Do you want to know the most beautiful parks to visit in Barcelona, that will allow you to disconnect from the noise, traffic, smoke and stress of the city? Keep reading because we are going to make you a selection with the best ones!
We all know Barcelona for being a city with a very cosmopolitan personality, which is very much in love with urban life. However, we can not deny that this city maintains some contact with nature and the proof is in its parks that are colorful, stylish and very well maintained spaces.
Below, we are going to introduce you to the most beautiful parks in Barcelona so that you can choose the ones that catch your attention and add them to your visit itinerary. Will you join us for this refreshing and natural tour?
1. Parque Güell
We cannot start our selection of cool parks in Barcelona by any other point than the mythical Park Güell. There you can let your imagination fly, both children and adults, to discover one of the most important architectural movements of the city: without a doubt, one of the best things to do in Barcelona.
Parc Güell is one of Gaudí’s most important works in Barcelona. In addition to the main enclosure, the facilities go far beyond the most famous monuments and offer a network of paths and magical corners where you can stroll.
Walk along the promenade of palm trees, walk across the three bridges that connect the different areas and let the kids play hide and seek through the network of stairs that you will find along the way. This is a mythical garden in Barcelona that you can not miss!
2. Parque de la Ciutadella
The Ciutadella Park is one of the main green areas you should visit in Barcelona. It is located between the Estación de Francia, the Arc de Triomf and the Barcelona Zoo and it is a park that for many years was the only green space in Barcelona.
This place was built on what was once the military citadel of the city and hence its name. Here you can perform a wide range of activities such as jogging, pilates, celebrate birthdays, attend markets, etc..
The park has several fountains, promenades, a waterfall, a pond, ping-pong tables, ice cream stands, artwork, a cafeteria, and much more.
3. Villa Cecilia y Santa Amelia
Villa Cecilia and Santa Amelia is a playground in Barcelona that you can not miss if you have come to the city with your family. Its access is completely free for the public and you can find it in the neighborhood of Sarrià, one of the most exclusive areas of Barcelona.
The gardens are exceptional and in the center you will find a playground for the little ones, a cement court to play basketball and ping-pong tables. This park is also perfect for cycling, skateboarding, having a drink on the terrace or playing in the areas designed for different ages.
4. Parque del Laberinto de Horta
In the quiet and secluded neighborhood of Horta is one of the best parks in Barcelona: The Labyrinth Park of Horta. It is an architectural relic dating from the eighteenth century and are the oldest preserved gardens in the city. Joan Antoni Desvalls Marquès designed it as a neoclassical stepped garden in three terraces for his palace with neo-Arabic and neo-Gothic elements.
Later, his descendants added a romantic garden, until finally this space was ceded to the City Council and since 1971 it has been open to the public. In the park you will find a wealth of sculptures, buildings, fountains, decorative forms of vegetation and much more. But its main attraction is undoubtedly the great maze of cypress trees in the center. Will you find your way out?
5. Parque de Cervantes
Cervantes Park is one of the beautiful places in Barcelona that you can not miss. It consists of gardens where rose plantations abound and is the ideal place to organize a picnic and enjoy the good weather that usually accompanies the city.
Its grassy esplanades, its numerous rose bushes and its wide paths have become a haven of peace and tranquility to which the people of Barcelona escape when they want to escape from the hustle and bustle. Its main entrance is on Avinguda Diagonal, although it is also accessible from the Ronda de Dalt.
6. Parque de Montjuic
Montjuic Park is considered the Olympic hill of Barcelona, since this is where most of the Olympic Games took place in 1992. From its 184 meters of altitude, in the south of Barcelona and at the foot of Plaza España, rises the hill of Montjuic, along with its immense green spaces.
This park is one of the best if you want to enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the harbor and the Ciutat Vella of Barcelona, one of the most important central districts of the city. We recommend that you go with the desire to walk, as this is a very large green space, which you will not finish in a single day.
7. Jardines de Tamarita
The Tamarita Gardens are located in the heart of the Sant Gervasi neighborhood and, thanks to its abundant vegetation and numerous play areas for children, will make you completely forget that you are still in the city. It has two distinct areas: one ideal for strolling and enjoying a stately garden and another area for children’s play.
In addition, it is perfect because in the play areas you will find signs that delimit the age, so you do not have to be aware of the balls of the older ones. It is an ideal park for the summer because of its shaded areas, where you can take a break from the heat and fill your lungs with fresh air.
8. Parc de la Creueta del Coll
The Parc de la creueta del Coll is located in the district of Gràcia and stands out for its large central public pool, which is filled to capacity when the heat begins to reach the city. Between the heat, the turquoise water and the palm trees that surround it, it’s not difficult to feel like you’re in the Caribbean.
