Visited May 2019

For a first review, I thought it would be nice if I wrote about a place that hasn't been reviewed yet on this website. So, as Casa Vicens opened to the public a year and a half ago, and none of the members of this community has reviewed it yet, I decided to visit it and do it myself.

Casa Vicens was the first building Gaudí designed in Barcelona. It was finished in 1885 and used as a private house until 2014, when a bank from Andorra bought it, restored it and opened it to the public. The house had suffered lots of changes during all the years it had been used as a residence, so some parts of it are different from the original, especially the garden. They did an excellent job in keeping the rooms as Gaudi designed them. Most furniture is lost, so you can see empty rooms, much like in Casa Batlló, but it lets you focus on all the decoration techniques Gaudí used on the walls, floors, ceilings...

Some of the features of Gaudí's later works are not seen at all on this building. There are more straight lines and the most obvious influences are nature and islamic art. But all in all, it is very interesting and beautiful.

The price ticket is 16eur, but the last Sunday of the month and every Monday it is 10eur. You can find guides in different areas of the house who can give you information about it and answer questions, but you can also join a guided tour for 3.50eur. I took the guided tour and don't regret it. You can book tickets online, but it is not necessary as it is not as crowded as other monuments by Gaudí.