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Montjuic - Barcelona Park
...Magic Fountain, Palau Nacional
Montjuic is a hill overlooking the lovely harbor of Barcelona and one of the top attractions in 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 Montjuïc 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 (Fundació Joan Miró) 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 Montjuïc) 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 Plaça 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 Màgica) was built in 1929 as part of the Universal Exhibition which took place on Montjuïc. 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).
Stay at the Miramar and take an evening stroll through the Montjuïc i Llobera Botanical Gardens.
The hotel is just ten minutes from the fashionable shopping, restaurants, and nightlife of the city centre.
This avant-garde hillside palace has endless Mediterranean views, striking rooms with balconies and Jacuzzis, Wi-Fi Internet access, 24-hour room service and much more.
Getting Here
Take the bus or metro to Plaça d'Espanya or the funicular from Paral-lel metro station.
From the beach take the teleferic at Torre de Sant Sebastià to Miramar on Montjuic.
Buses: 50, 55 or 61
Tourist Bus
Walking - Take the escalators at the foot of Palau Nacional
Air ferry (cable car transport service)
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 Montjuïc.
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.
Operating Times
Montjuic Teleferic
The Montjuïc 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.
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
Buses
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 Montjuïc
If you don't feel like walking down you can take the Montjuïc Funicular Railway to Paral·lel 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 Montjuïc is integrated in the metro network and connection between both is at the metro station Paral·lel (Lines 2 and 3) all with the same ticket.
Access from surface through ticket vending machines at the metro station Paral·lel.
Related Pages...
Barcelona Cheap Hotel
Barcelona Apartment Rentals
Barcelona City Break
Hotels in Barcelona Spain
Barcelona Attractions
Back from Montjuic to Barcelona Districts
Back to Barcelona Spain Homepage
