Montjuïc

Location

Barcelona
Spain
41° 21' 51.0012" N, 2° 9' 29.0016" E
ES
General info: 

Overlooking the Barcelona harbor, the Montjuïc Hill rises some 180 meters high. All throughout the city history, the hill has been the place where the Catalan history was written. The 17th century Castle of Montjuïc stands on the place where first fortifications were built, hundreds of years earlier.

The Montjuïc Hill had been the city stronghold every time a foreign army invaded the area. However, in the 20th century, during the Spanish Civil War, it served as a political prison. In turn, both the Republicans and the Fascists used it as the execution site.

Besides being the reminder of the Barcelona’s bad times, this hill is also popular as a landscape point. To the south, it gives a great panoramic view of the Mediterranean, while its northern part gives the fabulous city view.

The Hill was the venue of the 1929 International Exhibition and many of the buildings around are from that era. The Olympic Stadium is one of them. It was the venue of the anti-fascist Olympic Games held as the alternative of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Montjuïc Hill was again the center of the world in 1988, when the Olympic Flag ceremony was honored by the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé concert.

Getting there: 

The nearest metro and bus station is the Barcelona-Sants station. There are dozens of busses that will take you from that station to the Montjuïc Hill. ‎

Costs: 

The Montjuïc Hill is a public area and is free to visit. The entrance fee is however required, if you plan to visit some of the museums in the area. ‎

Interesting places nearby

Just above the mundane Gstaad (about 4 km away), the top ski Gstaad region is the peaceful ski holiday resort Saanen. Saanen like Gstaad is not the cheapest choice for a skiing holiday, but the accommodations are a lot less expensive.

BASE: 4038ft
SUMMIT: 7234ft
VERTICAL DROP: 3195ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 16
Gondolas: 4
Chairs: 8
Surface: 4

The Gstaad ski resorts are situated in the heart of the ski region Gstaad Saanenland in the Bernese Oberland at the east side of Lake Geneve.

Guzet changes your life, changes skiing : a lovely ski resort in a beautiful place, with 350 chalets settled in the heart of fir forests.

BASE: 3937ft
SUMMIT: 7096ft
VERTICAL DROP: 3159ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 2
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 0
Surface: 2

All charms united by a family, approachable station, with nice panoramas, nice hours of sunshine, areas play and reassured to use nature and get some fresh air.

BASE: 4921ft
SUMMIT: 5905ft
VERTICAL DROP: 984ft