Highlights of the Palau de la Música Catalana
A façade adorned with sculptures and mosaics
The Palau de la Música Catalana is a concert hall designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. It was built between 1905 and 1908.
Built as the home of the Catalan choir Orfeó Català, it opened in February 1908. Alongside Gaudí, Montaner was one of the leading architects of Catalan Modernisme. The street-facing facade, too, features layered ornamentation of sculpture, mosaics, iron, and glass, conveying the splendor of a building made for music.
A Concert Hall Illuminated by Stained Glass
Image: Tudoi61 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, resized, and sharpened)A large stained-glass skylight spreads above the auditorium, allowing natural light into the hall. A pipe organ stands behind the stage, and together with the sculptures on either side, columns, and wall decorations, it shapes the entire performance space.
As your gaze moves from the auditorium to the stage and ceiling, the materials and density of ornamentation gradually change. The central skylight is a striking feature that illuminates the hall from above the audience. The concert hall is still used as a performance venue and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.
Hospital de Sant Pau
Montaner also designed the Hospital de Sant Pau, as well as the Palau de la Música Catalana. Both buildings were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 as “Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona.”
See the article below for highlights of the Hospital de Sant Pau.
Basic Information about Palau de la Música Catalana
- 🔗 Official website
- The official Palau de la Música Catalana website provides information on touring the building and how to visit.
Descobreix el Palauwww.palaumusica.cat - 📍 Address
- Carrer del Palau de la Música, 4-6, 08003 Barcelona
- 🕒 Visiting hours
- Daily, 9:00–15:30. ⚠️ Time slots shown when purchasing tickets may change.
- 💶 Prices
-
- Guided tour 24 euros
- Self-guided tour with guidebook 20 euros
⚠️ An additional fee of 1 euro per ticket applies to purchases at the ticket office.
- 🎫 Tickets
- Choose between a guided tour and a self-guided tour with a guidebook.
- ⏱️ Duration
- Allow about 50 minutes for the tour route. ⚠️ The duration varies depending on the tour format and that day's programme.
Getting to Palau de la Música Catalana
It is about a 5-minute walk from Plaça de Catalunya. Take the metro to Urquinaona Station on the L1 or L4, then head toward the old town and turn onto Carrer del Palau de la Música to reach the entrance. The route from the station to the concert hall follows narrow streets, so look for the building's decorated street-facing façade to find it more easily.
The building has elevators to every floor, and according to the official information, it can also be used by people with limited mobility.