WRC Recommends! - The Best Parks and Gardens in Barcelona!
Discover the city’s prettiest (and most tranquil) green spaces with our guide to the best parks and gardens in Barcelona
Parks in Barcelona, you ask? Where? Right here is a good place to start to find your new favourite inner-city retreat.
Ciutadella Park
What is it? At over 17 hectares, Ciutadella (which means ‘citadel’ in Catalan, by the way, giving you a hint as to its history) is the biggest park in Barcelona. Think of it as the city’s central park.
Why go? It’s where the Barcelona Zoo is, but if that’s not your thing, you can rent a boat to row on the lake, take a walk or jog around the plentiful paths, spot the woolly mammoth or admire the massive fountain that a young Antoni Gaudí had a hand in creating. Maybe you’ll come across a group of swing dancers or circus performers, or even a local fair or festival. Or just spread out a blanket for a picnic or a siesta and feel the city all around you.
Park Güell
What is it? One of Antoni Gaudi’s most popular masterpieces. Built between 1900 and 1914, Park Güell covers over 17 hectares, making it one of the biggest architectural works in southern Europe. It’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 It is one of the most emblematic works of Antoni Gaudí. It has 17 hectares, has wavy forms, columns that look like trees, animal figures and geometric shapes.
Why go? The ‘monumental zone’ is the biggest draw. In an effort to keep ever-growing crowds to a manageable size, a fee has been charged to visitors since 2013 to get into these areas, where you can see the main works by Gaudí.
Tamarita gardens
These gardens were inaugurated in 1994 and are located between Passeig de Sant Gervasi and Avinguda del Tibidabo. These gardens are a good place to rest and be quiet away from the noise of the city. They are located just across from the stone and wrought iron wall that surrounds the garden, built to preserve a space that was once private and is now public.
What is it? These beautiful gardens surround an impressive architectural construction from the early 1900s.
Full of decorative elements, Jardins de la Tamarita will tempt you to walk around and enjoy the fountains, small ponds and the many ideal spots for reading, writing in your travel journal or simply taking a break for a little while.
Why go? Not only will you be able to relax, you’ll also travel back in time to when the Catalan middle classes built homes out of mansions in this part of the city, and surrounded them with gardens created to impress.
Palau de les Heures
What is it? The gardens surrounding a French-style ‘chateau’ known as Palau de les Heures (Ivy Palace) thanks to the creeping ivy all around. These gardens, not far from the better-known Labyrinth Park, are divided into three terraces where plants grow in perfect symmetry. The palace itself today forms part of the University of Barcelona network.
Why go? For their amazing palm trees, magnolias, cedars, oaks and orange trees, these expansive gardens a bit further afield from the centre of town are a real spectacle for the senses.
Cervantes park
Cervantes Park is located in the Pedralbes neighborhood, on Avenida Diagonal. If you are a rose lover you can't miss this beautiful space. It is known for its varied Mediterranean vegetation, a great variety of internationally recognized flowers and beautiful sculptures.
Why go? The park is a magnificent, open, green space, distinguished by the large expanses of grass, wide paths and gentle slope of the land. These features make it a really attractive place to go for walkers and sports enthusiasts, especially cyclists and runners.
Cervantes Park is located on land once occupied by the Estela torrent, which collected water that flowed down from the summit of Sant Pere Màrtir. Visitors can walk up it from Av Diagonal, which is where the main entrance is, or take a more relaxed, slow walk down from Ronda de Dalt.
At WRC we love Recommendations! We hope you enjoy exploring them!
