THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN OF MONTJUIC

The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc first spouted on 19 May 1929 during the Great Universal Exhibition and continues to delight visitors to Barcelona today.

The fountain delivers a spectacular display of colour, light and water acrobatics with musical accompaniment every Thursday to Sunday in the summer months and every Friday and Saturday during winter.

TIMETABLES

Winter: (October to April)
Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Music sessions: 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM

Summer: (May to September)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 pm to 11:30 pm
Music Sessions: 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM 11:00 PM

ACCESS
Metro: Espanya (Red Line, L1 / Green Line, L3)

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EL POBLE ESPANYOL

The Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) was built on the Montjuïc hill for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona. Its aim was to show visitors a representative sample of Spanish architecture.


A team of two architects, an engineer and an artist created the village by erecting 116 buildings in different architectural styles representing Spain's many regions. The houses are arranged around a large square - the Plaza Mayor - and a couple smaller squares, all connected by picturesque streets, some with stairs. Poble Espanyol has everything you'd expect from a small village, including a town hall, a church, a monastery, shops and residential buildings.

Several of Poble Espanyol's buildings are exact reproductions of existing buildings, while other merely represent a specific architectural style.
The main entrance gate to the village is a replica of the Puerta San Vicente, one of nine gates of the 11th century walls around the city of Avila. Some other notable replicas are the Town Hall of Valderrobres and the tall clock tower of Utebo, a mixture of Mudéjar and Gothic styles.


El Poble Espanyol was only built for the duration of the Exhibition, but due to its popularity it was not demolished. Except during Spain's civil war, when it was used as an internment camp for prisoners, it has continued to attract visitors lured by the car-free idyllic village.

In 1988 the village was renovated and several attractions were added. There is now a focus on traditional arts with artisans creating glass, decorative paintings, ceramics, embroidery, and many other handmade objects in about 40 workshops. The village also features a number of bars, restaurants, shops and even some nightclubs.


OPENING TIMES

Monday: from 9.00am to 8.00pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sundays from 9.00 am until midnight
Friday: from 9.00am to 3.00am
Saturdays: from 9.00am to 4.00am

PRICES

General: 9,50€
Students & > 65 years old: 6,60€
Children < 4 years old: free admission

ACCESS

Metro: Espanya (Red Line, L1 / Green Line, L3)

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COLUMNS OF THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS

This is the best-preserved Roman relic in the city, and has three columns with Corinthian capitals raised on top of podiums. The temple was built in the 1st century BC and, as its name suggests, it was dedicated to the worship of Emperor Augustus. It was 37 metres long and 17 metres wide, and the front contained six columns (hexastyle temple). It was originally a pagan temple, located in what used to be the center of Roman Barcelona. Don't miss this chance to explore one of the last traces of the Roman town known as Barcino, upon which the medieval city was based. The three columns from the Temple d'August are inside the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya.

OPENING TIMES

From Tuesday to Saturday: 10 h to 19 h
Sunday: 10 h to 20 h

PRICES

Free admission

ACCESS

Metro: Jaume I (Yellow Line, L4)

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BARCELONA PORT'S CABLE CAR

The cable car system, which was built on the occasion of the 1929 Universal Exhibition in Barcelona, offers a different, bird’s eye, view of the city, over the harbor whilst also providing an original urban transport service linking two sites historically related to each other: Mount Montjuïc and the Port of Barcelona.  The cable car runs from the 70 m height station beside the Costa i Llobera Gardens on Mount Montjuïc to the Sant Sebastià Tower and back, stopping midway at the Jaume I Tower (adjoining the World Trade Center Barcelona).

OPENING TIMES

Every day from 11 am to 20 pm

PRICES

One way: 10€
Round trip: 15€

ACCESS

Metro: Barceloneta (Yellow Line, L4)

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TRAMVIA BLAU (BLUE TRAM)

The Tramvia Blau (blue tram), a Barcelona’s century-old means of transport which came into service in 1901, runs from the Plaça Kennedy/ Avinguda del Tibidabo to the Plaça del Doctor Andreu and back. The Tramvia connects with the Tibidabo Funicular in the Plaça del Doctor Andreu.

