(English) Tibidabo: a privileged belvedere full of memories

There is a place in Barcelona where time seems to have been stopped. A magic mountain where the visitor feels privileged to be able to see at a glance the immensity of the Ciudad Condal. A unique place assembling nature, leisure and devotion with a very deep meaning. We are talking about El Tibidabo, the best possible belvedere to capture Barcelona’s magic and a very charming location, a mandatory visit to anyone setting foot in this city.

Since the decision to urbanise it at the end of the 19^th century, the Tibidabo mountain has become a true symbol of Barcelona for many reasons. One of them is ascending it, as it is sheer time travel from beginning to end. This memory of previous times starts at the very moment when the visitor takes the Tranvía Azul (Blue Tram) to do the first part of the climb. This line was opened in 1901 and has become an absolute tourist attraction since then. And without stepping off public transport, you will finally take a funicular from that same year to the top of Tibidabo, thus completing a magic trip, especially for those feeling nostalgic and the youngest members of the family.

Even though you can also go to the top by bus or by car, taking a tram and a funicular which have been working for more than a century is pure joy.

Once the top of Tibidabo reached, visitors have another rendezvous with history and memories. Its amusement park, built in 1899, has the honour to be the oldest one in Spain; it is still open and fully operative. You can enjoy altogether more than 25 rides and travelling shows, which will surely bring childhood memories back to the oldest family members while the little ones gape at the discovery of a whole new world.

Tibidabo is also a privileged belvedere of Barcelona, especially if you go up to the Torre de Collserola (Collserola Tower), designed by Norman Foster and erected in 1991. As its platform is located at a 135-metre height, those who can enjoy from there the view of an astonishing Ciudad Condal looking at the Mediterranean Sea will never be able to forget it.

However, such an especial mountain is also devotion and religious architecture thanks to its spectacular Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón (Expiatory Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). It is a work which might remind us its counterpart in Paris and whose upper part offers the chance to gaze at a truly precious vista of Barcelona.

Although the different constructions have been defining Tibidabo’s own personality during the last century, nature keeps playing a very important role in the mountain. The metropolitan park of Collserola is an exceptionally rich place but usually left out of the visitor’s tour. It is a magnificent green lung which can be crossed by foot or by bike through the carretera de las Aguas (Waters road) and thus putting the cherry on the cake of an unforgettable day on a fascinating and full of memories mountain of which Barcelona can understandably be very proud.

Categories: barcelona