Casa Vicens
Gaudí’s first house in Barcelona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a garden, café and free audio guide in 16 languages.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Casa Vicens was Antoni Gaudí’s first major work. The stockbroker Manuel Vicens i Montaner commissioned it in 1878 as a summer residence in what was then the independent municipality of Gràcia. Gaudí finished the plans around 1880, and the house was built between 1883 and 1885 under his direct supervision.
The building is an early example of Modernisme with strong Orientalist influences. It combines rubble masonry with abundant ceramic decoration featuring carnation motifs, Arabic-style arches and wooden latticework. Among its most striking spaces are the smoking room, with a stucco ceiling of stalactite forms, and the gallery open to the garden.
After Vicens’s death the house passed through several families. In 1925 it was extended with a new wing designed by Joan Baptista Serra i Martínez, a pupil of Gaudí, and later extensions altered the original estate. In 2014 the Andorran bank MoraBanc bought it and promoted a restoration led by the architects Elías Torres and José Antonio Martínez Lapeña between 2015 and 2017, which recovered original elements of the complex.
The house opened as a house museum on 16 November 2017. It is part of the Gaudí works declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Today it is visited as a historic space, with a garden, café, shop and an audio guide that accompanies the tour of the rooms.
Highlights
- First house designed by Antoni Gaudí (1883–1885)
- Façades with carnation-motif ceramics, arches and latticework of Oriental inspiration
- Smoking room with a stalactite-shaped stucco ceiling
- Garden with a café for visitors
- Free audio guide in 16 languages, played on your phone
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005
- Founded
- 2017
- Operated by
- MoraBanc
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €22 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €20Students aged 12 to 29, over-65s, members of the Barcelona Libraries Network, large or single-parent families and people with functional diversity (with supporting documents). |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 11 · Free admission for children up to age 11; from age 12 the general or, where applicable, reduced rate applies. Minors must always be accompanied by a responsible adult. |
| Seniors | €20Reduced admission for over-65s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €20companion free · Reduced admission for people with functional diversity; the companion enters free. |
| Students & apprentices | €20Reduced admission for students aged 12 to 29. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups start at 10 people; rates are arranged by email (info@casavicens.org). |
| Families | –Large or single-parent families receive reduced admission. |
| Open Hour free visit (access at the time you prefer) | €27General rate from €27; reduced rate from €25. |
Free admission: Free admission for children up to age 11, companions of people with functional diversity, members of the Club Super3 and ICOM members (ticket office only).
Prices for general free-visit admission start at €22 (general) and €20 (reduced). Buying on the official website is cheaper than at the ticket office, where rates are higher and availability is limited. Guided tours (60 minutes) and Sweet Gaudí (visit with audio guide and artisan ice cream or hot chocolate with churros) are also offered.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The house has ramps and lifts and offers an adapted route for people with reduced mobility through all visitable spaces. Accredited assistance dogs and emotional-support dogs are admitted.
Kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 75 min |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 11 |
Children up to age 11 enter free, and minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Fontana (L3)
Metro L3, Fontana or Lesseps stops; FGC, Plaça Molina – Sant Gervasi stop (S5, S55, L6, L7) or Gràcia (L6, L7, S5, S55, S1, S2); buses 22, 24, 27, 87, 114, H6, V17 and D40; Barcelona Bus Turístic (blue line) and Barcelona City Tour (green/east route), Park Güell stop.
There is a bicycle parking area in front of the site, and Bicing stations (221 and 230) nearby. There is no space to store bicycles or scooters inside the house.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
Café in the garden, for ticket holders only. The “laCapell” shop on level -1, open only to people who have bought a ticket. Free Wi-Fi for listening to the audio guide. Lockers are available for backpacks and bags larger than 30 × 30 cm; suitcases are not permitted.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
The house offers hire of spaces, film shoots and photo sessions; event enquiries are handled at events@casavicens.org.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (ES, CA, EN, FR, IT, PT, DE, NL, UK, RU, PL, ZH, JA, KO, AR, HE) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography without flash is permitted; tripods, selfie sticks and phone stabilisers are not allowed. Filming for professional or commercial purposes requires authorisation. |
| Good to know | The audio guide is free and is played on your phone via a QR code; it is advisable to bring headphones. Guided tours are offered in Spanish, English, French, Italian, Chinese and Japanese. Food and drink are not permitted inside, except on the café terrace. School groups can check the education section of the website. |
