Montjuïc is the great mountain of the city. In contrast to the majesty of Tibidabo and its church, which seem to control Barcelona from the upper area of the city, Montjuic is the mountain of the sea and the lower area, the mountain of the people, the first mountain that the people of Barcelona began to climb when the city began to grow.
The mountain is the history of the city. The first Iberian and Laietan remains of human presence in Barcelona have been found on its slopes. Here was the cemetery where the Jews buried their dead in the Middle Ages so that they would not have to bury them inside the walls of Christian Barcelona, thus giving the mountain its name: Jewish Mount.. The workers of the city settled on the slopes of this mountain, building the Poblesec neighborhood and also the shantytowns the castle built on the highest point of Montjuic the city was bombed on too many occasions.
The montjuic fountains were the first swimming pools in the city (and are, today, his most popular show), its cemetery is, still, the cemetery of all Barcelona and his Olympic ring will be, forever, the center of the Games that introduced the city to the world.
Montjuic is, in short, a central part of the city’s history. Nevertheless, the great mountain remains a great unknown. Outside the MNAC, the castle or the Olympic Stadium, every time we go up there we discover new corners y curiosities that show us that there are still many secrets to be discovered among their gardens and its ramps. We bring you this guide to tell you what to see in the mountain, and hoping that, later on, you will tell us some secrets that you have discovered yourself.
Montjuic lighthouse, the last secret route of the city
We will not reveal how to get to the Montjuic lighthouse, because finding your way, secret as few, is part of the adventure of reaching it. Many of you will have seen it driving along the Ronda Litoral, or emitting luminous signals from the mountainside as you stroll along the Ronda Litoral barceloneta beach. but you had never imagined that you could reach it.
The lighthouse, built on the mountainside in 1906, is still active, but has few functions anymore after the construction of the harbor and the Zone, which leaves the torch far from the water. However, the views from this tower over the coast of Barcelona are spectacular, and the arrival to it, a real adventure of those that are no longer left in the city.
Amposta Winery high winery behind the mountain
There are few better claims for a place than to be always full despite being off the beaten restaurant path. At Bodega Amposta you go, not come, and judging by its capacity, always full, there are many who go to the foot of Montjuic to taste what one of the great wineries of the city has to offer.
The proposal is simple and complex. The cuisine and the traditional product of a winery, but with innovative touches, with very well prepared stews that look more for nailed elaborations than technical innovations. A place to go to leave very happy. The “bodega menu” for 35 euros offers you a real feast with high level starters.
📍Carrer d’Amposta, 1, 08004 Barcelona
Joan Brossa Park, the park with giant free musical instruments
The Joan Brossa Park is a tribute to the surrealist poet after whom the space is named. It is built on the area that once occupied montjuic amusement park and the older ones will remember, in fact, some of the buildings that still remain.
Now, the park is a Verde Zone with a peculiarity: its attractions and furniture are not benches or slides, but giant musical instruments. To play them, you have to walk or jump on them, squeeze them, or simply sing to be heard from a distance. In a sort of amusing challenge, the curious musical structures are waiting still in the park for us to get their best notes.
Bar Marcelino, the cheapest beer with a view in the city
In Barcelona chiringuitos are usually more a synonym of bad and expensive food and drinks, rather than places to go for a relaxing drink. Fortunately, there are exceptions and Bar Marcelino is one of them. This kiosk, located in one of the parks of Montjuic, is a humble hut where drinks are served without more, but it has an attraction, spectacular views over the city. A place one would like to have more of in Barcelona.
Free climbing at La Foixarda
Climbing is fashionable, not for nothing, europe’s largest climbing wall is in Barcelona. But there is a place in Montjuic where climbing is free and outdoors, an excellent climbing wall for those who want to get started in the sport that confronts man with the mountain.
This is the Zone of La Foixarda. There you will find, apart from rock walls to climb with rope, a long tunnel converted into a climbing wall, where you can practice your skills using only your hands and feet. A few meters away you will find the Climbat a climbing wall that you will be able to use once you are convinced that climbing is one of the greatest sports there is.
Teatre Grec, good theater excavated in the mountains
Although we would have loved to say that it is a theater built by the ancient Greeks and has survived until now, the truth is that it was built in 1929 for the celebration of the Universal Exposition. However, this does not make it any less special. To reach it you must cross a romantic rose garden with geometric flowerbeds, pergolas and terraces.
The Teatre Grec is inspired by the Theater of Epidaurus, built in Greece in the fourth century BC, and since 1976 hosts the summer Grec Festival, which since then has become an essential event for lovers of theater, music and circus.
Petit Montjuïc catalan-Algerian cuisine
Just a few meters from the Grec Theater Gardens is this little hidden gem. Petit Montjuïc, with its modest terrace and its coquettish premises, is an obligatory stop for the neighbors of the zone and the strollers of the hour of the vermouth. Its gastronomic proposal is the fusion of Catalan and Algerian cuisine, and from there arise such wonderful dishes as its veal cous cous, its mandonguilles or its bravas. Barcelona in its pure state: tavern of all the life marinated with the influences of outside.
📍 Carrer de Sant Isidre, 2
Teatre dels Sentits, the unknown mountain theater
From Montjuic we know an ancient military building, the Castle and a famous theater, the Lliure, king of the city’s theatrical programming. But the mountain hides in its most hidden side, the one that looks towards the neighborhood of La Marina del Prat Vermell, another old military building, the Polvorín del Castillo, which houses an unknown theater with an evocative name, the Teatre dels Sentits.
The space is a research center on the senses in which all the works presented investigate the “tyranny of the visual” to explore other codes (tactile, olfactory, auditory, proprioceptive…) in their works. A unique and magical place on the most unknown side of the mountain whose scenery is worth approaching to explore with all senses open.
Palauet Albéniz, the hidden mountain palace
The Palauet Albéniz has an imposing beauty; one of those that do not go unnoticed when one is strolling through Montjuïc. However, it is a relatively hidden gem and few stop to contemplate it.
Surrounded by the gardens of Joan Maragall, it was built for the Universal Exposition of 1929 to accommodate the royal family during their stay. But what really interests us is its neoclassical architecture.
It is built with stone and brick, and slate roofs. Its main distinctive feature is that it does not follow the guidelines of Mediterráneo architecture, but that of the Madrid court. It has influences from the palace of La Granja and the monastery of El Escorial. However, the two lions sculpted on the ticket come from the Palau Reial de Pedralbes.
Bodega Pasaje 1986, downtown wineries on the outskirts of the city
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Bodega Pasaje 1986 is part of a trend in the restaurant industry: rethinking the areas where haute cuisine can be found. Far from the Eixample or Ciutat Vella, this restaurant, led by Xavi Alba, ex of Tickets, brings great cuisine to neighborhoods where it is not usually found, but maintains the prices that are usually found, achieving an unbeatable combination.
Some of the star dishes are pickled mackerel, stuffed squid and a unique Russian salad inspired by the one at Suculent restaurant. In addition, its terrace is another incentive to get away from the city center and come here to savor the slow life.
Parc del Mirador del Poblesec, the unknown walk through the mountains
The Verde la Barcelona mountain holds many surprises and this walk, which takes us through its slopes is undoubtedly one of them. In a unique tour, the park offers us one of the less usual faces of the mountain: instead of walking us through its interior, it guides us through its exterior.
From Poblesec to Miramar, passing through corridors literally carved into the mountainside, the Mirador Park offers a privileged view and a privileged route, which shows us a little known side of the mountain and incredible views over the port of the city.