El Capricho de Gaudí

What it is

El Capricho is the summer house that Antoni Gaudí designed in Comillas for Máximo Díaz de Quijano, brother-in-law of the first Marquis of Comillas. It was built between 1883 and 1885, in the same years as the Casa Vicens in Barcelona. It is a small house with rounded forms and a tall tower, with the sunflower as a motif repeated in the ceramics of the façades, alongside elements from the Hispano-Moorish tradition. It stands in the Sobrellano park, next to the Sobrellano palace and the marquises' pantheon chapel.

Who runs it

Today it is a private house kept going only by what its visitors pay, with no public subsidies. The same management sells the tickets, organises the guided tours, the workshops for families and the school programme, and hires out the spaces for private events. It is open all year except Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Epiphany; the times change with the season and are published on its website.

Types of visit

The simplest way is the self-guided visit with audio guide, available in five languages, from €7, in which everyone walks round the rooms at their own pace. The guided tour, of about 45 minutes, is held in Spanish or English and costs from €10. There are also flexible tickets, with no fixed time, for anyone who does not know what time they will reach Comillas.

For children there is a family visit with a workshop, designed for ages 6 to 10, which combines the tour with a hands-on activity. Schools have their own school programme, and there are arranged visits for groups.

Tickets, discounts and changes

Tickets are bought at the ticket office or on its sales website. Capacity is limited, so they recommend booking, especially for guided tours. Children under 7 do not pay, and there is a reduced ticket for over-65s, students, teachers, large families, unemployed people and people with disabilities, always with proof.

Tickets can be changed or refunded up to 24 hours before the visit; on the same day no changes or refunds are accepted. For any questions they answer on 942 720 365 and at [email protected].

How to get there

The entrance is from the Fuente Real square, next to the Sobrellano park. The Comillas tourist office, in Plaza Joaquín del Piélago, is open from 9:00 to 15:00 from September to June and from 9:00 to 21:00 in July, August and Easter.