes place at 8pm, and the minimum number of tickets is 2. You also get to pick your tickets for basic to upgraded. Have an enchanting night in the beautiful surroundings of the Roof Terrace! Buy your Casa Batlló MAGIC NIGHTS tickets here.

Family Pack – (39€ for Spain non-residents, 19.50€ for Spain residents) To enjoy the price of the family pack, you have to bring a child 12 and under.  Buy your Casa Batlló FAMILY PACK tickets here.

So, which Casa Batlló tickets should I buy?

Honestly, I would go directly to the source, the Casa Batlló website. You do not have to print out your ticket, but have it on your cellphone. Casa Batlló does not do any in-person guided tours.

Casa Batlló Blue

What’s included: Audioguide, Gaudí Cube (360º). There is NO free cancellation. Buy your Casa Batlló BLUE basic ticket here on the official website

Casa Batlló Silver

Silver: Audioguide, Gaudí Cube, Gaudí Dome, a virtual reality, access to the original concierge room. Buy your Casa Batlló SILVER basic ticket here on the official website

Casa Batlló Gold

Gold: Audioguide, Gaudí Cube, Gaudí Dome, virtual reality tablet, access to the original concierge room, private residence of the Batlló family, FastPass, flexible date change, free cancellation Buy your Casa Batlló GOLD tickets here.

Guided Tour

For an in-depth tour run by a scholar, check out Context Tours. Their tour guides are academics and scholars and have knowledge about architecture. I really enjoyed my Context Tour with Monica, who’s a certified expert and architecture historian with knowledge in Gaudí and modernism. Check prices for Context tours here

If you’re serious about visiting three or more Barcelona attractions, I recommend getting the Barcelona Pass (86.50€). You’ll get fast-track access to the Sagrada Familia  and Park Guell , hop-on hop off bus ticket, and Barcelona audioguides. AND you get 10% of entry for the Casa Batlló, Picasso Museum, La Pedrera, Joan Miró museum, and more. The Barcelona Pass is worth buying if you stay at least 3 days and are planning to see many attractions.

Tips on Visiting the Casa Batlló

Lockers are not available. The only property the Casa Batlló can store for you is a pushchair/stroller.
– If you’re visiting with kids, admission is free for children 12 and under.
– It is somewhat wheelchair-friendly, and they will provide you with a wheelchair. A lift/elevator is available. The wheelchair is not accessible on the roof.
– If you want to take a straight frontal photo of the facade of the Casa Batlló, the best time to do it is in the winter, especially during January and February. At this time, the tree that’s right in front of the building doesn’t have leaves. During other times, the tree gets full of leaves and blocks that gorgeous view.
– If you want to go see the back of the Casa Batlló, go to the shop Servei Estació (and I also love this shop for crafting, home goods, and gifts!). If they have the balcony open, you can see the patio area with all the visitors and their headphones…they start to look like robots because they’re so still and listening. It makes a good photo.
Go next door to Faborit in the Casa Amatller building to buy some fancy chocolates or have a snack or lunch. The chocolates make a fantastic gift for their beautiful packaging and the outside terrace is beautiful to have something to eat or drink.

Useful and interesting facts about Casa Batlló

1. The Casa Batlló was designed by the grandfather of Catalan architecture himself, Antoni Gaudí.
2. It’s one of the three buildings of the Illa de La Discordia, or the Block of Discord. Along with the Casa Amatller and the Casa Lleó Morera, these three flamboyant buildings are known for their unique Catalan modernist architecture called modernisme.
3. The building gets its name from industrialist Josep Batlló, who hired Gaudi to give the formerly uninteresting apartment block a facelift.
4. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most-visited buildings in Spain.
5. If you do research about Casa Batlló, it’s often called the Casa dels Ossos, or “House of Bones”. It is just ONE interpretation of the facade. I learned this in my Context Tour of Gaudi!) Historians say that Gaudí never revealed what the facade meant.

CHEAT SHEET: How to prepare for your visit

  1. Decide how you want to visit Casa Batlló. Is an audio tour sufficient? Or do you want an in-person guide? Do you want to see other Gaudí sites for a packed deal?
  2. Buy your tickets online, ahead of time because it’s cheaper. The cheapest ticket is Casa Batlló Blue. Best value if you’re seeing other sights like Park Guell, La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló: Casa Batlló ticket included with Barcelona City Pass. BE SURE TO READ THE RULES ON YOUR TICKET CAREFULLY. You do not have to print out your ticket. 
  3. Bring a bottle of water if it’s hot.
  4. Give yourself some leeway when arriving: Try to be there at least 15 minutes ahead of time. You do NOT want to be late and miss your time slot.

More information

Casa Batlló location: 
Passeig de Gràcia, 43, 08007 Barcelona

Casa Batlló hours:
– November to February: 9 am to 6 pm
– March & October: 9 am to 7 pm
– April to September: 9 am to 8 pm

How to get there:
Metro: L2, L3, L4; By bus: H10, V15, 7, 22 y 24

Have any questions about the Casa Batlló? Let me know in the comments. I read all of them!

By Justine Ancheta

California native, churro aficionado, and mom of 3, Justine Ancheta writes fervently about Barcelona and Spain. Since 2008, she's been eating burnt onions (calçots) and tripping on cobblestones in the Gothic Quarter. She shares tips on popular attractions, exposes offbeat non-touristy spots, and gives insight on exploring Barcelona with kids. Her next Catalan culture challenge: top level of a human castle (castellers).

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