Sant Pau Recinte Modernista, formerly known as Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, is the largest Catalan Modernist complex in the world. For over a century, it served as a hospital for Barcelona’s poorer residents. After an extensive restoration, it reopened to visitors in 2014. This is one of our favorite sights in Barcelona.
| Sant Pau Recinte Modernista | Tickets, opening hours & public transport |
|---|---|
| Tickets | Adults: €16 Book online now Youth (12-29 years) and seniors (65+): €11.20 Book online now Children under 12 can enter for free (make sure to book a ticket) Book online now |
| Adress | Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167 (Eixample Dreta) |
| Public transport / metro | Metro: Guinardó | Hospital de Sant Pau (L4) Sant Pau | Dos de Maig (L5) Bus: H8, 19, 20, 45, 47, 50, 51, 92, 117, 192 Hop-on Hop-off bus |
| Opening hours | November - march Daily: 10.00 - 17.00 April - october Daily: 10.00 - 18.30 |
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Tickets and tours of Sant Pau
What is Sant Pau and why should you visit this complex?
Plan your visit to Sant Pau
Practical information
How do you get to Hospital Sant Pau?
What can you see and do during your visist to Sant Pau Recinte Modernista?
History of Sant Pau
Tickets and tours of Sant Pau
Visit the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista at your own pace
You can choose to visit just the courtyard, which includes access to two former hospital wards: the Sant Salvador Pavilion and the Sant Rafael Pavilion. Tickets cost €17 for a standard entry and €11.90 for seniors (65+) and young adults aged 12 to 24. Children under 12 can enter free of charge. Secure payment is available, and you can cancel free of charge up until shortly before your visit.
Please note: With this ticket, you do not have access to the fantastic main
Tour with guide
You can also book a guided tour, which gives you the opportunity to explore the spectacular main building from the inside. Tickets for the tour can be reserved through the official website. While it costs a bit more, the main building is one of the true highlights of the complex and well worth the visit.
During the tour, the guide shares fascinating insights about the history of the site, its unique architecture, and artistic significance, while leading the group through its most iconic spaces. Tours are available in English or Spanish and last approximately 75 minutes. Be sure to arrive on time to check in, as group sizes are limited.
Another option is to rent an audio guide for €4 or download the web app version on your phone for €3. Audio guides are only available at the ticket desk on-site and cannot be booked in advance.
The discount card for the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Hop-on Hop-off bus, and more!
What is Sant Pau and why should you visit this complex?
Anyone interested in Catalan modernism, the movement to which the works of Antoni Gaudí also belong, should not miss the Sant Pau hospital. This is the largest modernist complex in the Catalonia region and the most important Art Nouveau complex in Europe. You will be amazed by the colorful buildings, the Catalan mosaic style trencadís, and you’ll have the chance to interactively explore the history and architecture of the old hospital.
The complex, once officially called the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, but now known as the Recinte Modernista Sant Pau, was designed at the beginning of the 20th century by architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner (who also designed, among other works, the Palau de la Música).
If you’re wondering why such opulence and grandeur were chosen for a hospital, where one would typically not expect cheerful surroundings, you may find an explanation in the philosophy that Domènech i Montaner firmly believed in: that sick people would recover more quickly if they were in a beautiful environment.
The monumental part of the complex is no longer used as a hospital and has been open to the public since 2014. The beds and other medical facilities were moved to a new hospital, which was built just a stone’s throw away from the complex.
Plan your visit to Sant Pau
When you approach the complex from Avinguda de Gaudí, you’ll get a great view of the site from the outside. It’s possible to walk around the perimeter to get a first impression of the buildings, but to fully experience everything the site has to offer (which we highly recommend!), you’ll need to purchase a ticket. For a standard self-guided visit, plan to spend about an hour exploring.
When to visit Sant Pau
Sant Pau is one of our favorite places to visit in Barcelona. Unlike the Sagrada Família, it’s not overrun by tourists. Thanks to its size, there’s usually plenty of space to explore at your own pace, no matter the time of day. On days when entry is free (see our personal tips below), it can be a bit busier, and you might need to wait in line.
