Europe is well-known for its magnificent parks and gardens. Barcelona itself has some of the famous that one is bound to visit while in the city. The most famous is that of Park Guell, designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi. Originally built to be a housing development outside of the industrial city center Park Guell features interesting houses and lots of tiled buildings and surfaces. It has a main terrace with a famous tiled bench that over-looks the entire city down to the sea. This park is a must see and access is free early in the morning to be the afternoon crowds.
Parc de La Ciutadella located in the heart of the city known as the Born neighborhood. It features a beautiful ornate fountain and is home to the Barcelona Zoo. It’s a perfect park to sit back and relax to escape the buzz of the city without needing to go to far.
The Gardens of Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer feature some ornate gardens and ponds and are known for their lush flower beds. No matter what season you plan to visit, you can expect to see full colorful blooms. The many flowers featured are a variety of tulips, crocuses, hyacinths, dahlias as well as aquatic plants such as water lilies in the ponds.
Parc del Laberint d’Horta is one of the most historic parks of Barcelona, it features a hedged maze of cypress trees. You can also see sculptures of certain mythological creatures including Dyonysis and Danae who gave birth to Zeus’ son Perseus.
Montjuic is a prominent hill overlooking the Barcelona Harbour. At the top are breathtaking views of the harbor and Barcelona. While there you can visit the Montjuic Castle and learn the history of the “Jewish Mountain.” It can be accessed by cable car or hike up its spiraling roads to the top.
Even if you are not a nature lover, these parks hold so much history to the culture and development of Barcelona as a city.
