Barcelona Guide
Montjuïc
Reserve at least a day to see Montjuïc, the steep hill and park rising over Barcelona to the southwest. It takes its name from the Jewish community that once settled on its slopes, and there's been a castle on the heights since the mid-seventeenth century. But contemporary Montjuïc is positioned as a cultural leisure park, anchored around the heavyweight art collections in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), and complemented by two other superb galleries, the Caixa Forum and the Fundació Joan Miró.
As late as the 1890s, the hill was nothing more than a collection of private farms and woodland on the edge of the old town, though some landscaping had already taken place by the time Montjuïc was chosen as the site of the International Exhibition of 1929. The slopes were then laid with gardens, terraces and fountains, while monumental Neoclassical buildings were added to the north side, many of them later adapted as museums. The famous Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) is the most extraordinary relic of the Exhibition, while the various lush gardens still provide enjoyment and respite from the crowds. Above all, perhaps, there are the city and ocean views to savour from this most favoured of Barcelona's hills.
The hill covers a wide area, so plan your visit carefully around the various opening times. If you're intent on covering everything, it might be better to see Montjuïc in two separate visits – MNAC, Poble Espanyol and Olympic area on one day, and Fundació Joan Miró, cable car and castle on the other. There are several approaches to Montjuïc, depending on where you want to start, and various means of transport around the hill. Places to eat are thin on the ground, though there are good cafés in Caixa Forum and the Fundació Joan Miró, outdoor snack bars at the castle and on the slopes below MNAC, and a restaurant with outdoor terrace at the Font del Gat in the Jardins Laribal, below the Fundació Joan Miró.