Montjuic

I love viewpoints. No, I seriously do. I am almost obsessed with them. Maybe my passion for them comes from the fact that I am a skydiver and I always like to see how a place looks from up there. Actually, I like them since I went on my Erasmus exchange to Lisbon two years ago. Lisbon has the so – called miradouros, and all of them are so beautiful that I spent several hours at each one, just staring at the city below me.

And I was so happy when I heard that Barcelona has some amazing places to admire the view, so I just could not wait to get there and see for myself, if the views from those viewpoints are really as good as Google told me. And my first viewpoint that I went to, was Montjuic, simply because the way there was the easiest for me, and it is at the same time the closest one to where I am living. I am still new here in Barcelona, so I am quite scared of taking a bus, and this is the main reason I have not gotten to Bunkers de Carmelyet, which is said to be the best viewpoint in Barcelona. Judging by the pictures of this place, that I have seen, I have to absolutely agree.

So, one day, when I was returning home from work, I exited the metro on the same station as usual – on the Paral – Lel station. And then I saw the signs that were pointing towards the direction of Funicular de Montjuic. I thought that this is a payable attraction, but I went there anyway, because I wanted to ask about the price.

So I was very surprised when I saw that I can go there for free with my T-Jove card (90- day travel card for people, younger than 25). And from what I saw, the access is free for some other travel cards, too. When walking towards the funicular, I thought that I will maybe have to pay the fee at the top of the hill, and I freaked out, because I was not sure f I have enough money with me. After all, Barcelona is expensive – if you decide to go to Montjuic with a cable car, a return ticket will cost you sixteen Euros. and I quickly ask some of my fellow passengers- the woman was very nice and explained that the you do not have to pay anything for the funicular if you have the Barcelona travel cards. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

The funicular

The funicular is much bigger than I expected, and it departs roughly every ten minutes. You also have a screen above the waiting line, which shows the exact time, when the funicular departs. I was very surprised when I saw only a few seats inside, meaning that you will most likely have to stand all the way up. Well, it only lasts a few minutes, but for me, it is still much more comfortable to sit than to stand, especially since this thing is moving and I had no idea, how rough the ride will be. Well, it turned out that, comparing to metro, this funicular is pretty calm, so I was easily able to stand.

Most of the way to the top is underground or goes through a tunnel. You will only be able to see the outside world for a few seconds just before the funicular reaches its station, and the views there are not even good. Honestly, you only see a fence, and if you know, where to look, you will even see the city of Barcelona below.

The station is the same for the funicular and for the cable car, so you can expect a big number of people at the exit. And of course, everybody is trying to get out of the station as soon as possible, so it can be quite hard to move where you want to go. But once you get out of the station, do not worry about the crowd, because the area up there is big, and people are not all going to the same direction. In fact, you will be by yourself most of the time.

As soon as you get out of the building, there are several signs with directions. If you would like to get to the castle, which is said to be the best viewpoint up there, you have to turn right. And it would not be Barcelona, if you would not have to walk up the hill. But here, you are at least rewarded with a nice view, when you stop and rest for a few minutes!

The 'free' view

The way up is much more steep that I have expected, but the gardens on the way there are so awesome and well – maintained, that I somehow forgot about the pain in my legs when climbing up the stairs.

There are actually two possible ways to get to the top – one are the stairs and one is a wider path, but from what I have seen, mostly bicyclists are using those paths. I also wanted to get to the top as soon as possible, because I was somehow in a hurry to get home and eat lunch. If I had more time, I would definitely have chosen the easier option. Seriously, it seems like that I will never get used to those steep hills in Barcelona. I am here for almost a month, and my thighs still hurt when I climb one of those hills.

But both are passing through the beautiful gardens, and in one of them, there is also a small, artificial lake in the middle. People seem to love them, because I have seen many of them, having a picnic there, and on those real picnic blankets!

