Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A DETOUR
JARDINS DEL LABERINT D'HORTA
Laid out in the twilight years of the 18th century by Antoni Desvalls, Marquès
del Castanyers 1; adult/student €2.23/1.42, free Wed & Sun; 10am-sunset; ; Mundet)
remained
a private family idyll until the 1970s, when it was opened to the public. Many a fine
party and theatrical performance was held here over the years, but it now serves as a
kind of museum-park.
The gardens take their name from a maze in their centre, but other paths take you
past a pleasant artificial lake (estany), waterfalls, a neoclassical pavilion and a false
cemetery. The last is inspired by 19th-century romanticism, characterised by an ob-
session with a swooning, anaemic (some might say silly) vision of death.
The labyrinth, in the middle of these cool gardens (somehow odd in this environ-
ment, with modern apartments and ring roads nearby), can be surprisingly frustrat-
ing! This is a good one for kids.
Scenes of the film adaptation of Patrick Süsskind's novelPerfumewere shot in the
gardens.
To reach the gardens, take the right exit upstairs at Mundet metro station; on emer-
ging, turn right and then left along the main road (with football fields on your left) and
then the first left uphill to the gardens (about 10 minutes).
Also in the area are two exceptional restaurants:
Can Cortada
( 93 427 23 15;
www.gruptravi.com
; Avinguda de l'Estatut de Catalunya; mains €13-27;
1.30-4pm & 8.30-11.30pm; Mundet)
, set on an 11th-century estate (complete with the
remains of a defensive tower), serves up traditional Catalan fare. Try for a table in the
former cellars or on the garden terrace.
Can Travi Nou
( 93 428 03 01;
www.gruptravi.com
; Carrer Jorge Manrique; mains €18-28;
1-4pm daily & 8.30-11pm Mon-Sat; Montbau)
is an expansive 18th-century mansion with sev-
eral dining areas that stretch out across two floors. The warm colours, grandfather
clock and wholesome, rustic air make for a magical setting for a Catalan splurge.
EATING
Some of the grandest kitchens in the city are scattered across La Zona Alta,
from Tibidabo across Sant Gervasi (as far down as Avinguda Diagonal, west
of Gràcia) to Pedralbes. Plenty of places of all cuisines and qualities abound,
often tucked away in quiet, unassuming residential streets far from anything
