Take Time in Barcelona to Learn to Create Mosaics Like Antoni Gaudí

Barcelona is a creative, inspiring city with its historic buildings, stunning beach and beautiful surrounding countryside, but probably its most inspirational feature is the vibrant architecture of Antoni Gaudí.

With his use of irregular, ‘natural’ shapes and colourful ceramic tiles, the Modernist architect has inspired many creative types over the years. If you find that the imaginative, flamboyant architecture of Barcelona gets your creative juices flowing, then why not try your hand at creating some of your own mosaic work in the Gaudí style?

Trencadís Mosaic Classes

Mosaiccos, in the centre of Barcelona, offers group, adult, children and family workshops in trencadís mosaic, the style made famous by Gaudí. This distinctive, irregular style involves using broken ceramics (Gaudí sourced many of his from discarded tiles at a local ceramics factory) to create colourful patterns.

The workshop will teach you how to handle tools such as the hammer and pliers used to shape the ceramics, choose a design, and guide you in turning your vision into your very own Gaudí-inspired work of art.

The length of the class will depend on how ambitious your project is but, as a guide, Mosaiccos says that a simple photo frame or salamander will take two hours while a more complex or bigger object may take up to four. For children there is an hour-long workshop in which they can design and make their own work.

Gaudí’s Trencadis Mosaic

It’s a good idea to get your inspiration from the master himself, so before you visit Mosaiccos for your mosaic workshop, make sure you visit some of the many examples of Gaudí’s trencadís in and around Barcelona.

• Park Güell – This stunning city park, commissioned by Eusebi Güell, is littered with vibrant Gaudí architecture including the breath-taking Dragon Fountain at the park’s entrance.• Casa Batlló – A colourful private house in the centre of Barcelona, this was designed by Gaudí in 1904 and is considered one of his greatest works.• La Pedrera – The grey mosaic of Casa Milà has earned it the local name La Pedrera, which literally means ‘the quarry’.• Sagrada Família – Encapsulating the essence of Gaudí and his religious beliefs, the Roman Catholic church "Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família" is probably his most famous work.

How to Get to Barcelona

With its sophisticated infrastructure, Barcelona is an extremely easy city to reach by a range of transport options.

• By plane - Barcelona Airport is situated just 16 kilometres from the city, with regular flights available throughout the year. A Barcelona airport transfer can pick you up from the airport and drive you directly to your hotel, making this an easy, comfortable way to arrive in the city.• By train - Barcelona has direct train links with many major European cities and a high-speed train connecting it to Madrid and southern Spain.• By car - Driving in the city is challenging but the road network is good, if quite busy during rush hours.• By bus - There is a good international bus service from Barcelona Nord Bus Station and Barcelona Sants.• By boat - Ferries and cruise liners to the Balearic Islands and Mediterranean mainland regularly dock at the harbour.

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct, the number one provider of shared and private airport transfers all over Europe and northern Africa. If you’re looking for an affordable Barcelona Airport transfer, Lukas and his colleagues can make sure that you and your luggage get to and from the airport swiftly and safely.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.