The Most Unusual Buildings to Visit in Spain that Aren't by Gaudí

The Guggenheim, Bilbao’s famous art museum, is a vast metal building created from pieces of curvy titanium and was designed by American-Canadian architect Frank Gehry. The building was completed in 1997 and the museum celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. Shimmering and reflecting in the sun, it somewhat resembles a huge ship sailing down the Nervión River.

Guggenheim Bilbao, Avenida Abandoibarra, 2, Bilbao, Spain, +34 944 35 90 00

Guggenheim Bilbao | © Mark B. Schlemmer/Flickr

Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences is a whole city of futuristic, unusual-looking buildings which include the Oceanogràfic (Europe’s largest aquarium), the Hemisfèric 3D cinema, the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house. Designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, the first building in the complex was inaugurated in 1998 and the last was opened in 2005. Today, the city has become an important symbol of Valencia.

Another Frank Gehry construction is the Hotel Marqués de Riscal, located inside The City of Wine complex of Elciego and part of the Marqués de Riscal winery in Rioja. Its undulating titanium ribbon-like structure is an unmistakable style of Gehry’s, who created it to mimic the shiny foil around a wine bottle and the deep purple of the grapes.

The Hanging Houses of Cuenca, also known as the Casas Colgadas in Spanish, can be found in the historic walled town of Cuenca, now declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These unique buildings cling to the edge of the Huécar Gorge and overlook its dramatic precipice. At one time, the whole gorge was covered in these hanging houses but today only three remain. Fully renovated at the beginning of the 20th century, they are built in a traditional Gothic style with intricate wooden balconies and Renaissance-style entranceways.

Casa Colgadas, Calle Canónigos, Cuenca, Spain, +34 969 21 29 83

Hanging Houses of Cuenca | © Javier Losa/Flickr

This amazing glass and steel building is located in the Basque city of Bilbao and was designed by architect Juan Coll-Barreu. The building looks akin to origami created from glass and is used as the headquarters for the city’s health department.

Bilbao Health Department, Alameda Recalde, 39 A, Bilbao, Spain

Ministry of Public Health (Osakidetzaren eraikina), Bilbao | © Mikel Arrazola/Wikimedia Commons

Located in the Andalusian city of Seville, the Metropol Parasol is a huge wooden structure designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer. It was inspired by the vaults of the Cathedral of Seville and the ficus trees in the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos and is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. Nicknamed Las Setas, or ‘the mushrooms’ by the locals, it features an underground atrium full of Roman and Moorish ruins, a large plaza, a central market and a restaurant.

Barcelona’s Hotel Porta Fira is located on the edge of the city close to the airport. Designed by Toyo Ito and completed in 2010, it looks like a huge wavy red skyscraper and was the winner of the Emporis Skyscraper Award in 2010.

Hotel Porta Fira, Barcelona | © Zarateman/Wikimedia Commons

The artist Salvador Dalí is probably more known for fine art than for designing buildings, but he was instrumental in creating a few. What was once known as the old Municipal Theatre of Figueres was redesigned by Dalí to feature yellow, plastic, croissant-like structures covering the walls and white eggs with gold figurines lining its rooftop. Built to house the artist’s work, it is now the best Salvador Dalí museum in the world and is filled with his quirky, surrealist work.