There are some sections on the way up, where the view is already very spectacular. Well, it could be even better if the trees and bushes would not be covering the best parts of the view. But maybe they put them there with a reason – so tourists would pay to get up the castle. But nevertheless, the view is much better than I have expected.

On the way to the top, I have noticed two bars in the middle of nowhere. If the views from where they are situated, would be any better, I would definitely sit down and order something. But sadly, the only view at both of them was of the road, loud buses passing by, and some trees and bushes.

When I finally arrived to the top (it took me about twenty minutes from the funicular station), I have noticed a queue of people in front of a ticket office. And I immediately knew that something was wrong. So I went closer and saw that the entrance fee for the castle viewpoint is five Euros. Oh well, maybe I have missed a spectacular view, but I am sure that it is not worth five Euros. I could be wrong, but I rarely feel like paying for tourist attractions.

I should have expected that I would have to pay to get to the best part of the viewpoint. Damn, I am really naive, right? But when I was reading different articles about Montjuic, not a single one of them mentioned that you have to pay to get to the castle. Well, maybe it is that obvious. I think that I still have so much to learn about life here in Barcelona.

So, the best viewpoint is, as I have mentioned already, said to be the so – called 'castle', which is really just a watchtower, nothing else. To be able to buy a ticket, you have to wait in a fairly long queue, and when you give away five Euros, you are ready to admire the view.

But I am a stubborn person and I did not want to pay. So I decided to go back on a different path. And bingo! Well, the views were not perfect, because the trees were covering the most spectacular parts, but they were still above average. After all, who said that the view from up the castle is perfect, without trees or anything in sight? I will definitely go and eat a tasty tapa for those five Euros that I have saved!

Luckily, I had my binoculars with me, so I was able to spot some great details. But sadly, I cannot say that the zoom on my camera is very good. However, the pictures that I took, are good enough to get at least a glimpse of the reality up there.

Believe it or not, but the first building that I have seen (and successfully recognised), from up there, was the Sagrada Familia. This attraction seems to follow me anywhere I go – I can see it from almost any place that is a bit above the ground! ( Sadly, the only exception is my balcony, because I would love to look at Sagrada Familia from there every single day. ) I still cannot believe how huge this cathedral is. I mean, I can see it almost everywhere I go in Barcelona. And from the Montjuic viewpoint, when I was comparing its size to the surrounding buildings, I thought (as several times before), what an absolute genius Gaudi was.

The parks and gardens

The top of the Montjuic hill consists of several gardens, and when you walk through them, you are also able to admire the views of different parts of Barcelona. But what I liked almost as much as the views, are the signs next to each plant, telling you what it is. Well, they are interesting in case you are interested in botanics, but it is still nice of people to put those signs there.

There is a gate, which indicates an entrance to each garden. I have only been in two of them – the one that I passed through on the way up, and the second one when I was leaving the castle viewpoint, and I noticed that it is situated just a few meters away from where I was standing. So I have obviously decided to take a look.

Needless to say that I was impressed when I entered, so I have decided to come back another day, when I will have more time, and also my camera to take better pictures, not just my phone. Also, another plus for those gardens – you do not have to pay anything to enter them. Although those gates may seem like a place to pay an entrance fee. Well, at least something that is free in this city.

I was lucky enough when I entered the funicular building, that the funicular departed in two minutes, so I did not have to wait for it. And I was even able to get a seat inside! So, I can say that today was a good day with a good view.

Conclusion

The Montjuic hill has something for everyone. There, you can find olympic complexes (for example, a swimming pool with a panoramic view of Barcelona), gardens, and even a castle! So, the perfect thing to do up there is to bring a picnic blanket, something to eat, binoculars and a camera, and just enjoy when the time is passing by.

A very important place for tourists who would like to get to know the Catalonia Capital. Everyone has to see it, to visit it.

This is a place where you can enjoy views of the sea and all of Barcelona. A place where the most important monuments of Barcelona stand: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Estadio Olímpico, the fountains.

