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

Val d’Isère has something for skiers and boarders of all levels. No, really.

Nestled in the heart of a naturally preserved environment, the resort of Val Louron towers above the top of his 2100m valleys Aure and Louron.

Val Thorens: the highest ski resort in Europe is hard to beat for snow fans. At 2,300m, it has one of the longest ski seasons. It is situated at the head of the 3 Valleys – the largest ski area in the world.

Located 1 hour from the mediterraneen coastline, in a protected environment at the Mercantour doors, the Valberg resort offers you several activities, in summer as in winter.

Valdelinares at 1,693 m is the highest township in Spain. Major road improvements have allowed an enormous increase in the number of visitors from the Autonomous Communities of Valencia, Catalonia and Aragón.

More serious skiers as well as beginners. Snow making covers 10% of the terrain. There's no accommodation at the centre but around 500 tourist beds within a 3km radius.