In this park you will also find a cement sculpture by Eduardo Chillida, called Elogio al agua (In Praise of Water), which will look very familiar if you have visited the Peine del Viento (Wind Comb) in the Basque city of San Sebastian.
9. Parc de Joan Brossa
The Parc de Joan Brossa rests on the remains of the old amusement park of Montjuic, which will allow you to awaken for a moment the child in you. Although, if you walk around at night, the space can become a bit spooky and become a completely different experience.
Of all the sculptures there is one in particular entitled The Clown that could provoke a nightmare or two.
10. Parque del Centre de Poblenou
If you are looking for a playground near the beach in Barcelona, the Parc del Centre de Poblenou may be the best option. The unmistakable personal mark of Jean Nouvel, the creator of the Agbar Tower, is again reflected in this park in the Poblenou neighborhood, this time with a slight inspiration from Gaudí.
This park is perfect to visit with the family, because children can discover each of its magical corners, walk around the well of the world or hide in the many huts that are scattered throughout the area. It is located on Avenida Diagonal and you can access it through the Fluvià or Pere IV streetcar stops.
11. Jardines de Joan Maragall
The most attractive feature of Parc Joan Maragall is its large area of vegetation. However, it also has several ponds, water fountains and a collection of sculptures scattered throughout its grounds. This is a space full of serenity where you will only perceive the singing of birds and the sound of water flowing from the fountains.
Behind the Palacete Albéniz building you will find a large meadow shaded by huge pine trees, with a few tables and chairs that will allow you to take a pleasant break along the way.
12. Parque del Guinardó
Guinardo Park is one of the largest green spaces in Barcelona where you can find historic gardens, forests, sculptures, fountains, etc.. All these places share paths until you reach the Carmel bunkers, one of the best viewpoints in Barcelona, where you will have spectacular views from the heights.
13. Jardines de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer
The park dedicated to the poet Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer is a large green space dotted with beautiful colorful flowers and trees that extend up the mountain from the main entrance on Miramar street. In the highest part there are some ponds connected between them, where different species of amphibians and water plants live.
From the top of this green area, you will have the opportunity to contemplate privileged views of the city and the sea, which together with the idyllic setting, make these gardens have become one of the most beautiful and visited parks in Barcelona.
14. Jardín Botánico
The Historical Botanical Garden is located on the mountain of Montjuic and was created by the botanist Pius Font i Quer. It is a space that belongs to the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona and was inaugurated in 1999. The garden is hidden inside two hollows coming from old quarries.
This garden is ideal for relaxing and strolling along its narrow paths while enjoying the different varieties of plant species. There is also a small sensory garden where you can find some species of plants that, due to their smell or touch, offer a sensory reaction in your body. It is an experience worth trying on your visit to the best parks in Barcelona!
15. Jardines de Can Sentmenat
In the heart of the Sarrià district it is possible to discover one of the last vestiges of Barcelona’s 19th century stately gardens. The gardens of Can Sentmenat have a clearly French style and have managed to preserve the original structure and typology, despite the obvious passage of time.
16. Jardines del Grec
The Grec Gardens are one of the least known of Barcelona and that makes them one of the most special. If you keep our secret we introduce you to them. After visiting the amphitheater where the Grec festival takes place, you can stroll through the geometric flowerbeds drawn by the flora planted there and smell the heady scent of roses.
We recommend that you finish your tour of the Grec Gardens, listening to the water falling from the Font del Gat. This is probably one of the most romantic and exclusive plans you can make in the city of Barcelona.
17. Parque Joan Miró
Located at the foot of the old bullring of the Arenas of Barcelona, the Juan Miro Park opens to the citizens to offer them a large space of varied vegetation on different levels. This is a perfect place to take a break before facing the climb to Montjuic or even to read a good book lying on the grass.
18. Jardines de la Fundación Julio Muñoz
We finish our selection of the best parks in Barcelona with one of our favorites: the Jardines de la Fundació Julio Muñoz. This magical spot is tucked away on Calle Muntaner and is totally isolated from the busy city life.
The foundation created the park in response to the last wishes of businessman Julio Muñoz, who died in 1991. In his will he bequeathed to the city his estate on Muntaner Street with all its contents so that it could be visited and used by the citizens. This was a clear move to promote the dissemination and defense of the culture of the city of Barcelona.
What do you think of the 18 most beautiful parks to visit in Barcelona that we have presented? To know a city in all its essence it is necessary to get into the center of the bustle, but it is also essential to go to those places where its inhabitants go to rest and these are its wonderful green spaces.