You can take a walk without the noise of the city, if one also wants to forget and to go out and party, to know all the typical places of Cataluña, it is a great place. A wonderful place.

Montjuic is a mountain in Barcelona in the Poble-sec neighbourhood. It has a parc, a castle, a palace and museums, therefore, it's a place for everybody's taste.

You can see the hole city from up there and also enjoy the nature around. It's a good place for hiking and chilling.

If you're not much into outside activities, you can also visit Montjuic Castle or Miró Museum there (free for european students). 

The most famous attraction though is the montjuic fountains. Almost every night the fountains under the hill are lighten and perform a music spectacle. Really beautiful.

The fountais are located just in front of Palau Nacional, a palace that keeps a lot of Barcelona's history and also a nice place to see the city from above (since you have to climb many stairs to get there). 

Add and follow all the places in Barcelona that we visited. Today I will tell you about Montjuic, you must visit for a whole day.

Normally, when a tourist refers to Montjuic or someone recommends that you visit it they only refer to the mountain, which is 170 metres high with beautiful views, monuments and sporting events. However, it is good to know that the mountain is also home to a neighbourhood, in the district of Sants-Montjuic, where one can visit different places such as the magic fountain, the Spanish town or the Miró foundation without needing to go to the top of the mountain.

Unfortunately, I would love to tell you about all the places that this area is home to but I will only mention the places I have visited in detail, so you should investigate on your own accord if you want to schedule a visit here as it deserves.

The origin of the name, Montjuic

There are various theories that exist about the meaning of the name. On one side, some people say that Montjuic means "mountain of the Jews", since according to documents and archaeological discoveries, there has been a Jewish cemetery on the mountain in the past. Others defend the theory that the name comes from Latin, "Mount Jupiter". Now, each person can choose!

What is there at Montjuic?

This mountain is not a place to visit briefly or to dedicate a scarce hour. In our journey we made this error, so we have lots of places left to visit.. (for the next time that I travel here, as I usually say).

Montjuic is a great fairground (some people say that it even has world importance), that was born in 1929 with the International Exposition and it gained a lot of popularity with the Olympic Games that were celebrated in Barcelona in 1992. Like I said in my previous blog post about the Universal Exposition of 1888 (in the entry about the Arco del Triunfo), this exposition also meant that a change in the level of the infrastructure made a step towards the modernisation of the city, adapting it to events of all types.

This complex, with an area of approximately 92. 000 m2, includes many green zones, large and colourful gardens, sports centres and Olympic installations, palaces, restaurants and cultural areas like the castle and other museums.

We got to know the top of the mountain, where the views from the highest point are stunning, enjoying the beautiful sunset as well, with the sun falling down and hiding behind the buildings, also from the some of the immense and well looked after gardens; from the installations of the castle; and from the beautiful magic fountain already at the lowest, not to mention the most part of the sports installations, the National Palace of Montjuic or the spectacular gardens of Joan Margall, or a simple walk down to enjoy the charm of the entire fairgrounds.

Initially, we went up in the cable car (later I will tell you about how to get to the peak) that took us to the highest point, where we got to know the Castle of Montjuic.

The Castle of Montjuic

At the peak of the mountain, which is has a height of 170 metres, the castle of Montjuic is located. At first glance, for those who do not know the history, what catches your attention is the incredible views of the city at this level, but then the good state of the castle as well as all the gardens that surround it, with that beautiful floral colour.

As it is obvious, the castle supports a fort, a view point towards the port that helped to guard the city, but that also would allow them to maintain a guard of 360 degrees over the city from its highest point. The castle was originally military grounds that dates back to the year 1640 (with the Reapers War) and from then it was passed from one hand to the other in the function of the period. A few years later, in 1652, it became a real possession so, among other players, became the subject of dispute in the War of Succession (that lasted until the year 1714 in Barcelona).

