Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Guided tours in English (€16 per person) happen daily at 11am and include the interior of
the building; otherwise visits are limited to the grounds - its gardens and stables, but do in-
clude an audioguide that gives historical background. The other downside: it's a long walk
to a train station, though many buses pass near (including bus 22 and bus 58 from Plaça de
Catalunya).
PARK
PARC DE LA CREUETA DEL COLL
93 413 24 00; Passeig de la Mare de Déu del Coll 77;
10am-sunset;
;
Pen-
itents)
Not far from Park Güell, this refreshing public park has a pleasant, meandering, splashing
pool. The pool, along with swings, showers and snack bar, makes a relaxing family stop on
hot summer days and is strictly a local affair. The park area is open all year; only the lake-
pool closes outside summer.
The park is set inside a deep crater left by long years of stone quarrying. On one side of it,
an enormous cement sculpture,
Elogio del Agua
(Eulogy to Water) by Eduardo Chillida, is
suspended. You can wander the trails around the high part of this hill-park and enjoy views
of the city and Tibidabo. From the Penitents metro station, it's a 15-minute walk. Enter from
Carrer Mare de Déu del Coll.
OBSERVATORY
OBSERVATORI FABRA
tramvia blau, FGC Avinguda Tibidabo then)
Inaugurated in 1904, this Modernista observatory is still a functioning scientific foundation.
It can be visited on certain evenings to allow people to observe the stars through its grand
old telescope. Visits, generally in Catalan or Spanish (Castilian) have to be booked. From
mid-June to mid-September an option is to join in for the nightly
Sopars amb Estrelles
(Dinner under the Stars; 93 327 01 21;
www.soparsambestrelles.com
)
(Dinner under the Stars).
You dine outside, tour the building, peer into the telescope and get a lecture (in Catalan)
on the heavens. The evening starts at 8.30pm and costs €70 per person. The easiest way here
is by taxi.
ARCHITECTURE
COL·LEGI DE LES TERESIANES
This striking work by Gaudí has exposed brick pillars and steep catenary arches, each of
which is unique. It was built in 1889 for the Order of St Teresa.
