Parc de Montjuïc

Amazing parc. Great diversity in terrain and views. From beach and ocean to Olympic stadium.

See Barca play or run around. I have taken many trips here running the streets and trails as well as enjoying the many gardens.

Run to the top to see the castle and cannons or take the gondola.

You can get there by walking... I love running from the beach. Or you can taxi or take the metro.

A must stop on your tour of Barcelona.

Historic site on a hill with a cablecar, harbor views & a park with a castle & museums. The green Montjuïc is 213 metres and is the most famous hill in Barcelona. Because of the 1929 World Fair in Barcelona, palaces, pavilions, parks, botanical gardens & museums are here near sports complex's.

We climbed thousands of steps up & down enjoying the views. We sat outdoors for lunch having sandwiches, fries & water while most had beers. There was no entrance fee, many benches to sit and there were a few metro stops nearby. We spent about :90 here.

I'm confused why Montjuïc is a recommended spot. We walked to the top by the castle, and the views weren't very good. All of the city views were obstructed by trees. There is a cable car, but I wouldn't recommend taking and paying for it as we didn't take much time to walk to the top. We walked around for a while and saw some nice shipping containers by the harbour. It was very windy and cold in November, and there was just nothing to do. The famous magic fountain was closed. I thought this was because it is only open in the summer, but it turns out that it is usually open year-round.

Absolutely gorgeous views of the city from this green oasis. Beautiful in the early morning light looking down at the city with nothing but birdsong to keep you company. Extremely relaxing and a wonderful experience.

Well, the magic fountain show is here only. This hilltop neighborhood is on the site of an old Jewish cemetery, explaining its name, "Mont Juïc," which translates to "Mountain of the Jews." Standing 213 meters above the sea, the hillside is crowned by a fortress on its top and slopes steeply down to the Mediterranean.

This scenic area of the city is known for its beautiful natural park with great views and superb museums. The National Art Museum of Catalonia is there having a collection of sculptures, paintings, drawings, engravings, and photography. View from the top is absolutely great. Panoramic views of both the city and the Mediterranean.

I Was there at night so I did not get much chance to explore. I enjoyed the light show, strolled around a bit and called it a day.

Note: if you have even the slightest interest in history, make sure to add Montjuic Castle to your Barcelona itinerary. Montjuic Castle at the hilltop ended up defending the city from many attacks in the past, including those carried out during the War of the Spanish Succession. It also served as a prison during the War of the Pyrenees and was occupied by Napoleon's troops in the early 1800s.

Before Jamie W. and I discovered the Bunkers del Carmel on our recent visit (review: http://bit.ly/2Dloyf0), this was the definitive place to get a panoramic view of Barcelona not including the tower elevator ride at Sagrada Familia if you're lucky enough to score a pass. It's really more hill than park, and the name translates literally into "Jewish Mountain" because there was a medieval Jewish graveyard up there. Oy! Now the recreational area is known for three things. First, there are the ornate Font Màgica fountains which occurs every half hour after sunset on the weekends (review: http://bit.ly/2zCPwwr). It's worthwhile to see but bring a folding chair if you can.

Second, it was the site of most of the major events of the 1992 Summer Olympics, which sparked the city's renaissance. The Estadi Olímpic is still there as well as the Olympic Ring of sporting venues. Third, it is home to several museums of note like the Fundació Joan Miró (photo: http://bit.ly/2E2RvNY), which was unfortunately closed the day we went due to the Catalan protests; botanical gardens; and historical buildings like the Palau Nacional and the Castle of Montjuïc at the top of the hill connected by its own funicular tramway (photo: http://bit.ly/2pHv4uq). We planned on taking the Port Vell Aerial Tramway to get there from the beach, but the queue was rather daunting.

Instead, we took the half-hour walk from Barceloneta and climbed the dilapidated stone stairs to get to the summit of the southeastern side of the hill. From there, we saw where the aerial tram would have taken us and concluded we benefited more from the walk. We spent time staring at the panoramic views of the city (photo: http://bit.ly/2C1l5Ww) and then strolled along the main roadway, eventually finding ourselves at the metro stop that brought us back to Placa de Catalunya. Our stop at Montjuïc had been a relatively brief one compared to previous trips, but that was OK as we had a pretty full itinerary this time. It won't be our last visit here.

Although Parc de Montjuïc is middle of the hill, this is sure a nice place to be. I was just making my way to the Castle Montjuïc and walked into this beautiful park. The park itself had a lot green, it was really refreshing seeing that in the city. Especially, I just travel from the place which still sort of in the early spring. It was really good for me to see those lovely plants.

From the park, I could also see the city, the view just amazing. Not as brilliant as the view from the top of the castle. It was like a preview for me. I found a seat and had a short break there. Great place to make a stop and relax a bit, especially after a long walk.

Great view of the city.

Especially from the gondola. Worth a visit

Not far from the Olympic village

Montjuïc is translated as 'Jew Hill' in medieval Catalan, or is perhaps related to the Latin phrase Mons Jovicus ('Hill of Jupiter'). Barcelona's Montjuïc is a broad shallow hill, of which eastern side is almost a sheer cliff, giving it a commanding view over the City's harbour immediately below. The top of the hill was the site of several fortifications, the latest of which (the Castell de Montjuïc) remains today. The Castell once served as a prison and on different occasions during the Spanish Civil War, both Nationalists and Republicans were executed there, each at the time when the site was held by their opponents. The Franco regime continued the tradition.

Naturally wooded, the slopes of the Montjuïc were traditionally used to grow food and graze animals by the people of the neighbouring Ciutat Vella. In the 1890s, the forests were partially cleared, opening space for parklands. The site was selected to host the 1929 International Exposition (a World's Fair), for which the first large-scale construction on the hill began. The surviving buildings from this effort include the grand Palau Nacional, the Estadi Olímpic (Olympic stadium), the ornate Font Màgica fountains, and a grand staircase leading up from the foot of Montjuïc. The Poble Espanyol, a "Spanish village" of different buildings built in different styles of Spanish architecture, also survives. The roads in the slopes facing the city were also once the Montjuïc circuit Formula One racing circuit, hosting the Spanish Grand Prix on four occasions.

The 1992 Summer Olympics were centered here and during our bus ride through, Gayle and I saw not only the Estadi Olímpic (with a large family event going on inside), but also the Anella Olímpica (the "Olympic Ring") of sporting venuesm including the Palau Sant Jordiindoor arena, the Institut Nacional d'Educació Física de Catalunya, a centre of sports science; the Piscines Bernat Picornell and the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, the venues for swimming and diving events respectively. We also admired the striking telecommunications tower, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava.

Also represented on Montjuïc are Plaça d'Espanya, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (located at the Palau National), the Joan Miró Museum, the Funicular de Montjuïc, the Miramar Gardens, the Port Veil Aerial Tramway, and much more. Unfortunately, our visit was pretty much limited to taking the Bus Turistic through a few times, taking pictures from there, and arriving at the Joan Miró Museum just before it closed early on Sunday Afternoon. If there is a next time...

Parc de Montjuïc will give you amazing views of Barcelona.

I didn't explore much of the park but I recommend taking the air lift over from the beach it's about 11 euros one way it runs directly over the harbor from the beach direct to the parc's entrance.

Note: It's only a 16 minute walk from parc de montjuïc to the Gothic Quarter and will lead you in the back way more narrow passages away from tourists.