Casa Vicens Gaudí launches a program of virtual guided tours

“Gaudí’s First House” is the first virtual guided tour that can already be enjoyed on the Casa Vicens website

The cultural sector continues to be one of the economic areas most affected by the COVID-19 crisis, due to the paralysis of the tourism sector as well as health and mobility restrictions. In the face of this difficult situation, Casa Vicens Gaudí is welcoming spring with the launch of a series of virtual guided tours that enable anyone in the world to discover this architectural jewel in the Vila de Gràcia.

You can already take the first virtual guided tour, available on the Casa Vicens website. Called “Gaudí’s First House”, architect and tourist guide Rubén Momblant takes us inside this World Heritage Site house and explains some of the strokes of genius captured by Gaudí when he was barely thirty years old.

The system developed means this experience can be enjoyed anywhere, any time. Once acquired, it can be viewed up to three times during the period of one month from the date of purchase. The experience is also suitable for people with hearing disabilities, as it includes subtitles in Spanish, Catalan and English.

The cultural sector is gradually incorporating innovation and technology into its projects, a process accelerated by COVID-19. This is a good example of how to combine technology with a World Heritage Site. “We chose the guided tour model, not only because it is the format that our audience appreciates most, but also because we wanted to avoid classic virtual tours where you go from room to room, and focus on one of our values: approachability. The guide walks through the house and explains it in great detail, so that viewers feel as if they are on the tour with him” explains Emili Masferrer, Director of Casa Vicens Gaudí. With regard to the eternal debate over whether the digital content of museums’ websites or social media reduces the number of physical visits, Casa Vicens does not believe that this virtual guided tour competes with its physical visits. “They are a complement to continue discovering details of Gaudí’s first house, before or after a visit, but they are especially for all those people who cannot come to Barcelona at this time.”