Much of the complex is outdoors, so it’s a good idea to plan your visit with the weather in mind. We recommend avoiding rainy days and skipping the hottest part of the day during the peak summer months, as it can get uncomfortably warm.
Our personal tips
– On April 23rd, September 24th, and during the Night of the Museums in May, you can visit the entire complex for free. Keep in mind that on these free admission days, guided tours are not available. Seniors (65+) also enjoy free entry on the first Sunday of every month.
– The complex is just a ten-minute walk from the Sagrada Família, making it easy to combine both sights in one trip. Stroll along the charming Avinguda de Gaudí, where you’ll find plenty of cafés with outdoor terraces—perfect for a break along the way!
Practical information
Ticket Prices
– Standard entry (self-guided visit): €17
– Seniors (65+) and young adults (ages 12 to 24): €11.90
– Children (ages 0 to 11): free (be sure to book a free ticket for them as well)
Tickets including a guided tour
– General admission with guided tour: €34
– Seniors (65+) and young adults (ages 12 to 15): €27
– Children (ages 0 to 11): €12
Audio guide
– €4
Openingstijden
Opening Hours
– From November to March: open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
– From April to October: open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Please note: the last entry is 30 minutes before closing time.
How do you get to Hospital Sant Pau?
For the address and exact location on the map, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Metro
Getting to Sant Pau Recinte Modernista by metro is easy. Take the blue line (L5) to the Sant Pau | Dos de Maig station. From there, it’s just a short two-minute walk—you’ll see the complex as soon as you come up from the station.
Alternatively, you can take the yellow line (L4) to Guinardó | Hospital de Sant Pau. This stop brings you to the other side of the complex, about a 10-minute walk from the entrance. The yellow line also gets you closer to the hospital itself. The main entrance is at Sant Quintí, 89.
Bus
Several bus lines stop near Sant Pau Recinte Modernista. You can take lines H8, 19, 20, 45, 47, 50, 51, 92, 117, or 192 to reach the area easily.
The Hop-on Hop-off tourist bus also stops right next to the complex. Choose the blue route and get off at the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista stop.
On Foot or by Bike
You can also walk or cycle to Sant Pau. From the city center (Plaça Catalunya), it’s about a 35 to 45-minute walk or a 20 to 25-minute bike ride. From the Sagrada Família, it’s just a pleasant 5 to 10-minute walk along the charming Avinguda de Gaudí.
What can you see and do during your visist to Sant Pau Recinte Modernista?
If you don’t have an entry ticket, you can still view the hospital from the outside. While you won’t be able to see the beautiful courtyard or explore the interiors, you can admire the spectacular main entrance. That said, we highly recommend buying tickets to go inside—it’s well worth it.
The original concept for the hospital was ambitious: to provide every possible service within the complex itself. In addition to the various buildings, including a church, a monastery, and a water reservoir, wide avenues and gardens were also created. Thanks to this design, the hospital feels more like a park or an open-air museum than a traditional medical facility.
Sant Pau Recinte Modernista consists of a main building and several pavilions. The original design included 48 pavilions, but in the end, 27 were constructed. Today, a number of them are open to the public.
Main entrance and front facade
The main entrance of the Hospital de Sant Pau is located on a corner, facing in the direction of the Sagrada Família. Some say this was because Domènech i Montaner believed the sea breeze would better ventilate the building from that angle. Others suggest it was his way of breaking with the strict grid layout of the Eixample district, which he didn’t particularly appreciate.
As with the Palau de la Música Catalana, another masterpiece by Domènech i Montaner, the façade of Sant Pau Recinte Modernista is richly decorated with a variety of Modernist elements. It’s truly a feast for the eyes. The architect used brick as the primary material and combined different architectural styles, blending Gothic influences with touches of Moorish (Arab) design. In the evening, the façade is beautifully illuminated, adding an extra layer of charm to the site.
