Welcome to City Icons: Barcelona & Beyond

Experience Barcelona through its most iconic houses. The weekend begins on Friday evening with welcome cocktails at Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. On Saturday, Iconic Houses hosts exclusive, behind-the-scenes tours of architectural landmarks in Barcelona, Mont-roig del Camp and Reus. We conclude on Sunday with a long, sun-filled farewell lunch by the pool of the Rovera House in Canet de Mar.

This small but exciting tour program in the last weekend of May is open to anyone with a passion for architecture. Cultural enthusiasts can enjoy a fascinating behind-the-scenes experience. Museum professionals can benefit from an intensive weekend of knowledge-sharing about museum management and insightful discussions with colleagues. Visits to modern house museums and tours guided by experts open up a new world. As well as visiting Barceona's modern house museums, this programme offers a unique opportunity to visit some privately owned and lived in architectural marvels, which are not normally open to the public.
 

FOLLOW THIS LINK for photos of all the house museums and private residences that are included in the tour program.

Exclusive Architectural Journey: Barcelona's Iconic 20th Century Houses

A Curated Experience for the Design Aficionado

Embark on an intimate, full-day private tour through Barcelona’s architectural jewels of the 20th century. Led by experts in architectural history, this journey unveils the elegance of Catalan Modernism, the artistry of Art Deco, and the purity of early Rationalism. Luxurious transport, exclusive access, and refined culinary interludes make this tour a celebration of both culture and lifestyle.

City Icons made its debut in May 2024 with Housing Highlights in Amsterdam. From Friday 29, to Sunday 31 May 2026, City Icons comes to Barcelona to explore the city’s distinctive residential architecture — from the rise of Modernisme and the transformation of the Eixample, through pioneering 20th-century housing experiments and social housing models, to today’s bold contemporary residential projects. Barcelona is home to an exceptional housing culture that has continuously shaped architectural discourse. An introductory talk will place this evolution in context and highlight key themes to look out for during the exclusive tours.

With the global move to the city, and the increasing interest in social housing and new forms of co-living and co-working, these homes have much to offer us. We hope you will join us for a tour that will not only tell us about the past, but also inspire some ideas for the future. Plus, Europe is lovely in the spring and there are many other events to enjoy – why not combine Barcelona with a visit to the Venice Biennale, for example?

We look forward to seeing you in Barcelona in May!

 

Natascha Drabbe

Founder and Executive Director Iconic Houses Network

Foundation Board                    International Advisory Board

Paul Baltus, Chair                       Iveta Černá, Director of Villa Tugendhat

Huub Wüst, Treasurer                 Katya Degrieck, Head of Large Partnerships, N. Europe at Google

Carmen Louwe, Secretary           Justin W. Gunther, Director of Fallingwater

Natalie Dubois, Member              Anne Rowe, Director of Heritage, Sunnylands Center & Gardens                  

Marcel van Soest, Member      

 

Support

We thank The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands for supporting this initiative.

Site Partners and Home Owners

We would like to extend thanks also to the site partners and private homeowners who host our visits: La Pedrera/Casa Milá, Museum of History of Barcelona/Cases Barates del Bon Pastor, Fundacio Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona World Capital of Architecture, Casa Navàs, Mas Miró, Batlle i Roig Architectura/Casa Moratiel, Walden 7, Mesura, Disseny Hub Barcelona/Casa Bloc, and the Rovira Family.

 

For the latest information on the program, please check our website: www.iconichouses.org. 

ICONIC HOUSES FOUNDATION • Pieterskerkhof 8 • 3512 JR, Utrecht • The Netherlands

Phone +31 622 690711 • note office hours CET • info@iconichouses.org • www.iconichouses.org