Blue hues of the Barcelona sky glisten on the hill, rising 173 meters above the Mediterranean. Greenery, a castle and a magic fountain await those who make the journey to this mini mountain.
Montjuic, the most famous hill in Barcelona, sits between Placa Espanya and the commercial port and welcomes its visitors with palaces, pavilions and parks for wandering. If you want to get a taste of Barcelona’s beauty, ascending this hill could be your starting point.
A Hill of History
The city’s Jewish community once called this hill home, and its name today reflects this history as Montjuic is Catalan for ‘Jewish Mountain.’ The name is said to reference an ancient Jewish cemetery discovered on the hill.
Montjuic’s position near the sea has made it an important place throughout history. Montjuic Castle was built in 1640 during the Reapers’ War. The castle is a popular tourist attraction but it once sparked fear and terror in locals, hosting years of a dark history.
The 1929 International Exposition, held in Barcelona, ushered in some of Montjuic’s most notable attractions: the National Museum of Catalan Art, the Font Magica and Poble Espanyol. The exhibition required 270 acres of land for development, and the organizers chose Montjuic hill.
The hill’s monuments and views of the city beckon your visit and hold decades of Barcelona history.
Montjuic Castle
The summit of Montjuic is home to Montjuic Castle, a military fortress with 360-degree views of the city. Due to its position, it played a role in the Siege of Barcelona in 1705 and the Spanish War of Succession, in which Catalonia lost its independence. The castle was demolished and redesigned by Juan Martin Cermeno, who completed the project by 1799.
For some locals, Montjuic is a symbol of the loss of their independence. Following the Catalan defeat, the central government took control of the castle, using its cannons against Barcelona’s own people.
The castle also served as a prison and execution ground. During the 19th century, the government assassinated anarchists in the moat that perimeters the castle.
More recently, forces of General Franco imprisoned, tortured and executed their opponents in this hill-top fortress. Between 1936 and 1939, 1,500 people were imprisoned in the castle, and about 250 were executed.
The stains of Montjuic Castle’s history are unrecognizable from the outside as tourists admire the greenery that climbs the walls and the curated shrubbery in the moat below. But if you purchase a ticket to enter, you will learn more about the monument’s past in a permanent exhibition called the Montjuic Castle Interpretation Center.
Even if you don’t enter the fortress, a walk around the perimeter allows you to admire Cermeno’s architecture. A neoclassical bridge welcomes you, and the 155-meter-long sea-facing wall grants you a view of the city.
Montjuic is home to more history and sights than the castle. A walk along a few windy paths will lead you to the home of the 1992 Olympic Games.
Olympic Ring
Around the same time as the 1929 International Exposition, the Olympic Stadium was built, intended to host the 1936 Games, but Berlin beat out Barcelona. The construction effort wasn’t worthless as Barcelona eventually hosted the Games in 1992.
Prior to the Games, Montjuic experienced another swath of projects. Constructions from the 1929 Fair were renovated and other Olympic arenas were added such as the diving pool.
Today, you can walk around the ring of buildings dedicated to the Summer Games. Even though you can’t enter most of them, you can snap a few shots to prove you were there and imagine the excitement of athletes and crowds back in ‘92.
Opposite the stadium, you’ll find the Joan Antonio Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum, which you can enter.
Olympic and Sport Museum
Sports memorabilia decorate each wall inside the museum. From fencing to swimming to rock climbing, you can view equipment, see photographs of famous athletes and read about the origin of each activity.
You can purchase your ticket at the desk where an employee like Maria Vilaro will exchange your €3.60 for your entry.
“I enjoy working up here on Montjuic,” Vilaro said. “My kids love to walk through the gardens, explore this museum and watch the fountain show at night. It’s a tourist attraction but still a beautiful place.”
The three-story, wrap-around ramp presents displays dedicated to different sports. Glass cases protect signed shoes and helmets. Words scrawled on the wall explain the history of the sport and how it has evolved.
After your descent, an interactive sports room becomes your playground. A rock-climbing wall begs to be scaled. A digital strip of track questions how far you can jump.
You even see some art at the exit where Olympic posters line the wall.
However, most of the art on Montjuic calls the National Museum of Catalan Art home.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Cataluyna
Medieval religious iconography dominates the ground floor, and the modern art of Picasso and Dali call the first floor home. Antoni Gaudi furniture makes an appearance as well. For €12 you can enjoy a timeline of Catalan art.
What calls you to explore the National Museum of Catalan Art is its palace-like presence perched on the hill.
Tourists gather beneath the fountain that leads to the museum, soaking in a worm’s eye view of the building. Isabella Durand, a frequent visitor of Barcelona, returned to Montjuic to enter the museum. Her father works in the city, and her visits from Florida are full of sightseeing.
“I love coming up to Montjuic,” Durand said. “I saw Museu Nacional d’Art de Cataluyna on my first visit to Barcelona last year but never made it inside. I’m grateful I could return to see the art this time.”
An entry ticket grants access to collections of Romanesque mural paintings, Catalan modernism and photography. If you’re not a museum fan, the building itself is a work of art that you can spend time admiring.
If you stick around until 9 p.m., the fountain below the museum may surprise you.
Magic Fountain
Crowds gather early, scattering the steps in front of the Magic Fountain, awaiting the water eruptions from 3,620 jets.
Cotton candy skies provide a backdrop for the white water that skyrockets in changing patterns. From Queen to Ed Sheeran to Jason Derulo, the water matches the beat of popular music. Typically, lights add color to the geysers, lighting up the night sky. However, in the summer months, the sun doesn’t set until 9:30 p.m., and the show begins at 9 p.m., so lights don’t have their full effect until dark.
You can stand or sit on the staircase that leads to the museum, or you can venture down to watch directly beneath the fountain — in the splash zone. Sprinkles of water might brush your skin, but you get an up-close experience with fewer heads blocking your view.
Paulina Ramanauskaite, a Lithuanian ice dancer, stood at the fountain’s front, unafraid of a little water.
“You can get lost in watching the water dance,” Ramanauskaite said. “This was a perfect end to exploring Montjuic.”
Show times differ with the time of year. From June through September, shows occur Wednesday to Sunday: one show at 9:30 p.m. and another at 10 p.m.
No matter when you’re here, cascades of water spewing from this magic fountain will catch your attention.
How to Get to Montjuic
Arguably one of the best parts of a day spent at Montjuic is the journey up. From the inside of your individual, glass cable car, you can see the Mediterranean and the entirety of Barcelona below as fresh air circulates through the open slats.
You can hike up the hill if you wish, or you can take the funicular from the Paral-lel metro station halfway up the hill, where the Teleferic de Montjuic Cable Car will transport you the rest of the way.
The funicular is a one-track, one-train system that leaves every 10 minutes. The ride only lasts two or three minutes but saves you from an uphill walk. From the funicular, a €9.40 ticket will get you to the top of Montjuic in a ski-style carriage. This ride in the sky is an attraction itself.
The cable car drops you at the foot of the castle, overlooking the entire city. From here you can explore the rest of what Montjuic has to offer, which is quite a lot. Take a day to explore the tourist attractions rich with history.
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