As a local, I can tell you that spending a day wandering around these Montjuïc gardens is one of the best things you can do on your visit to Barcelona. So to help you plan, I’ll share the prettiest gardens you should visit, what to see in each one, and tips on when to go.
But first, here’s a quick primer on the gardens of Montjuïc, Barcelona.
Montjuïc is a hill in Barcelona covered in parks, woods, and general greenery. It has a lot to offer, from museums to panoramic views, but the gardens are the real heart of this “green lung” of Barcelona.
Around this famous hill, you can find many different kinds of gardens, full of flowers, trees, and sometimes art. Take a look at the most popular ones and then set out to find your favorite.
Guide tip: Want a local to show you the way? Take our Montjuic Walking Tour to discover the best gardens, art, and views with an expert storyteller who makes it all come alive!
Let’s discover the most popular ones.
Also called Laribal Gardens, this beautiful park was built in 1922 and was home to one of the restaurants that was used during the 1929 World Fair.
The name was La Font del Gat (Cat’s Fountain), and after half a decade of closure, it’s finally reopening for the summer of 2024, so now is a great time to visit.
This charming garden also hides a witchy past. It is said that right next to the Cat’s Fountain — and maybe this is the reason for that name — Barcelona’s witches used to gather for their Sabbath rituals.
The Gardens of Joan Brossa aren’t as flower-filled, but they are definitely the funniest. During the 20th century, this side of Montjuïc was entirely covered with an amusement park. It was popular throughout the region but finally closed in 1998.
Today the park still keeps that child’s spirit thanks to the many slides and swings but especially thanks to the several statues that used to belong to the amusement park (like the one in the picture above).
Want to know more about the stories hidden behind those statues? You should book our guided tour!
Spring is definitely the best season to visit the Greek Theater Garden, since it’s in that period that this corner of Montjuïc shows its real beauty. The garden blooms with lilies and roses giving a lot of color to this greenspace.
But why is this garden named like this? Just next to it, there is an open-air theater that was built for the 1929 World’s Fair using the classical Greek architecture as inspiration. And good news! It’s still used nowadays.
If you’ve been walking the whole day, and the Barcelona sun is making you tired, the gardens of Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer are the right place to go.
They’re located right next to the cable car station, and they are the perfect place for a picnic, especially in spring or summer. There is even an artificial lake if you want dinner with a view.
This hidden little garden located on the slope of Montjuïc, closer to the commercial port, is the last Montjuïc garden I discovered but now my new favorite.
It’s a romantic corner, perfect for a date, where you can smell the typical Mediterranean aromas: sea water, umbrella pines and palm trees. It’s the perfect mix while sitting on a bench and gazing at the seaside.
Tip: This garden is so special that you can’t reach it by public transport. You can either walk from the Old Port, drive, or take a taxi or ride-share.
Want to know about the plants of Barcelona and from other places around the world? The Barcelona Botanical Garden — or Jardí Botànic de Barcelona — will delight you.
This attraction belongs to the Museum of Natural Sciences, and its mission is to showcase the similarities between the many different Mediterranean climates around the world, such as those in Chile, California, South Africa, and Australia.
To visit, you need to purchase a ticket, but if you want to save money, I recommend going on a Sunday after 3 p.m. when it’s free.
Montjuïc is not only full of flowers, plants, and charming nooks. This hill is also home to a lot of art. Here you can find the National Museum of Catalan Art and the Joan Miró Foundation.
Right next to the Joan Miró museum, there’s a small garden, created in 1990, called Jardín de las Esculturas. Translated, it means the Garden of the Sculptures. Since the museum celebrates Catalan contemporary art, the statues you can see in this garden are also made by local artists.
Fun fact: The statue in the picture above was made by Josep Montserrat in 1909. It represents the typical Catalan man of the mountains — “manelic” in Catalan
After so many gardens, it’s now time to talk about the one with the best view: the Miramar Gardens.
Miramar literally means “look at the sea,” and the name of this quiet garden already tells us a lot about what we can expect from it.
These gardens were designed for the 1929 World’s Fair, and they’re located right in front of a hotel, whose guests have the privilege of waking up every morning looking at the Mediterranean Sea and statues from the last century surrounded by plants and flowers.
Depending on the season, you can find daisies, peach trees, plum trees, and even avocado trees.
Montjuïc gardens tell us a lot about this hill in Barcelona, so beloved by locals like me. In these greenspaces, you not only find plants and flowers, but also sculptures and other contemporary art, Catalan history, and breathtaking views.
If you don’t want to miss any of its special charm, join us on our guided tour, including a tour inside the Montjuïc Castle fortress. Whatever season you visit, there’s something magical to discover in Montjuïc!
