For the Best Views in Barcelona: Montjuic

Montjuic Castle

Of all the time I spent in Barcelona, and all the things I did there, the few hours that were the most enjoyable to me were those I spent on Montjuic. Montjuic is a hill in Barcelona, home to:

• Montjuic Castle;
• The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), housed in the National Palace (Palau Nacional);
• Olympic Stadium and Olympic Tower
• Montjuic Gardens
• the Magic Fountains
• Miles Van der Rohe Pavilion
• Fundacio Joan Miro – a collection of the works of the late Catalan surrealist artist, Joan Miro; and
• the Poble Espanol (Spanish Village), which was built for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona and designed to highlight the various architectural styles of Spain.

I wish I’d had the time to visit all of the sites on Montjuic. Unfortunately, my time in Barcelona was limited, so I had to make some hard choices between what I wanted to do and what was really a “must do” for me. I decided that my “must do” on Montjuic was the Castle. The castle dates back to the 17th Century and has a commanding view of Barcelona and the Port.

Sagrada Familia, viewed from Montjuic Castle

How to get to Montjuic Castle:

• Take the green line (L3) to Metro: Paral-lel and then the funicular; you don’t need to buy a second ticket, it’s a transfer.
• Take public bus #55 from Placa Catalunya to Montjuic.
• Or take a taxi to Montjuic.
• Or take the HOHO bus
• In any case, you’ll wind up at Avinguda de Miramar, where you catch a gondola–also known as the Teleferic de Montjuic–to the castle. The Teleferic and ticket machines for it are outside of the building, in the back. You only go inside if you want to catch the funicular back into the city proper. The Teleferic is 6.50 Euros–each way–or less if you buy a round-trip ticket.
• Or if you’re really energetic and you have plenty of time, you can hike up to the castle. I wouldn’t know what that’s like. :-)

Teleferic de Montjuic

I loved climbing all over the castle. It reminded me of a cross between Mont Royal in Montreal and the forts of Old San Juan (El Morro and San Cristobal). The views of the city and the harbor were breathtaking. (I even saw my old friend in the harbor, the Norwegian Epic!)

Hey, I know that ship!

While I was wandering around taking photos, my stomach started growling, which might have spelled disaster, given the remote location. But luckily, there is a cute little snack bar at the castle where you can buy drinks and grab-and-go food like chips and ice cream and hotdogs steamed on demand. It wasn’t a five star restaurant, but it did the trick. And it was a nice place to sit and relax for a while in the sunshine.

Snack bar at Montjuic Castle

Now, of course the Castle is quite high, so you don’t want to be fooling around by standing, climbing, or sitting on the walls. There are even signs warning visitors what could happen:

This could happen to YOU

Naturally, there’s one in every crowd that just has to break the rules:

What a rebel!

After I’d had my fill of the castle and its stunning views, I took the Teleferic back down to the HOHO stop and got on the bus to head back into Barcelona for dinner. But on the way, I saw a building so beautiful I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take pictures of it, so I hopped back off again to explore a bit. It was the MNAC, The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, and it is a glorious building:

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

To one side, the building faces the Magic Fountains (which are sort of like Barcelona’s version of the Bellagio Fountain Show in Vegas), and people were already staking their spots on the steps to watch the Fountain show–two hours before the start time. But why not? with a view like this, who would mind sitting there for two hours before the show?

View of Barcelona from MNAC

I really wanted to join them, but I knew that hotdog I had at the snack bar wasn’t going to last very long in my stomach, so I got back on the HOHO bus and headed down the hill to dinner. But I’m okay with the fact that I missed the Magic Fountains. . .and the Poble Espanol. . .and the Montjuic Gardens. You know that phrase “Always leave them wanting more?” Barcelona’s an old pro at that. I will see you again, Montjuic.

Click here to see my entire gallery of Montjuic photos.