Casa Milà - La Pedrera

Pere Milà and Roser Segimon commissioned the apartment building from Antoni Gaudí, and its rough, undulating stone front was so unlike anything else at the time that Barcelona nicknamed it La Pedrera, the stone quarry. The wrought-iron balconies, twisting like seaweed, were designed by Josep Maria Jujol. Casa Milà has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984 and is run by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.

The building was radical inside too: the stone façade supports itself, there are no interior load-bearing walls, and two courtyards bring daylight into all nine floors. Under the roof, 270 catenary arches of different heights form the attic, once used for laundry and insulation. On the roof itself, 28 chimneys and ventilation towers stand like helmeted sentinels, which the poet Pere Gimferrer called the garden of warriors.

On Tiqets you can choose daytime entry with an audio guide, a sunset ticket for the roof at golden hour, a guided night tour with an audiovisual show and optional dinner, or an early morning guided tour with optional breakfast. There are also guided tours in small groups.

The roof is the highlight, so pick a dry day and, if you can, a late afternoon slot for the light over the city. Casa Milà is a few minutes' walk up Passeig de Gràcia from Casa Batlló, so the two make an easy pair.