In the 18th century, after multiple damages suffered from the war, it was remodelled by a Spanish military engineer, Juan Martin Cermeño, acquiring from then the aspect that it has today. Nowadays, it is in the hands of the City Council as Municipal equipment, making the castle a public possession and in the honour of it, in 2008 a popular party was celebrated in the grounds that received 40, 000 people. However, until it arrived to this moment in the year 2007, the castle had been a military prison until 1960, where in October 1940, Lluís Company's the president of the Catalan Autonomous government was shot dead. Including, before being property of the city council, Franco also put a hand up and made the castle a museum of arms.

The Castle began a new rehabilitation in the year 2009 with the objective to transform the aspect of the military fort into a public place for spare time, culture and memory of the history of Barcelona. The purpose is to offer a historical journey in incomparable scenery, where you can interpret the history in a more real and graphic way, getting to know the way of life from the first inhabitants and even telling it with the use of specific expositions according to the theme.

In 2011, the new Catalan flag was put up as a symbol of recuperation of the castle, it had been put on by Lluís Companys in 1936 before the Spanish Civil War.

Prices and opening hours:

The general cost is 5 euros and it is open from 10:00 until 18:00 or 20:00 depending on the season (it is important to check according to the day that you are visiting since the hours can vary or it might even be closed). Also, it is interesting to inform yourself, asking questions or searching the internet to see if there is any sort of event, exposition or excursion that might interest you.

I will leave the link for the website of the Castle here, if you are interested in consulting it for events.

Montjuic as a sports centre

Also, the mountain of Montjuic has a strong relation with sport, since it was the place that received the Olympic games of Barcelona in 1992 and was also the home to the Spanish motorcycling Grand Prix from 1950 until 1968 and after that, alternate years from 1970 until 1976. Within these years (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975) in the circuit it celebrated the Spanish formula 1 Grand Prix.

The mountain is the home to various sporting installations: the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi, two swimming pools (Piscinas Bernat Picornell and la Piscina municipal de Montjuic) and the National Institute of Physical Education in Cataluña (Instituto Nacional de Educación física de Cataluña - INEFC).

The Barcelona Teatre Musical is also situated there (as its name indicates, this building is the home to theatrical and musical works), a building that was previously the old Sports Palace.

Other sport installations are dedicated to different sports: athletics (Parc del Midgia Athletics Stadium or the Joan Serrahima athletics stadium); baseball (Carlos Prerez de Rozas Municipal Baseball pitch); hockey (hieba Pau Negre hockey stadium); rugby (La foixarda Municipal Rugby pitch).

The Magic fountain of Montjuic

Another place that belongs to Montjuic and yet it is not necessary to climb the mountainside or ride a cable car or arm yourself with courage to reach it on foot, is the magic fountain of Montjuic.

The Magic Fountain can be found on Avenida María Cristina, between the Plaza de España and the National Palace. The fountain is the culmination of a beautiful path down the avenue that starts in Plaza de España where you can see two tall columns at each side of the street, which are illuminated when it is dark and continuing along the path, there are ponds, fountains and small cascades on each side, with small light bulbs that give the street a romantic atmosphere during the night.

The fountain has three ponds in its centre and it offers a great spectacle of water and a mix of 30 different colours, accompanied by music that changes with the intensity of the different colours.

It was built by Carles Buïgas in 1929 for the International exposition and it was not until the 80's when they incorporated the music ready for the Olympic games in 1992.

Out of curiosity, it is interesting to know that the Magic Fountain was the scenery for the MTV European Music Awards Gala in 2002 that was celebrated in Barcelona, where amongst others there was Bon Jovi! Also, since 2013, it has been the most popular place for New Year, since they celebrate the New Year's Eve chimes there.

Opening hours: This year, in 2015, this spectacle of lights can only be enjoyed on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 21:00h and 23:30h, happening every half an hour. Check if you are going between January and February because naturally, the fountain closes during this period since it corresponds to the maintenance period for it.

