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Inundat
– nothing less than a thousand square metres of real Amazonian
rainforest, complete with croc-filled mangroves, anacondas, giant catfish and
dozy capybaras (the world’s largest rodent, the size of a family dog).
Other lower levels of the museum are devoted to
children’s and family
activities
, such as Toca Toca! (Touch Touch!) – handling animals, insects and
plants – Clik (ages 3–6) and Flash (7–10), where science games and experiments
are presented in a fun way.These activities all tend to be held at weekends and
during school holidays – pick up a schedule when you arrive, or check the
website. There are also daily shows in the
planetarium
(Spanish and Catalan
only, but worth experiencing), a great gift shop, and a café-restaurant with
outdoor seating beneath the restored hospital facade.
CosmoCaixa is at c/Teodor Roviralta 47–51, just below the city ring road, the
Ronda del Dalt. The easiest way to get there is by FGC train from Plaça de
Catalunya to
Avinguda del Tibidabo station
, and then walk up the avenue,
turning left just before the ring road (10min) – or the Tramvia Blau or Bus
Turístic can drop you close by.
Tibidabo
If the views from the Castell de Montjuïc are good, those from the heights of
Tibidabo
(550m) – which forms the northwestern boundary of the city – are
legendary. On one of those mythical clear days, you can see across to Montserrat
and the Pyrenees, and out to sea even as far as Mallorca.The very name is based
on this view, taken from the Temptations of Christ in the wilderness, when
Satan led him to a high place and offered him everything that could be seen:
Haec omnia tibi dabo si cadens adoraberis me
(“All these things will I give thee, if
thou wilt fall down and worship me”).
The views aside, what many people make the trip for is the rather wonderful
Parc d’Atraccions
(days and hours vary, check website, but basically June–Sept
& hols Wed–Sun; rest of the year weekends only; closed Jan & Feb; open from
noon until 7–11pm depending on season;
T
932 117 942,
W
www.tibidabo.es;
Skywalk ticket €11, full admission €24, plus family/discount tickets), Barcelona’s
funfair, that’s been thrilling the citizens for over a century. The self-styled
“magic mountain” is a mix of traditional rides and a few more high-tech attrac-
tions, laid out around several levels of the mountaintop, connected by landscaped
paths and gardens. Some of the more famous attractions are grouped under the
“Skywalk Promenade” ticket, including the aeroplane ride, a Barcelona institu-
tion that’s been spinning since 1928, the carousel and the Museu d’Autòmates,
a collection of coin-operated antique fairground machines in working order.
There are amazing views from everywhere, and they are even more extensive if
you climb the shining steps of the neighbouring
Templo Expiatorio de
España
to the dramatic, wide balcony. Inside the church, also known as the
Sagrat Cor (Sacred Heart), a lift (
ascensor
; daily 10am–2pm & 3–7pm; €2) takes
you higher still, to just under the feet of Christ, from where the city, surrounding
hills and sea shimmer in the distance.
Practicalities
Getting there can be a convoluted matter but it is also half the fun, since you’ll
need to combine several forms of transport. It takes up to an hour, all told, from
the city centre.
THE NORTHERN SUBURBS
|
Tibidabo