Gaudí to Gehry

Depart the USA for your overnight flight to Barcelona.

Welcome to sunny Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city and the capital of Catalonia. Spend your morning at leisure to enjoy the neighborhood around our centrally located, stylish hotel. In the afternoon, meet your fellow travelers and Frank Lloyd Wright Trust trip leaders in the lobby, including Gaudí specialist Cristina Belenguer, our guide for the next few days. We begin with an introduction to the birth of Catalan Modernisme—or Catalan Art Nouveau—through several early works by its main proponents, Antoni Gaudí and his contemporaries. Board a motorcoach to view the Hospital di Sant Pau by Lluis Domènech i Montaner. This impressive building has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site collectively with the Palau de la Musica Catalana (which we will see on Wednesday.)

Then, enjoy an exclusive guided visit to Casa Vicens—Antoni Gaudí’s richly decorated second commission—that ends with a glass of cava on the rooftop. Get to know your fellow travelers over cocktails and dinner at a popular restaurant specializing in fresh seafood and sun-soaked Mediterranean vegetables prepared in the Catalan style.
The Monument Hotel / Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, continue your investigation of Catalan Art Nouveau with a walking tour of the Illa de la Discòrdia “Block of Discord,” so-named because it features buildings in sharply contrasting styles. Our first stop is a pre-opening tour of Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, where you can see the genius of the architect up close. Highlights of the ever-surprising and richly-detailed interior include the former residence of the Batlló family, including the loft, the roof terrace, and the fabulous building well, entrance hall and main staircase. Continue next door to the exquisite Casa Amatller (1875), a home with neo-Gothic elements and a geometric façade inspired by houses in the Netherlands, refurbished by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1898. After lunch at leisure, reconvene to visit another Gaudí masterpiece, the Parc Guell. After a guided tour, you will have time to explore the rest of the expansive site on your own.

Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure. Dining choices abound, from casual tapas bars to local eateries to elegant cuisine.
The Monument Hotel / Breakfast

Eat heartily this morning to prepare for a long and active day. First, enjoy a special pre-opening visit to Casa Milà (1906-1912), also known as La Pedrera “The Quarry” due to the façade’s curving, sinuous surfaces, evocative of an open quarry. Then, depart by coach to Gaudí’s most famous church, La Sagrada Familia. From its start in 1883 — when Gaudí was 31, to his death in 1926 — the design continually changed and evolved as the architect’s style matured. Although the final piece of the central Tower of Jesus Christ was completed last year—  making it the tallest church in the world — additional decorative elements will take at least another decade to finish. It is Barcelona’s most important landmark and Gaudí’s most ambitious and iconic design.

Next, head to the Born neighborhood to enjoy a private visit of the Palau della Música. Built between 1905 and 1908 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, its curving shapes and ornamental features inspired by Hispano-Moorish architecture make it one of the most emblematic buildings of the Art Nouveau style. Then, walk to the nearby Santa Catarina Market — designed by the firm we will visit this evening — for lunch.

Return to the hotel for some time to rest before heading out in the afternoon to see more inspiring architecture. Visit the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, an icon of modernism that enjoyed instant acclaim at the Spanish International Exhibition in 1929. It was faithfully re-built by the Barcelona City Council in 1981-1986 after having been demolished after the exhibition. Then, enjoy a very special visit to the Architecture Studio of Benedetta Tagliabue, who together with Enric Miralles formed EMBT in 1994. She completed their most important projects—including the Scottish Parliament Building and the Santa Caterina Market—after Miralles’s passing in 2000. Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.
The Monument Hotel / Breakfast, lunch

We bid farewell to Barcelona for a three-hour drive through the countryside (with stops along the way), arriving in Zaragoza, the capital of Spain’s Aragon region before noon. Visit the 11th century Palacio de la Aljaferia, (Regional Parliament of Aragon) a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace reflects the splendor of Spanish Islamic architecture, with its imposing, impenetrable exterior contrasting with its elegantly decorated interiors. After a traditional lunch, walk to Zaragoza’s main square, including the Basilica del Pilar and the Catedral del Salvador. Continue our journey to our award-winning design hotel located near the natural preserve of the Bardenas of Navarra. The modern design takes advantage of its stunning desert location, with expansive views, balconies, or outdoor hot tubs. After drinks and dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, relax and enjoy the quiet of the desert and the remarkable night sky.
Aire de Bardenas | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, depart for Bilbao, stopping in the vineyards of La Rioja on the way. Here, enjoy wine tastings amid stunning modern architecture, including buildings by Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava. Enjoy a gourmet tasting lunch at Bodegas Baigorrí, a winery designed by Iñaki Aspiazu that is carved into a mountain. Arrive in Bilbao in the evening and check in to your hotel overlooking the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. Dinner is at leisure this evening, with plenty of suggestions for pintxos (Basque tapas) bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
The Artist | Breakfast, Lunch

Explore Bilbao; the largest city in Spain’s Basque country, immortalized by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises. While the bullfights of Pamplona and tidy, red-roofed villages set among rich green hills still harken back to those days, Bilbao itself has undergone many changes. The city’s stunning transformation from a city of industry to an international powerhouse of modern architecture, design and art was sparked by its crowning jewel, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Depart the hotel for an architectural tour of Bilbao’s modern buildings by boat and on foot. Our boat journey takes us up the river to understand Bilbao’s history in the shipping industry. Returning downstream, disembark near the Campo Volantin Footbridge by Santiago Calatrava and Isozaki Atea by Arata Isozaki before walking to the old center of Bilbao, where we will see other landmark modern buildings set amongst historic neighborhoods, in this city that reinvented itself with a seamless mix of old and new.

Enjoy a traditional Basque lunch before returning to the hotel for some time to rest before our exclusive evening tour of the Guggenheim. We will explore Frank Gehry’s marvelous design — which pays tribute to Wright’s Guggenheim — and learn about the building’s innovative construction. We will also enjoy highlights of the collection. Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.
The Artist | Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, we set out for a 1.5-hour drive to the Cantabria region, stopping first in Comillas for a private tour of El Capricho (1883-1885) by Antoni Gaudí. The elegant and whimsical summer home for Máximo Díaz de Quijan — a wealthy businessman and amateur musician — is from Gaudí’s early career, when the architect was just 31. The U-shaped floor plan protects against the north wind, while a south-facing open courtyard housed a greenhouse in which Máximo Díaz de Quijano raised plants he collected from America. Continue to Cantabria’s capital city Santander for lunch, followed by a walking tour of the city highlights. Return to Bilbao. Then, toast the end of our spectacular adventure at our farewell dinner at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Oleo.
The Artist | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The journey ends after breakfast. Transfers to Bilbao’s Sondika Airport (designed by Santiago Calatrava and built in 2000) can be arranged upon request.

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Daily Itinerary subject to change.