Main Building
This part of the complex can only be visited with a guided tour. Inside, one wing was dedicated to male patients, recognizable by the pavilions named after male saints, while another was for female patients, marked by the names of female saints. The main building primarily served administrative purposes.
Underground Tunnels
During a visit to the main building, you’ll also pass through the underground galleries that connected the various hospital wards and pavilions. These tunnels were used to transport patients from one location to another without the need to go outside.
Sant Salvador Pavilion
In the exhibition space of the Sant Salvador Pavilion, visitors are taken on a journey through the history of medicine in Barcelona and one of Europe’s oldest healthcare institutions. Through displays of medical instruments, architectural elements, models, and multimedia screens, you’ll gain a clear impression of the hospital’s heritage collection.
The Gardens
The pavilion marks the starting point of a recommended route through the outdoor area, which recreates a 20th-century garden city. Originally, the garden was intended for medicinal plants. During the walk, take in the stunning facades, rooftops, sculptures, and stained glass windows.
Today, the buildings that make up the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site are home to various cultural institutions and NGOs.
Sant Rafael Pavilion
You can also visit the Sant Rafael Pavilion, where the hospital’s interior has been preserved exactly as it was designed at the beginning of the 20th century—including the hospital beds.
History of Sant Pau
The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau was constructed between 1902 and 1930. It was built to replace the medieval hospital in the El Raval district, the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu. That old hospital had become far too small for the rapidly growing city, and there was no room for expansion in the area. As a result, the decision was made to relocate the hospital to the Eixample district, which at the time still had plenty of space for large-scale projects. The old hospital, dating back to the early 15th century, had already been in need of replacement by the early 19th century, but it would take another century before the new facility was finally realized.
An extra tip: if you have time, consider visiting the old hospital building in El Raval (C/Hospital 56), where Gaudí passed away in 1926. Today, it houses a graphic arts school and the National Library of Catalonia.
The funding for this enormous and innovative hospital project came from the estate of Pau Gil i Serra. In his 1892 will, this wealthy banker stipulated that Barcelona should have a new, modern hospital that would bear his name. He also specified that the hospital should incorporate the latest technological advancements and serve as a showcase of innovation.
The project’s lengthy completion was due in part to funding shortages and various conflicts with the government. Although Lluís Domènech i Montaner was the visionary architect behind the project, he did not live to see it completed. His son, Pere Domènech i Roura, ultimately finished the work. The hospital officially opened in 1930, with King Alfonso XIII in attendance. Since 1997, Sant Pau has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 2009, the hospital moved to its current location, just north of the historic Art Nouveau complex. Five years later, in 2014, the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site was opened to the public. Some of the pavilions and spaces are closed to visitors, as they are now used by international cultural institutions—a unique and privileged working environment.
Architecture
The building was designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850–1923), considered the second most important figure of Catalan Modernisme, after Gaudí. While Gaudí rightfully garners much attention, we believe this complex by his contemporary Domènech i Montaner is equally worth a visit.
The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is regarded as his masterpiece. The first stone was laid in 1902, and construction lasted 28 years, until 1930. During the last ten years of construction, Domènech i Montaner’s son, Pere Domènech i Roura, took over following his father’s death.
The monumental façade, directly facing you as you approach from Avinguda Gaudí, stands in contrast to the more grid-like layout of the Eixample district.
The Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site consists of a main building and several pavilions. The original design featured 48 pavilions connected by underground tunnels. This layout allowed patients to be transported between buildings without having to go outdoors. The hospital was also intended to house additional services, including a church, a monastery, and a water reservoir. In addition, there are extensive open spaces in the form of gardens and squares, making the complex feel more like a park or an open-air museum.
Although lavishly decorated and costly to build, the hospital was never intended for the elite. In fact, it was built to care for the poor, who were accommodated in beautiful wards and able to enjoy the gardens and surroundings. This philosophy was rooted in the belief that patients recover more quickly in a beautiful environment.
