Casa Milà “La Pedrera”

The famous Casa Milà, also known as ‘La Pedrera,’ is one of the most renowned works of the architect Gaudí and has become one of the symbols of Barcelona due to its unique features. The house was built between 1906 and 1912 and consists of a wavy facade on the outside, two painted courtyards, and various apartments. The rooftop terrace is just as beautiful as the rest and offers visitors an excellent view of the city.

What to See and Do at Casa Milà

Casa Milà (La Pedrera) is now open to the public as a museum. Special exhibitions are often held, as well as cultural events such as jazz concerts on the roof. If you have never been here, I strongly recommend you visiting the La Pedrera museum.

La Pedrera Museum

A visit to the La Pedrera Museum grants access to the house’s courtyards, the rooftop terrace (with its amazing views and artistic chimneys and staircases), the attic (where an exhibition about Gaudí and his work called Espai Gaudí is held), and the best part: the house on the fourth floor, furnished as the wealthy lived in the early 20th century.

Here, besides the period furnishings, you will also see the details of Gaudí’s design in the knobs, handles, doors, moldings, and floors.

Through multiple projections in the exhibition, you also learn about Barcelona from the first part of the 20th century, with the urbanization of the area and the advent of cars, electricity, and telephony.

Casa Milà at Night

f you’ve already been to Casa Milà, or are looking for something special, the La Pedrera Night Experience tour is for you. You can take an evening tour of Casa Milà with a guide, where you will discover everything about the lives of the people who lived in this building 100 years ago.

An intimate and exclusive tour that highlights the key features of this modernist jewel.

After the tour, there is a spectacular audiovisual show on the rooftop, and you receive a glass of cava. Tickets can be booked online from €34.

Note: reservations are required for this tour. The tour starts daily at 21:00 (19:00 in winter). Language: English. Duration: 70 – 90 minutes.

Café de La Pedrera

After visiting the museum, you can have a coffee at the La Pedrera coffee house, located on the ground floor. Here, you can also grab a bite to eat, order lunch, or have a drink.

Laie La Pedrera Shop

Next to the souvenir shop, there is also a Laie bookstore where you can primarily buy books about Gaudí and Modernism. You can also access it via Provença street number 261-265.

Events at Casa Milà

Casa Milà is the scene of various special events and temporary exhibitions throughout the year. For instance, a large Catalan flag is placed on the facade during Sant Jordi, the facade is beautifully lit during Christmas, and special concerts take place on the rooftop during the summer.

History of Casa Milà (La Pedrera)

Casa Milà was part of the property owned by Mr. Pere Milà and his wife Roser Segimón, who commissioned the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí to design their house. The location of the house couldn’t have been better: near the (then) brand-new promenade of Passeig de Gràcia, where all the wealthy families of Barcelona were building their homes.

During the construction of Casa Milà (1906-1912), Gaudí quickly faced public opinion. The house was nicknamed “La Pedrera” (the quarry) due to its limestone façade, which was cut on site from a single white rock. The building caused extraordinary turmoil in the city. The many satirical cartoon strips that appeared in the magazines of the time are an amusing example of the confusion La Pedrera must have caused among the citizens.

The collaboration with the owners was also not smooth. Due to confrontations and differences in taste with Mr. Milà, Gaudí left this project before it was completed.

Casa Milà was built to house, in addition to the Milà family home, apartments and offices. The house had the city’s first-ever garage in the basement, the ground floor was for retail space, the mezzanine for offices, the first floor for the Milà family’s home, and the rest of the apartments were rented out. The attic was used as a laundry room. Oddly, the owner initially had trouble renting the apartments because tenants thought they would have problems with the layout of the rooms due to the irregular shapes of the house.

Yet, over the years, the house has come to be appreciated and since 1969 Casa Milà has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List of Humanity and since 1984 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In 1986, the building was purchased and refurbished by Caixa Catalunya to turn it into a cultural institution. Currently, the building is the headquarters of the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation and offers countless exhibitions and cultural activities. Inside La Pedrera, there is now a museum open to the public where you can view part of the house.

Casa Milà (La Pedrera) Tickets

It is advisable to order your Casa Milà tickets online in advance to avoid long queues. At Casa Milà, there are two different types of lines: one for the ticket counter for people who do not have tickets and another for online tickets. When you buy a ticket online in advance, the waiting time outside is limited.

Skip-the-Line Tickets Casa Milà

You can order your Casa Milà tickets online in advance to skip the long queues. Tickets can be booked online starting at €24 (€12.50 for children between 7-12 years old).

You will also receive an audio guide explaining what you see. Languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Catalan.

Nowadays, you can only choose tickets with a time slot.

For extra advantage, you can also choose to order a combination ticket for Casa Milà. This combination ticket gives you queue-free access to the La Pedrera museum (including audio guide) and various other benefits.

Casa Milà Tours

A great way to visit Casa Milà (La Pedrera) is with the guidance of a professional guide. The admission ticket is included in the price and you learn much more about the history of this building.

How to Get to Casa Milà

Casa Milà is located at Passeig de Gràcia number 92 and is definitely not to be missed due to its unique exterior. Near Casa Milà, you will find the Diagonal (L3 and L5) and Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, and L4) metro stations.