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built a restaurant here of the same name for the 1929 International Exhibition,
and it’s open now for lunch (1–4pm; closed Mon), with wonderful views from
its terrace.
East of here, the Montjuïc cable car passes over the
Jardins de Mossèn Jacint
Verdaguer
and adjacent
Jardins Joan Brossa
(both daily 10am–dusk; free),
which tack up the hillside to the castle.Walking down through the gardens from
the castle is a pleasant way to return to the lower slopes of Montjuïc, through
what used to be the site of the old Montjuïc amusement park, though it’s now
fully landscaped, with children’s play areas – halfway, there are sweeping city
views from the
Mirador de l’Alcalde
.
Finally, outside the upper cross-harbour cable-car station, are the formal
Jardins de Miramar
, plus more fine views from the cable-car station café-
terrassa
. Steps lead down from a point close to the cable-car station into the
precipitous cactus gardens of the
Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera
(daily
10am–dusk; free), which look out over the port. The flourishing stands of
Central and South American, Indian and African cacti, some over 6m high,
make a dramatic scene, little experienced by most visitors to Montjuïc, though
the people lounging on the steps and in the shade of the bigger specimens
suggest it’s something of an open secret among the locals.
MONTJUÏC
|
The gardens of
Montjuïc