Montjuic Barcelona - Magic Fountain
Montjuic is a hill overlooking the lovely harbor of Barcelona. It's famous for the 1992 Olympic Games and also where the Magic Fountain (Font Magica) is located (directly under the Palau Nacional).
The Olympic Stadium was built here in 1929 but was never used for this purpose until 1992 due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
Some of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics were held in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
This 65,000-seater stadium was home to the opening and closing ceremonies and also hosted many events.
The nearby Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring) is an area full of sporting venues such as the centre of sports science, a venue for swimming and diving events and the famous telecommunications tower which was designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava.
The Montjuīc Circuit was also here and hosted the Spanish Grand Prix on four occasions. However, since the horrendous accident in 1975 the Spanish Grand Prix has never been held on the Montjuic Circuit again.
This wonderful park on a hill is where the people of Barcelona come to chill out, relax and enjoy the views and natural surroundings. Take the bus or teleferic and you'll be rewarded with the most stunning views of this lovely city.
There's a lot to see such as the above mentioned site of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and two of Barcelona's most important museums - Joan Miro Foundation (Fundaciķ Joan Mirķ) and MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya) which is housed in the Palau Nacional.
Don't miss the popular Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) - an exhibition of Spanish art and architecture of the various regions of Spain.
The 18th century fortress castle (Castell de Montjuīc) was originally built to defend Barcelona but is now a Military Museum (Museu Militar). There are many other places to visit such as the Greek Theatre and Botanical Gardens.
On the walk down the views are spectacular and the mountain air invigorating.
Once you reach the Palau Nacional, take the steps and escalators down and you'll soon be back in Plaįa d'Espanya where you can catch the metro or bus back to Placa Catalunya.
Magic Fountain
By the way, if you're here in the evening you'll be in for a real treat!
The Magic Fountain (Font Māgica) was built in 1929 as part of the Universal Exhibition which took place on Montjuīc. It's just below Palau Nacional and one of the most spectacular Barcelona attractions - Times: Thurs-Sunday 8pm until 12pm during summer/7-9pm from Oct-April).
Getting Here
Take the bus or metro to Plaįa d'Espanya or the funicular from Paral-lel metro station.
From the beach take the teleferic at Torre de Sant Sebastiā to Miramar on Montjuic.
Buses: 50, 55 or 61
Tourist Bus
Walking - Take the escalators at the foot of Palau Nacional
Miramar Barcelona
If you're coming from the beach you can take the Air ferry (cable car transport service).
It links the Tower of Sant Sebasti (Sant Sebasti beach) with the Jaume I Tower (World Trade Center) and Hotel Miramar on Montjuīc.
Note: Not to be confused with the Montjuic cable car or the Montjuic funicular railway (Times will depend on the prevailing weather conditions).
Times
01/01/08-29/02/08: Mon-Sun/pub. hols.: 10.30 a.m.-5.45 p.m.
01/03/08-10/06/08: Mon-Sun /pub. hols.: 10.45 a.m.-7 p.m.
11/06/08-17/09/08: Mon-Sun /pub. hols.: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
17/09/08-21/10/08: Mon-Sun /pub. hols.: 10.45 a.m.-7 p.m.
22/10/08-31/12/08: Mon-Sun /pub. hols.: 10.30 a.m.-5.45 p.m.
Prices
Single ticket: 7,50 Euros
Return ticket 9 Euros
Operating Times
The Montjuīc Cable Car (not to be confused with the one above) has been totally renovated with new stations and mobile material. There are 3 stations: Parc Montjuic, Mirador and Castell.
Fares
Single ticket adult: 5,70
Single ticket children (4-12 years): 4,50
Round trip adult: 7,90
Round trip ticket: (4 a 12 years): 6
Times
10 am - 7 pm in April, May and October
10 am - 9 pm from June to September
10 am - pm from November to March
Tourist Bus/Bus
Another way to get here is to take the Tourist Bus or one of the other buses such as the 50, 55 or 61. You can enjoy the wonderful view as you climb the mountain and then walk down and inhale the scent of pines and flora on the hill.
Funicular de Montjuīc
If you don't feel like walking down you can take the Montjuīc Funicular Railway to Paralˇlel metro stop which is also part of the metro network.
Fares
Same as Metro. Tickets and conditions are the same for both transports.
The Funicular of Montjuīc is integrated in the metro network and connection between both is at the metro station Paralˇlel (Lines 2 and 3) all with the same ticket.
Access from surface through ticket vending machines at the metro station Paralˇlel.
Back from Montjuic to Barcelona Districts
