Parks in Barcelona: The Park Güell and others

For such a vibrant, bustling city, Barcelona has a lot of nature to offer. From the sea and coastline to the neighbouring mountains, the city is surprisingly green. Barcelona boasts many parks, for both locals and visitors to enjoy on sunny summer days.

Park Guell is Barcelona’s most famous park. It was designed by the world-renowned architect Gaudi, and after being a private estate, was opened to the public in 1922. Park Guell was declared a World Heritage site, and is a truly beautiful place. With its intricate mosaic, gothic pillars and plentiful greenery, Park Guell is one of Barcelona’s most popular tourist spots. It boasts views over the city looking out onto the ocean, as well as a fantastic atmosphere; the performers, artisan sellers and friendly Catalan locals make Park Guell a fantastic place to enjoy the best of what Barcelona has to offer.
 
Just off the central Avinguda Diagonal in the Pedralbes district, is the Cervantes Park. This lush park is home to 245 varieties of roses, making it a must see for all nature lovers. Also known for its beautiful greenery is the Parc Central del Poblenou, in the Diagonal Marneighbourhood. With its interesting architecture and dense vegetation, this park is a haven in the formerly industrial area of Poblenou.

Parc del Laberint is Barcelona’s oldest garden, designed in 1792 by Domencio Bagutti. Covering a total of 55 hectares, these beautiful gardens are neo-classically landscaped according to the styles of the time, yet also have a romantic woodland filled with sculptures. The park is also home to Torre Soberana, a 14th-century country house, and as its name suggests, Parc del Laberint has a maze of cypress trees for visitors to enjoy.

Barcelona has many parks for kids to enjoy too. Parc de l'Oreneta is an area of woodland which has a miniature steam train and pony rides for the children. It boasts a really wide range of Mediterranean vegetation and exceptional views of the city. Parc de la Ciutadella has been home to the Barcelona Zoo since 1892! There is also a lot of history to this park, with the Catalan Parliament standing in its parade ground, in the former military arsenal of the citadel. There are many monuments and statues to enjoy on the walk home from the zoo!

Then, there are Barcelona’s less traditional parks. The Tibidado Amusement Park is the oldest in Spain, and found in the Tibidado Mountain in Barcelona. This parc d’atracciones has everything you could want and more; Tibidabo Aeroplane, the Robot Museum, Marionetàrium puppet centre and Krüeger Horror Hotel as well as all the rides. Barcelona is also home to some fantastic water parks. Slightly further out of the city, there are slides, Jacuzzis, lagoons and Kamikaze freefalls at Aquopolis Water Park, Aquadiver Water Park, Waterworld and many more.