Stand on the Passeig de Can Feu and you can see the shape of Sabadell in one glance: a 19th-century romantic tower built over a fortified house from the 12th century, with the mills and chimneys of a textile city rising behind it. This is a place that made wool on an industrial scale and left the evidence in its streets.
Sabadell suits travellers who are already comfortable in Barcelona and want a second Catalan city without the crowds, and anyone drawn to industrial heritage, modernisme architecture and working markets. It is a practical, commercial city rather than a resort, so plan around its sights and routes rather than around a beach or a old town circuit.
This guide covers the named sights, the museums, the marked walking routes and the one-day plan that links them. Everything below can be reached from the city centre, and the tourist office is the natural first stop.
Top things to do in Sabadell
1. Casa Duran
Casa Duran is a traditional rural house from the 16th century standing in the middle of the city, between Carrer del Pedregar and Carrer de Sant Joan. It is the clearest single reminder that Sabadell grew from a plain-side village into an industrial town, and its survival in the urban centre is what makes it worth the time.
It also houses the tourist office, so start here: pick up the brochures for the Nine chimneys, Industrial and Modernist routes before you set off. Combine the visit with a walk along the surrounding streets of the centre.
2. Sant Nicolau chappel
The Chapel of Sant Nicolau, south of the Sant Iscle mountain range (la Salut) and near the cemetery, dates from 1039. It is believed to have been the right arm of the cross of the parish of Sant Feliu d'Arraona, and it stands on abundant Roman remains.
Come for the layers rather than the scale: this is a vestige of the town of Arraona, the settlement that preceded Sabadell. It is a short stop, best combined with the rest of your time in the centre rather than treated as a separate excursion.
3. Water tower
The Torre de l'Aigua on Carrer Francesc Izard is a modernist water tank and one of the most emblematic buildings in the city. It is one of the first constructions in Sabadell made with reinforced concrete, inaugurated in August 1918 but not in operation until 1922. Water rose inside one of the pillars to the tank and descended through another to be distributed across the city, mainly to public fountains and washrooms.
Look at the structure as much as the silhouette: the twin-pillar system is the point of the design. It sits in the centre, so it fits easily into a walking route between the other modernist buildings.
4. Swiss Hotel
Hotel Suís on Carrer de la Indústria, 59 is a modernist work built in 1902 by Juli Batllevell. It belongs to the period when modernisme shaped the architecture of the city in the early 20th century.
Treat it as one stop on the Modernist route, which covers nine modernist sites and starts at the tourist office. Walking the route rather than visiting buildings one by one is the better use of your time.
5. Sabadell Savings Bank Building
The Edifici Caixa de Pensions per a la Vellesa i d'Estalvi de Sabadell at Pl. del Dr. Robert, 4-5 is a Neo-Gothic building from 1923, the work of Enric Sagnier. It shows that the city's institutional architecture of the period did not all follow the same style.
Pair it with the other modernist and early 20th-century buildings in the centre, since the addresses are close enough to link on foot.
6. Mercat Central
The Mercat Central dates from 1930 and is one of the buildings constructed in the first half of the 20th century that shaped the modern city. It is a working market rather than a monument, which is exactly why it is worth an hour.
Go in the morning, when a market is at its most useful, and combine it with the centre's other sights. It also sits naturally on the Nine chimneys route through the city centre.
7. Tower of Feu
The Torre d'en Feu on Passeig de Can Feu is a 19th-century romantic building raised over a fortified house from the 12th century. In 1879 it was decided to begin a "style" restoration of the tower, a very deep reform of the existing structures from the 17th and 18th centuries.
This is the sight that best shows how many periods of building are stacked in one place. It is away from the tightest cluster of central sights, so give it its own slot in the day.
8. Museu d'Història de Sabadell
The Museu d'Història de Sabadell is on Carrer de Sant Antoni 13. It is the place to go for context on the city's growth from Arraona to an industrial centre.
Visit before or after the walking routes so the streets and the chimneys make more sense. The museum can be reached by phone on +34937278555 if you need to check anything in advance.
