Palau de la Música Catalana Guided Visit
Overview
Experience the Palau with a guided visit and discover its wonders. Enjoy a whole world of surprises and refined architectural details.
The Palau de la Música Catalana was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1997 and is known as the masterpiece of Modernisme. It is one of the most emblematic buildings of Barcelona and an essential part of any visit to the city.
Tour Details
- When: Daily from 10 AM to 3:30 PM all year round August from 9 AM to 8 PM.
- Meeting point: Your guide will meet you at the foyer (cafeteria) of the Palau de la Musica
- Duration: 55 minutes approx. Please be at the Palau de la Música foyer 5 minutes before your scheduled time.
- Languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian.
- Itinerary: Rehearsal Hall of the Orfeó Català with a video introduction > Lluís Millet Hall > Concert Hall with its outstanding skylight > Short demonstration of the Palau’s organ.
Please note
The Palau de la Música is a busy working concert hall. Guided visits may therefore occasionally be changed or cancelled.
Why do our customers book this tour?
- It is the only way to walk out to the famous balcony with flowered columns
- The concert hall is at is best during day time, when light floods in and you can take outstanding pictures
- You discover another great art nouveau architect in Barcelona, Gaudí wasn’t the only one!
What will I see?
Opened in 1908, this outstanding concert hall was built by the Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Palau is owned by the Orfeó Català (the Catalan Choir), founded in 1891 by Lluís Millet and Amadeu Vives. More than just a choir, it is a key institution of Catalan culture. Some of its activities have included the building of the Palau, publishing the journal Musical Catalana, organizing concerts, choral musicology, popular and traditional song research etc.
After seeing the imposing façade and a brief audio-visual introduction you will visit the chamber music hall, the spectacular concert hall, the foyer and the Lluís Millet hall.
Cancellation Policy
This activity is provided by the Palau de la Música Catalana. The Palau does not refund any tickets, although you can change the time and date with a service fee of 2 € per person, always depending on availability. All redemption decisions are at the discretion of Palau de la Música.
Reviews
Check our reviews and see what our customers say about this tour.
Posted by BGB - 03 Jul 2019
We took a tour of Palau de la musica Catalana and our tour guide Andres was great, nice, funny and explained everything in a very interesting way!
Reviewed on tripadvisor on June 2019.
Posted by cpeters_G69 - 06 Apr 2017
“Arguably the best building in Barcelona … not to be missed” 5/5 stars
A simple stunning building. One of the most impressive sights in Barcelona. From the outside it is hard to appreciate just how good it is as the proximity of other buildings prevent a decent panoramic view. You will need to pay to take the tour to fully appreciate its beauty , but what a visual delight. However once inside the attention to detail in the Palau de la Musica Orfeo Catala is a joy to behold. As this is still a working music venue the attractive features within the building are amazing, especially when you understand they where created well before much of the science that accompanies modern acoustics
Reviewed on tripadvisor by cpeters_G69 from the United Kingdom
Posted by SunnyladySurrey - 05 Apr 2017
“A hidden gem in the back streets of Barcelona.”
We took a taxi to this beautiful concert hall, as it is not easy to find tucked away in the back streets of Barcelona. It was built 100 years ago for a choir and it is still owned today by the choir. We had delicious coffee and cake in the beautiful café before we took the tour with an English speaking guide. It is the most beautiful concert hall with over 2,000 seats. The architecture is amazing and the stained glass windows are truly magnificent, letting in so much natural light. They were rehearsing for a concert while we were there and we wished we could have got tickets to see the full performance. we would love to go again and really recommend a visit if you are in Barcelona.
Reviewed on tripadvisor by SunnyladySurrey from Surrey
Posted by KDrellich - 05 Apr 2017
“A jewel tucked into a bustling neighborhood scene.” 4/5 stars
Architect Louis Domènech i Montaner created a rich combination of imaginative tile-work and stained glass to honor music; the eye is as entertained as the ear. Take the guided tour to fully enjoy all of this jewel box of color, creativity and artistry from the box office to the café.
Reviewed on tripadvisor by KDrellich from California
Posted by Emma B - 23 Aug 2016
"Stunning" 5/5 stars
You can only enter the Palau as part of a guided tour but there are lots available. English speaking tours are available every hour on the hour. The building itself is very impressive and just beautiful. I'm so glad we made time for this visit. The guide we had William was very knowledgeable and made the tour very enjoyable. It has a cafe attached which is reasonably priced. Top marks.
Reviewed on tripadvisor by Emma from Newcastle, UK
Posted by Ammy T - 24 May 2016
“A Temple for Music!” – 5/5 stars
The Palau is a temple built to honor composers and musicians. The beauty of the surroundings will match the music of any style. Our guide Catarina was from Italy and spoke with an angels voice!
Reviewed on tripadvisor by Ammy
Posted by ledezmacjl - 10 Apr 2016
"wow what an experience…" 5/5 stars
We have been to Barcelona numerous times and seen all the "tourist" places but have not been here and this time we got English tour and we bought it online. .. boy what an experience! This has to be one of highlights of our BCN travels, The tour was led by one of the most pleasant and friendliest tour guides we have had Oliver. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable but he was friendly and made the tour experience very intimate.. ..both my wife and my mother-in-law said the same thing. Come here during our BCN trip you will be left in awe as this is an amazing experience… .and be sure to schedule your tour beforehand!
Reviewed on tripadvisor by ledezmacjl, from Michigan, USA
Posted by SissaH - 09 Jan 2016
"A modernisme jewell" 5/5 stars
Although the guided tour is quite expensive (18 euros per person for an hour), it's the only way to see this stunning venue without attending a performance. The tour was excellent, very informative, and the guide Miguel spoke perfect English. There were plenty of opportunities to take pictures of the incredible interior. For anyone interested in modernisme/art nouveau, this is well worth a visit. In our view, this was the most impressive buildings we've seen. Tours happen every half an hour from 10am in various languages, and you can buy them online or at the box office. The Palau is very close to Plaza Catalunya, so easy to get to.
Reviewed on tripadvisor by Sissa, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Posted by zhangshinyi - 18 Oct 2015
“Some non-Gaudi Modernisme fun” 5/5 stars
– Book the 55-minute tour in advance
– Tour starts with a ~10 minute video
– Big advantage: they've recently opened the balcony with the mosaic-ed columns to people on the guided tour; it's very difficult to get a good view from the street
– Tour guide, Laura, was enthusiastic and has a good sense of humor
– Guided tour includes an organ performance; a performance from a previous organist was copied/mechanized, so it's technically playing live music
Reviewed on tripadvisor by zhangshinyi from New York, USA
Posted by GedlingGirl - 20 Aug 2015
“Competition for Gaudi” 5/5 stars
We too visited when the concert organist was rehearsing and it made the visit.
The tour guide, Oliver, was enthusiastic and really passionate about the building and its history. The tour allows time to stop and stare without containing us in a small area.
The tour circulates through the building with a film introduction which I was dreading. However it was very informative and put everything into context.
The stained glass and decorative panels are breathtaking.
Next time, we will definitely attend a concert – there is a wide range throughout the year.
Wonderful
Reviewed on tripadvisor by GedlingGirl