Today we want to share some special news with you, the blog Condé Nast Traveler has published an article that puts BARCELONA ARCHITECTURE WALKS among the 28 Best Things to Do in Barcelona. As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel.
Under the title the 28 Best Things to Do in Barcelona they explain that BAW is the best choice for anyone who wants to know more about a building than simply how it photographs.
Here is what they say:
Zoom out. What’s the big picture here?
While most sightseeing tours simply describe what’s in front of you, Barcelona Architecture Walks explore a building’s wider context: from the juicy politics of how that frightfully out-of-context glass office block really swung planning permission, to what the wealthy textile tycoons who commissioned Gaudí actually thought when he left them with a swirly ceilinged bedroom covered in religious motifs? Of the five tours available, the flagship is Barcelona & Gaudí—a three-hour, pre-reserved ramble around Eixample that’s capped at 20 people. Expect fast-paced historical insight that spans Barcelona’s Roman origins, recent attempts to greenify the city, as well as explainers into the technical wizardry and mathematics behind Gaudí’s zany ideas.
Tell us about your fellow tourees.
Most are enthusiastic students of architecture, but there’s no prerequisite for formal knowledge of the field beyond a hobby-level interest in design or construction, or simply being nosey about city history. That said, you’ll likely get more out of it knowing a basic who’s-who of key architectural players, such as Le Corbusier and John Rushkin. Tours are fully accessible for wheelchair users.
How are the guides?
Guides are all architects—either practicing, or professors—and this knowledge and critical eye really adds credibility. Our guide was Pia Wortham, an Italian-Mexican who grew up in the US and moved to Barcelona to work with revered public-building architect, the late Enric Miralles. She was a thoroughly engaging speaker: fastidiously well-informed, very professional, and deft at throwing in a few jokes and sharing warm details about her life in Barcelona. She’s also very talented at sketching, which elevated explanations of complex construction techniques.
Anything you’ll be remembering weeks or months or years from now?
Learning that in the 1970s, Gaudí’s buildings were deemed so unimportant and devoid of taste that many locals wanted them torn down. Until tourism arrived, that is, and transformed them into money-earners. You’ll also get an intriguing peek into the usually hidden minutiae of daily life, such as where locals hang their laundry to dry and which apartment floor has the wealthiest residents.
So: money, time—how can we make the most of both?
These are fantastic, talking-point tours for anyone who wants to know more about a building than simply how it photographs. For that reason, kids’ attention spans may struggle. But for adults, particularly us nerds who like to leave a place having learned secrets about its identity, get those comfy walking shoes on.
We are very proud about this collaboration, thank you so much Condé Nast Traveler!!!
This interview has been reviewed by GEMMA ASKHAM
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