How to get there

The central location of Montjuic allows for easy access from different parts of the city, since it is well connected with the public transport network. The access to the neighbourhood can be done at any point in the year on foot (for those who like long walks) or in the bus lines that go to the neighbourhood, although this way one does not reach the highest zone but the rest of the route can be done on foot from the bus stop.

The most "exotic or original" (although it should be highlighted that is the most expensive) is to go up in the cable car. With this mode of transport there are two possibilities: the cable car from the port, situated in walking distance from the Barceloneta beach, and the Montjuic cable car.

1. Port Cable Car:

The first option lasts about 10 minutes, runs a little over 1 kilometre and reaches 70 meters in height (from sea level as it leaves the port). In these 10 minutes you can see great views over a lot of the city and the port, so it is a tourist element in itself, in addition to its transport function to Montjuic (specifically to Miramar Mira, on the hill of the mountain ). The towers of the cable cars were built in 1929 for the International Exhibition, and years later, during the civil war, they were used as defence towers. It was not until the 1960's that this cable car came back into operation.

Price: The price is 10 euros for one way and 15 euros for a return ticket.

Opening hours: You need to check the opening hours is you have the intention of going since they start between 10:00h and 11:00h depending on the season of the year, being open until 20:00h in Summer and 17:30 or 19:00 during the rest of the year (consult the opening hours according to months since they vary quite a lot).

2. Cable Car of Montjuic:

The second option is the final route, this way elevates you to 100 metres more (reaching thus the 170 meters of unevenness of the mountain) taking you to the top, where the castle is located.

Price: a single trip costs 6. 80 euros and if the round trip is made the price is 9. 60 euros. To get to this point, the ticket for the metro you use during your stay in Barcelona is valid and you can connect with the funicular that takes you to Montjuic from the Paral·lel metro stop (lines 2 and 3).

This was the choice that we chose, especially because of lack of time because if we had more time I recommend to go by bus or even on foot, and walk the area calmly forcing you to visit all the nooks and crannies. It is true that the cable car offers very nice views of the city, and more when it is at dusk, however, it may be a more striking attraction for children because for my taste the value for money doesn't make it worth it...

To get more accurate information, you can visit the official website of TMB (Metropolitan Transport of Barcelona) where you will find updated schedules and prices. http://www.tmb.cat/en/tmb-home

For those of you who go to Barcelona and want to visit Montjuic, I recommend that you spend your time, it is worth spending a day to reach the top and go through all the emblematic places and that so many important events have taken place, enjoying the beauty of the environment and of course the views.

Hello, guys!

This article is about some sport and culture. Of course, I’ll add some food recommendations in case you get hangry (hungry plus angry).

Climb with Adela and I on the Montjuic Hill! Look what we’ll find!

The Catalonia National Art Museum (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya)

It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means free entrance for most of the museums in Barcelona. Besides an amazing ‘castle’, we will admire art from the modernism, noucentisme and Romanesque styles (perfect meme material).

Santiago Calatrava's Telecommunications Tower (Torre de telecomunicaciones de Montjuic)

This is a calm, nice place for watching the sunset, a reason would be the vibe of the people waiting for the sun going down.

The Spanish Square (Plaça d'Espanya)

Getting down of the Montjuic ‘Mountain’ (this is how some people call it), we are arriving in The Spanish Square, from where we can try to guess what’s inside the bullring in front of us. It must be something since the people keep going inside and outside!

That is the most interesting shopping mall I have ever seen.

Quickly we are going to the last floor of the Arenas de Barcelona in order to catch the last moments of this wonderful day. Pretty tiring, right?!

Spanish food

These are my few recommendations regarding Spanish food, since my Romanian host has incredible cooking skills:

• Tapas (appetizers or snacks in the Spanish cuisine) – One of my favourites is ‘patatas bravas’ (Attention! This product is hot!);

• Paella, preferably with seafood as you are in a city located next to the sea;

• Churros dumped into chocolate.

You deserve a great day today!