Normally, I'm not a morning person but for the sake of travelling, I can get up early than my usual working hours. That shows how powerful travelling is. I prefer to arrive those popular tourist attractions as early as I can in order to beat the crowd.
So, what's the agenda on the second day in Barcelona that causing me to wake up so early? None other than Park Guell, one of the top rated tourist attractions of Barcelona. It's remarkably popular among the visitors and to be wise, it's best to get there earlier.
HOW TO GET TO PARK GUELL
To reach here, the nearest metro is either Lesseps or Vallcarca Station under the Green Line (L3). However, both stations require 20 minutes walk to the park. In case you are lazy to walk so far away, you can continue by taking bus 116, 24 or H6 from any of the two stations mentioned earlier.
#1: Park Guell before the sun rise
Just when we thought we were the earliest one to arrive, we're completely wrong. Eventhough the sun hadn't risen yet, there were few group of people who arrived earlier than us. Looks like everyone want to get one perfect shot without being photobombed by strangers. Slowly, more and more group of people arrived here by taking taxi or Uber. 5 minutes right before the opening hour, we're allowed to access into the park. So without waiting any longer, let's explore and discover Park Guell.
#2: The Dragon Stairway
Designed by the world-renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, originally it was an luxury residential complex but the project was abandoned cause no one seems to be interested in buying it. Gradually it converted into a public park and from there, it caught many public attentions for Gaudi's quirky and distinct architecture elements.
#3: Park Guell's colourful, mosaic-embedded Salamander or Dragon Fountain
Not far from the main entrance, the first thing caught our attention is the dragon stairway which leads us to the colourful, mosaic-embedded salamander (some said it's a dragon) fountain. Whether it's salamander or dragon, this is the most famous spot that every visitor wouldn't miss out to take a photo with it. You know the sign of indicates "I've been here" that kind.
#4
As soon as the crowd is filling in, immediately we moved on to the next area. We walked to The Laundry Room Portico first, before heading up for The Serpentine Benches which claimed to be the world's longest undulating bench in the world and not forgetting, the Nature Square or Greek Theater for a panoramic views of Barcelona.
#5: The Laundry Room Portico
#7: Nature Square or Greek Theater and its Serpentine Benches
Before we kiss goodbye to Park Guell, we took the opportunity to visit and enter Casa del Guarda (The Guard's House) since we had bought the ticket earlier. It was one long queue to enter but lucky us, we managed to get it before the rain pour down. Initially it was a guard house but nowadays it converted into a museum offering background information of the Park Guell.
#8: Shot from Casa del Guarda (The Guard's House)
#9: Porters Lodge Pavilions
ADMISSION TICKET OF PARK GUELL
Entry to Park Guell is free of charge. It is the only Park Guell's monumental zone, which form 5% of the park, that is access controlled because most of Antoni Gaudi's artworks are in this part of the park, and this is where the tourists are paying to see. I would recommend to purchase the ticket online cause first, you can an online ticket cheaper by 1 Euro. Secondly, you can pick your own preferred time cause entry to Park Guell is restricted to only 400 visitors every half an hour.
You can book your tickets to Park Guell three months ahead of your visit from this official website (here).
A leisurely tour around Park Guell takes approximately 2 hours, where most of the times we stop for taking picture, including sitting on the bench of the terrace for a stunning views of Barcelona. Our verdict? It's really worth to spend our time and money on visiting Park Guell cause almost all of Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece is only concentrated in Barcelona, which means you can't see any of his artwork elsewhere including other cities of Spain.
#10: Don't forget to dropby for some memento
Previous Posts on My UK & Europe Trip - October 2018
The Dragon Stairway and the whole area has very pretty unique and awesome architecture. I would also love to visit and immerse myself in this fantasy-like place. But I would not want that to be my home too.
ReplyDeleteI am opposite from you when traveling overseas. I try not to wake up early except for the hotel's breakfast before continue my nap. I also try to book last or late night flights home to escape the rush hours.
Terimakasih banyak infonya,..
ReplyDeleteWah， I like the Park Guell, so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique experience and so fun to read about your adventures!! Thanks for share with us
ReplyDeletewow amazing lots of information you have provided here....
ReplyDeleteSee me at |:- Las Vegas Tour
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such great information.
It has help me in finding out more detail about portico pillows online india