Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is Gaudí's most theatrical building, and the one that most visitors find easiest to love. In 1904 the textile industrialist Josep Batlló commissioned Gaudí to remodel an ordinary apartment block on Passeig de Gràcia, then the most fashionable avenue in the city, and Gaudí essentially reimagined it from the pavement to the chimneys. The façade shimmers with broken glass and ceramic discs in blues and greens, like the surface of a lake; the balconies look like masks or skulls, and the slender columns of the first-floor windows like bones — hence the nickname "casa dels ossos," the house of bones. On top, the roof arches like the back of a dragon, its ceramic scales shifting colour, pierced by a tower topped with a cross that many read as Saint George's lance, the patron saint of Catalonia. Inside, everything flows: the noble floor where the Batlló family lived has undulating ceilings, doors and window frames carved into organic curves, and a great window over the avenue; a light well tiled in graduated blue, darker at the top and paler at the bottom, spreads daylight evenly through the house; and the attic's white catenary arches feel like the ribcage of an animal. The visit is now a polished multimedia experience, with an augmented-reality smart guide that shows the rooms as they were furnished, plus immersive digital installations designed to evoke Gaudí's inspirations. The house sits on the famous Block of Discord, where three modernista masters built rival mansions side by side, and tickets are timed, so book ahead — especially for the evening sessions that include the rooftop.

The Block of Discord — the "Mansana de la Discòrdia" — is the best free architecture lesson in Barcelona, so look before you go in. Casa Batlló stands beside Casa Amatller, Josep Puig i Cadafalch's stepped, Flemish-style gable, and a few doors down is Casa Lleó i Morera by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, with its rounded corner tower. The three greats of Catalan modernisme competed for the city's richest clients on the same stretch of pavement, and seeing them together shows how individual each style was. Gaudí's remodel at Casa Batlló, completed in 1906, is the wildest of the three, and UNESCO added it to the list of Gaudí's world heritage works in 2005.

Visiting well: the route starts on the ground floor and climbs through the noble floor, the light well, the upper apartments, the attic and the roof terrace, then ends with the immersive rooms. Allow around an hour and a quarter. Ticket tiers mainly differ in extras such as fast entry or access to additional spaces — the standard ticket covers everything essential. The smart guide is included, and while some visitors find it distracting, it is worth using on the noble floor, where the original furniture is shown in place. Summer evening sessions with rooftop concerts are a lovely option, and early-morning slots are the calmest. The house is busy year-round; avoid the late-morning peak if you can, and note there are many stairs, though a lift serves most levels.

Casa Batlló versus La Pedrera is the classic dilemma, since they sit five minutes apart on the same avenue and both cost a fair amount. Batlló is the more dazzling, colourful and immersive; La Pedrera is calmer, with a better rooftop and a period apartment that tells you more about daily life. With time and budget, do both, ideally on different days to avoid Gaudí fatigue. Otherwise, choose Batlló for colour and wow factor, especially with children, who love the dragon. Afterwards, walk Passeig de Gràcia's lamp-lined boulevard north to La Pedrera, or cross into the Eixample's side streets for lunch away from the tourist menus.