Palau de la Música Catalana: UNESCO Art Nouveau Icon Guided Tour
4.6
469 Ratings
Barcelona
Experience the beauty of Palau de la Música Catalana on a guided tour. Skip the lines and explore the UNESCO-listed Art Nouveau icon with an expert guide. Discover its rich history and marvel at its stunning architecture and lavish interiors.
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Palace of Catalan Music - Choose the departure time most convenient for you, then meet your guide at the Palau de la Música Catalana in La Ribera. One of the most popular concert halls in Barcelona, the UNESCO-listed Palau de la Música Catalana is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture.

Head directly inside with your skip-the-line ticket, and begin your guided tour in the Rehearsal Hall of the Orfeó Catala. Learn how the foundation stone was laid here in 1905, and watch a 15-minute clip about the building’s history as well as society in the early 20th century.

Next, feast your eyes on the elaborate staircases that lead up to the second floor. Study the lavish tiling that covers the underside, then peer through the unusual glass balusters that support the marble banisters as you ascend the stairs.

Find yourself bathed in light as you enter the Lluís Millet Hall, which features floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the balcony colonnade of the main façade. Gaze out at the pillars that are decorated with intricate mosaics depicting flowers in a tribute to nature.

Your final stop is the Concert Hall. Be overcome with awe as you step into this magnificent hall. Look around you at the massive panes of stained glass that are set in arches along the walls, then turn your attention to the room’s centerpiece: a large skylight in the shape of an inverted dome.

As you tour the auditorium with your guide, learn about the Catalan architects responsible for the décor, including Eusebi Arnau, Pau Gargallo, Lluís Bru and Antoni Rigalt.

After around an hour, your tour concludes near the Palau de la Música Catalana’s exit.

Photos provided by Matteo Vecchi.

What's Included
  • Local guide
  • 15-minute audio-visual clip
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a captivating journey through the architectural splendor of Barcelona with a 1-hour tour of the Palau de la Música Catalana. Dodge the queues and step straight into this UNESCO-designated Art Nouveau masterpiece with a knowledgeable guide. Take a deep dive into the structure’s illustrious past and the evolution of 20th-century society through an intriguing audio-visual presentation. Ascend up the majestic stairways, admiring the dazzling glass railings and intricate adornments. Bask in the natural illumination in the Lluís Millet Hall then proceed to the Concert Hall, a richly ornamented auditorium topped with a stunning skylight.

Location
Palau de la Música Catalana
Carrer del Palau de la Música
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(469 Ratings)
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Robert_s
May 19, 2024
Wonderful Tour of the Palau de la Música Catalans - Great tour of an amazingly beautiful music venue. Our guide was excellent. The sample of music played by the organ was incredible!
Review provided by Viator
Stowtraveller
May 19, 2024
Absolutely gorgeous and interesting concert hall - An absolute highlight of our time in Barcelona. Stunningly beautiful venue, and definitely worth taking the guided tour for many details about the history and architecture. This ranks among the top three places we visited here. Only wish we could have experienced a concert here!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeanne_b
May 16, 2024
Beautiful building, incredible architecture and a lovely tour! - I traveled with a group of friends and family. Everything was absolutely stunning! Our tour guide did a wonderful job.
Review provided by Viator
Monika_k
May 16, 2024
Wow - Rien plus à dire que , Sublime !!!!!!! Never saw something like this in my life.. wow. I highly recommend this place
Review provided by Viator
Missy_c
May 15, 2024
Definitely on the mist see list - Guided tour is a must! So many details to see and you won’t want to miss a single thing. To see a performance would be amazing but not available this trip. Our guide was very thorough and answered all questions.
Review provided by Viator
Mijknarf
May 14, 2024
Informative - Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant and friendly! She was very helpful explaining how the concert hall came to be
Review provided by Viator
Traveltiger65
May 13, 2024
Gorgeous - This place wasn’t even on my plan but my friend/teacher recommended it. I’m so glad she did! I love music and this place is the most beautiful concert arena I have ever been too.
Review provided by Viator
Jean_l
May 23, 2024
Visit to the Palau Theatre - The guide did a good job on the history of the building and how it has been used through the years. Getting to hear the magnificent organ was an extra treat.
Review provided by Viator
Melissa_g
May 14, 2024
Beautiful building, amazing to learn about it and experience it. - The building itself is amazing. Our guide was knowledgeable and humorous, we learned a lot. Hearing the organ play was amazing, just loved that. Great little tour, would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
Tori233
May 23, 2024
DON'T do the English GUIDED Tour - The building was classic and pretty but the Enlgish guided tour was something just better than awful. Not because of the accent but due to lack of content. First, the guide didn't elaborate on the architecture and the Catalan history, while just describing everything insipidly as 'special' and curtly reducing the Catalan history to its symbol of rose. Second, no much vivid explanation on the musicians and their works either. The guide seemed to assume the visitors to be knowledgeable about the stuff she was talking. Or she was at the other extreme of 'come on no one among you is gonna interested in this so I'll skip this to finish my job quickly'. In general, the guide was really in a rush while I couldn't understand why she was like that. She couldn't get the visitors immersed in the tour at all. Instead you feel she wasn't very confident in their beautiful building and music and she didn't understand why people were happy to spend their time visiting here. So she was soooo detached - and then how should us visitors be excited? If you cannot make the guided tour funny, I think at least you should make it informative and educational. 建筑很漂亮但是英语解说的真人导览非常不行,不是因为口音之类的问题,而是因为内容太泛泛而谈。第一是对建筑、历史的介绍太少,形容词不是special就是speacial,对加泰罗尼亚本地历史的介绍除了一个rose就没了;第二是对音乐的介绍预设听众懂得很多的样子;最重要的是导游态度很奇怪,看起来像为了完成任务很赶时间,完全不能调动访客的情绪,让人放松、投入地观赏。我觉得讲解枯燥一点可以理解,但就算不够有趣,枯燥而且重复无味,反复用几个词,还没有足够多的信息,让人听过了跟没听过一样学不到内容,就有点太敷衍了吧。
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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