Situated on the 30th floor of the 475-foot-tall Torre Glòries skyscraper, Mirador Torre Glòries is Barcelona’s premier observation deck. Located in Barcelona’s hip Poblenou neighborhood just steps from the city’s popular Museu del Disseny—and less than a kilometer from the inimitable Museu de la Música—Mirador Torre Glòries is famous for its expansive views of this beautiful city. Additional highlights of a visit to Mirador Torre Glòries include the attraction’s ground-floor Hyperview Barcelona exhibition and the memorable Cloud Cities Barcelona art installation.
History of the Mirador Torre Glòries
Mirador Torre Glòries is located within the Torre Glòries, a 38-story skyscraper that rises almost 500 feet into the air. Torre Glòries was designed by renowned French architect Jean Nouvel, whose other notable works include the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris and Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater. Work on the structure began in 1999; the project was completed in 2004 and the building opened to the public in the summer of 2005. Originally known as Torre Agbar, the building was sold in 2017, at which point its name was changed to reflect its location adjacent to Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes.
Torre Glòries has become a major Barcelona landmark on account of its distinctive design. The entire oval building is covered in over two-dozen different colors of lacquered aluminum sheets, which are themselves covered by approximately 50,000 sheets of glass. As a result, Torre Glòries seems to shimmer and change color like water in different light. At night, thousands of LED lights lining the building’s façade can be lit up to provide the attraction an even more vivid appearance.
Mirador Torre Glòries Highlights
Visits to Mirador Torre Glòries are self-guided and typically take about 50 minutes total. The venue requests you arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before your ticketed time slot, as this will help eliminate the buildup of long lines outside the attraction. Once you arrive at Mirador Torre Glòries, your experience actually begins in the basement of the building, in the midst of the Hyperview Barcelona exhibition. Billed as an “observation deck without windows,” Hyperview Barcelona presents a series of artistic installations created in real time from data collected from across the city; the result is a vibrant space of ever-changing audiovisual experiences.
From there you’ll soar up an elevator 30 floors into the air, where at a height of approximately 410 feet you’ll have stunning, 360-degree views of Barcelona from the attraction’s observation deck. No matter what draws your eye—the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean, the green peaks of Parc de Collserola, the nearby spires of Sagrada Familia—you’ll want to have your camera at the ready, as the sightlines of Mirador Torre Glòries are unmatched.
If you’re so inclined, you can upgrade your Mirador Torre Glòries ticket to include admission to Cloud Cities Barcelona. Designed by the acclaimed Argentinian artist Tomàs Saraceno, Cloud Cities Barcelona is an interactive sculpture that seems to float in the space above the observation deck. Ticketholders may climb in and sit on the installation—just be sure to wear closed shoes and comfortable clothing if you intend to do so.
More to See and Do at the Mirador Torre Glòries
Most people visit Mirador Torre Glòries to bask in the remarkable sights on display from its spectacular observation deck. However, the attraction is more than just breathtaking views. Read on for several other things to see, do, and know at this popular destination.
*Mirador Torre Glòries offers visitors the chance to learn more about the site from a free audio guide. The audio guide may be accessed on your phone via a complimentary app, and it’s available in ten different languages. Just remember to bring your own headphones!
*If you work up an appetite during your visit to Mirador Torre Glòries, you’ll want to stop for a quick drink or bite to eat at the attraction’s snack bar.
*Located directly next to the attraction’s food-and-drink option is a small shop where you can purchase a selection of souvenirs by which to remember your visit here.
*If you’re visiting Mirador Torre Glòries with luggage, shopping bags, or any other items that you don’t want to carry around with you during your time here, be advised that lockers are available for rent. They cost only a single euro to use, and you can also park your baby stroller in this area, too.
*If you want to make your visit to Mirador Torre Glòries even more special, there are a variety of “premium visits” available for purchase. These include such ticket packages as a sunrise tour, sunset tour, and an architecture-themed tour, just to name a few.
Why the Mirador Torre Glòries Should Be on Your Must-See List
Simply put, if you want the chance to experience the beauty of Barcelona from a bird’s-eye view, you won’t want to miss out on Mirador Torre Glòries. There’s nowhere else in the city that grants visitors the opportunity to snap panoramic photos from such an amazing vantagepoint. Throw into the mix a number of striking art installations and you have the makings of one lively hour of sightseeing fun.
