
Day Trip Rucksack
Small 10L day trip and museums rucksack
Casa Milá is locally known as La Pedrera or Casa Pedrera, which translates to the rock or stone quarry because of the undulating rough cut appearance of the façade. It is one of two Gaudí houses in Passeig de Grácia (500 metres from Casa Batlló) and was the last private residence commission for architect Antoni Grácia.
The house was commisioned by a wealthy couple. Pere Milá y Camps was a developer and his wife, Roser Segimon i Artells, the widow of a coffee plantation owner in Guatamala. Construction began in 1906 with the demolition of the existing house and gardens on the plot..
Casa Milá/La Pedrera uses a free floating steel frame to support the façade with cement made from a mix of montjuic stone poweder and mortar to bind the carved Garaf Massif Limestone blocks and Villefranche quarry (French Pyrenees) stone blocks. This construction technique allowed large window openings on the façade with a structurally seprate interior that would permit the owners to move interior walls without compromising the structure of the building façade.
The relation between the Milá's and Gaudí was strained due to construction delays and large fines imposed by the town hall because of breaches of building codes. A pillar o the façade was found to be outside of the defined grid street footprint set out by the urbanisation of La Eixample. The height of the roof terrace also exceded regulations and the total square meterage of the interior exceeded limitations. Gaudí was indifferent to the town hall notices and Pere Milá was given a large fine resulting in him needing a Mortgage to pay for the house. These problems were solved when the La Pedrera was declared a monumental building and not requred to adhere stricly to bylaws.
Construction was completed in 1910 and from 1912 the first floor flat was inhabited by the Milá family.
The building was sold to Josep Ballvé i Pellisé in 1940 when Pere Milá died, his widow Roser remained in the first floor flat until her death in 1964. The Milá apartment became office space and the original Gaudí decoration was lost, The building also contained a bingo hall and the upper floors were also subdivided into flats. By the 1970s the building was quite dilapidated.
In 1984 the building became part of a World Heritage Site encompassing some of Gaudí's works. Caixa Catalunya, A large Catalan bank, bought the building in 1986 and extensive renovation work was done to the main façade. The fourth floor was restored to an exhibition and museum space. The arched loft space and roof terrace are also open as museum space.
Casa Milá/La Pedrera was granted World Heritage Status in 1984.
Click on any of the 4 images to open full screen gallery player
The Casa Milá/La Pedrera visit includes the ground floor exterior façade and the two interior atriums: The flower courtyard with colourful nature inspired staircase and The Butterfly Courtyard is where horse drawn carriages would enter the building to disembark residents.
The Entire fourth floor is a whole lavish apartment museum and has been restored to period times of the early 20th Century complete with kitchem lounge, study, bedrooms, childrens play room and halways around the flower atrium.
The attic with its 270 catenary brick arches is a museum space about Gaudí's work and contains some Gaudí furniture. The arches are described as whale ribes.
The roof terrace is a multi level space with warrior chimneys and great views over this part of Barcelona.
As per Casa Batlló, Casa Milá/La Pedrera is oversubscribed, especially in summer and I strongly recommend buying the ticket online booking in advance.
I advise 1 to 2 hours to fully explore this museum and of course arrive a little before the stated start time of the visit you book online.
Tip: Take headphones for the audio guide.
The House that Gaudí Lived in, is located in Parc Güell but not included in the Sagrada Familia ticket. I recommend buying a combined Parc Guell + Gaudí House Museum ticket. Details on the Parc Güell Page.
My recommendation is to combine a visit to Casa Milá/La Pedrera with La Perdera/Casa Mila because it is only a 500 metre walk from casa Batlló, higher up in Passeig de Grácia.
For The grandest of Gaudí's works in Barcelona, visit La Sagrada Familia.
You will also find Gaudí's Palau Güell near to the bottom of Las Ramblas, Casa Vicens in the Grácia Neighbourhood and Torre Bellesguard in the Sant Gervasi Neighbourhood.
Each of these Gaudí wonders are visually distinct and each one its own masterpiece.
The tour of Casa Milá/La Pedrera is accessible to people who use wheelchairs. There are lifts and ramps that connect the various floors. The courtyards, Pedrera Apartment and the attic can all be visited without difficulty. The roof terrace is accessible by lift to a viewing platform but because of the many stepped levels of the roof it is not possible to stray from the viewpoint in a wheelchair. Wheelchair loan service must be booked in advance by sending an email to accessibilitat@fcatalunyalapedrera.com.
You will be denied access with large rucksacks, bags and other over sized items so only attend with small bags.
Bicycle anchorage points outside Casa Mila/La Pedrera in Carrer de Provenca with passeig de Gracia.
Don't forget headphones for the audio guide.
Address: Passeig de Grácia 92, Barcelona. 08037
Nearest TMB METRO is Passeig de Grácia on L3 (green), L2 (purple) and L4 (yellow) or Diagonal L3 (green) and L5 (blue).
Click on any one of the 2 PDFs to view in full screen and download.