9. Museu d'Art de Sabadell
The Museu d'Art de Sabadell on Carrer Doctor Puig 16 is specialised in Catalan painting from the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a focused collection rather than an encyclopedic one.
Pair it with the Museu d'Història on the same day, since both are in the centre and reward the same kind of slow visit.
10. Museu del Gas
The Museu del Gas is in the Plaza del Gas, 8, occupying the former headquarters of Gas Natural, and was the first gas museum in all of Spain. It explains, through a collection of 2000 pieces, the history of the Gas Natural company as well as the characteristics of gas as a source of energy, its past, present and future.
It is a good counterpoint to the textile and modernist sights: same industrial story, different fuel. Add it to a museum day in the centre.
11. Nine chimneys in the city centre
This route takes in nine chimneys in the city centre, treated as an outdoor museum. They are part of the industrial heritage that remains in Sabadell; most of the factories and steamers they belonged to were demolished, but scattered chimneys survive across the urban landscape and the river Ripoll's area.
Start at the tourist office and get the route brochure there. It is a walking route, so set aside a half day and wear something you can cover ground in.
12. Industrial route
The Industrial route covers 10 sites that reveal the historical industrial landscape of Sabadell. It is the most direct way to read the city's mills and workshops as a connected story rather than as isolated buildings.
Get the route brochure at the tourist office before starting. If you only do one themed route, this is the one that explains why the city looks the way it does.
13. Modernist route
The Modernist route covers nine modernist sites. Modernism came to Sabadell in the late nineteenth century, at a time of great economic expansion, and influenced all branches of art, though it was most noticeable in architecture.
Start at the tourist office for the brochure. It overlaps with the individual modernist buildings named above, so you can use it to string them together in a single walk.
14. Reial Club de Golf el Prat
The Reial Club de Golf el Prat is at Plans de Bonvilar 17, Terrassa, and can be reached on +34 93 728 10 00 or reservations@rcgep.com. It is one of the golf options serving the Sabadell area.
Book ahead by phone or email, and note that it is outside the city itself, so plan transport rather than assuming you can walk to it.
15. El Valles Golf
El Valles Golf is at Plans de Bonvilar, 6 Terrassa, on +34 93 725 99 98 or vallesgolf@rcgep.com. It is the second golf course in the same area.
Like the Reial Club, it needs booking and a planned trip out of the centre. Choose one of the two rather than trying to fit both into a short stay.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Casa Duran, which also houses the tourist office, and pick up the brochures for the Nine chimneys, Industrial and Modernist routes. Walk the Nine chimneys route through the city centre while the streets are quiet, then go to the Mercat Central.
Afternoon. Follow the Modernist route, taking in the Swiss Hotel on Carrer de la Indústria and the Sabadell Savings Bank Building at Pl. del Dr. Robert, then the Water tower on Carrer Francesc Izard. If time allows, add the Museu d'Història de Sabadell on Carrer de Sant Antoni or the Museu d'Art de Sabadell on Carrer Doctor Puig.
Evening. Finish at the Tower of Feu on Passeig de Can Feu, the romantic building raised over a fortified house, as the last stop of the day.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start a visit to Sabadell?
Start at Casa Duran, the 16th-century rural house in the middle of the city, which also serves as the tourist office. The route brochures for the Nine chimneys, Industrial and Modernist routes are available there.
What can I see if I am interested in industrial heritage?
The Nine chimneys route in the city centre, the Industrial route with its 10 sites, and the Museu del Gas in the Plaza del Gas, which covers gas as a source of energy through a collection of 2000 pieces.
Which sights are best for modernist architecture?
The Modernist route covers nine sites. Among the named buildings are the Swiss Hotel from 1902, the Sabadell Savings Bank Building from 1923 and the Water tower, inaugurated in 1918.
Can I play golf near Sabadell?
Yes. The Reial Club de Golf el Prat and El Valles Golf are both at Plans de Bonvilar in Terrassa. Contact them in advance on +34 93 728 10 00 or +34 93 725 99 98 respectively.
Pick up the route brochures at Casa Duran, choose your day, and the city will lay itself out for you.