Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Admiring the beauty of Josep Lluís Sert's
Fundació Joan Miró
that houses the work of
Barcelona's best-known 20th-century artist.
Taking in the
CaixaForum
,
one of the city's best art spaces, which showcases the
bank's extensive global collection.
Watching the colours and water come alive in the evening display of
Font Màgica
.
Getting inside a
cable car
and watching Montjuïc from the air.
Explore: Montjuïc, Poble Sec & Sant Antoni
Montjuïc is home to some of the city's finest art collections - the CaixaForum, MNAC and
Fundació Joan Miró, and it hosts several lesser museums, curious sights like the Poble
Espanyol, the sinister Castell de Montjuïc and the beautiful remake of Mies van der Rohe's
1929 German pavilion. The bulk of the Olympic installations of the 1992 games are also
here. Come at night and witness the spectacle of the Font Màgica, several busy theatres and
a couple of nightclubs. Throw in various parks and gardens and you have the makings of an
extremely full couple of days.
You can approach the hill from Plaça d'Espanya on foot and take advantage of a series of
escalators from the west side of the Palau Nacional up to Avinguda de l'Estadi; alternat-
ively, and spectacularly, you can get on to a cable car from La Barceloneta and take in the
beautiful aerial views of the verdant hill. Another opportunity for a cable-car ride is from
Estació Parc Montjuïc to Castell de Montjuïc. Otherwise, explore on foot, along the numer-
ous forest paths that zigzag through gardens and skirt the various sights.
The swirling traffic roundabout of Plaça d'Espanya marks the boundary between
Montjuïc and the
barri
(neighbourhood) of Sants, an area worth seeing if you are keen on
witnessing the everyday life of residential, tourist-free Barcelona.
Sloping down the north face of Montjuïc is the tight warren of working-class El Poble
Sec. Though short on sights, it hides various interesting bars and eateries best visited on
warm evenings to take advantage of the pavement seating. Avinguda del Paral·lel was, until
the 1960s, the centre of Barcelona nightlife, crammed with theatres and cabarets, and a
handful of theatres and cinemas survive, one of which, the Sala Apolo, managed to convert
itself successfully into a club.
