Palau De La Musica Catalana Tickets

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The facade is the strongest example of the building’s fusion architecture.

The primary material for the facade is red brick, but the multi-coloured tiling and painted murals give it an almost magical air. The centrepiece is the landing one story above the ground that holds two rows of seven upright pillars, each decorated with a different floral pattern, a landing you can walk onto from the 2nd floor. Three of the pillars lead up to a column of brick and  elaborate stone busts of Beethoven, Bach, and Wagner.

Above the busts are several ornate arches, and above those are murals painted in a traditional Catalan style and depicting musical culture.

There’s also another entrance around back that more directly leads to the theatre’s cafe, but the main facade is infinitely more impressive in appearance.

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Almost every outside-facing wall of the building is covered by an intricate stained-glass window. The ceiling of the auditorium is adorned with a concave stained-glass dome nicknamed “the sun”. All of that stained glass means the hall is bathed in a tinted sunlight at all times, creating a breathtakingly beautiful atmosphere many have likened to a larger-than-life music box. There’s so much natural light, in fact, that the auditorium itself needs no electric lights during the day.

To experience the best lighting, consult this season-by-season table that will tell you the best time of day to visit.

Keep in mind that a regular phone camera definitely won’t be able to capture the light properly. Bring a specialised lens or DSLR camera if you plan on doing photography!

The theatre’s auditorium is classically-styled and packed with insanely ornate white marble carvings, much like many of the old European theatres you’ve probably seen in movies or travelogues. There are two things that make the atmosphere inside utterly unique, though:

• The lighting. As described above, the ceiling and upper walls of the auditorium are almost entirely made from 1.2 tonnes of stained glass. The sun pouring in makes the auditorium a cathedral of tinted light during the day.
• The colourful design. The whole building is designed in the traditional Catalonian style known as “Modernisme”, which is more colourful and lively than most classical European architecture. Many surfaces are decorated with bright colors, including complex floral patterns.

The crescent-shaped stage is just as beautifully constructed as you’d expect from a  Classical European theatre that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. The wall behind the stage is adorned with 18 sculptures of the muses, women playing instruments from all around Europe. Also tucked behind the stage is an organ pit where a player can go to emit music through the organ pipes towering above. 

Like the rest of the building, the entrance hall to Palau de la Musica Catalana is mind-bogglingly intricate in its design. But the golden wood of the pillars and the vibrant stained glass trimming feels warm and playful, not stuffy and royal like the entrance to most European theatres.

The Foyer is the home of Cafe Palau, a gorgeous bar and café where you can relax and grab a drink or a snack, no concert ticket required.

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Just up an elegant marble and mosaic staircase from the Foyer is a room named after Lluis Millet, co-founder of the Orfeo Catala choir. In keeping with its name, the hall contains plaques and busts commemorating great musicians of eras past, like Beethoven and Bach. It also has a landing leading out to the upper floor of the building’s facade. Catching a symphony at the theatre, buying a drink in the Foyer at intermission, and taking it up to the Lluis Millet Hall to sip while you learn about the theatre’s founding fathers is just the kind of lively sophistication you want in a trip to Catalonia.