FREQUENCY

30-40 minuts

PRICES

Single: 3.00 €
Round trip 4.70 €
(Tickets can by purchased from the driver)

ACCESS

FGC: Av. Tibidabo (L7)

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LA BOQUERIA MARKET

La Boqueria has a global reputation for being one of the most exciting fresh food markets in the world.

Travellers wanting to see the chaos, local restaurateurs and culinary wizards seeking out the best seasonal produce that the city can offer, and locals with a passion for good food, all push and prod their way through the crowded markets at La Boqueria.

If you are keener on joining in then eating-and-watching, there are some tempting opportunities for a snack as you explore. Will you choose a travel pack of fresh fruit, or a chipbag of fried whitebait, calamari and octopus? Do you want a selection of croquettes or a bocadillo of jamon and queso? Maybe it is easier to head straight to the chocolates and sweets.

For those wanting to actually shop for food in Barcelona, an early start to the day is less chaotic and jostled, with more open stalls to choose from. After midday, stalls start closing down towards the back of La Boqueria, although there are usually a couple of butchers, seafood and poultry stalls open until official market close each evening. This makes around 1 pm a great time to take home some seafood, as you can haggle for an even better price. With seafood coming in twice day, market stalls don’t need to store stock overnight for tomorrow’s customers.

The entrance way to the famous La Boqueria market is a mesmerizing display of fruit and vegetables, dried nuts, and deli stalls. Each has its own way of making it all about the food: from the modest delis with counter rows of peppered sausages and hanging charcuteries, to the elaborate grocer stalls with pyramids stacked of brightly coloured fruits and skin-gleaming vegetables.

La Boqueria is the perfect display of Barcelona’s city energy: a vibrant buzz bubbles up from the busy mix of tourism, commerce and the Catalan gastronomic culture.

OPENING TIME

Monday to Saturday:  6 am to 21 pm

ACCESS

Metro: Liceu (Green Line, L3) 

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BARCELONA CATHEDRAL'S CLOISTER

The Cathedral has a secluded Gothic cloister where 13 white geese are kept, the number explained by the assertion that Eulalia was 13 when she was martyred. A side door takes you into the peaceful gothic cloister, adorned with palm trees, magnolias and orange trees. The edges of the cloister are lined with chapels, and the trades of ancient Barcelona are represented in the relief work of the cloister flagstones. In the centre is a pond with fish, and following a Roman tradition, the flock of geese is allowed to roam.

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PLAÇA REIAL

Plaça Reial in Barcelona is a popular square just off the Ramblas. It's a social focal point especially at night and is often packed with Barcelonian's and tourists who are soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying some food or drinks at one of the restaurants or bars that surround the square.

ACCESS

Metro: Liceu (Green Line, L3)

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GRÀCIA QUARTER

Barri de Gràcia was a town in its own right until it was swallowed up by Barcelona in 1897. The streets are narrow and winding, with little squares dotted here and there. The buildings are low-rise, which shows how old they are (compare them to those anywhere else in Barcelona). One of Gaudí's first works can be found here, Casa Vicens (1883-1888), on Carrer Carolines. It's a very lively area with lots of bars and street life. There are numerous theaters, cinemas and cultural centers as well as good vegetarian restaurants and health-food stores. The August festival is a major event in the city.

ACCESS

Metro: Fontana (Green Line, L3)

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SANT FELIP NERI SQUARE

Possibly the most beautiful square in Barcelona, yet also the most tragic. It was to the baroque church in this tiny square that Gaudi was travelling when he was run over by a tram in the Gran Via and subsequently died. It was also here that a Fascist bomb blast killed many people including 20 children sheltering in the church during the Civil War. There is a plaque to commemorate them, and you can still see evidence of the violent past in the pockmarked stone of the church.


Perhaps it is fitting that there is a school here now, and that children play peacefully around the fountain. The trees, fountain and absence of cars give the place an almost rural feel.

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