Montjuic walk?

[sstepson]

Hello, all.

 

By looking at maps and photos, I'm having a hard time grasping how large an area the different attractions in Montjuic are located within.

 

Would it be feasible to take the metro to Catalunya, walk around the Olympic stadium area, and then walk down to the castle? From the castle, is it possible to walk down the the Mirimar hotel area to catch the cable car to Barceloneta?

 

My other option is to take the metro to Para-lel, the funicular and cable car up to the castle, and explore form there.

 

Does anyone have any insight into this area? We want to see as much as we can, without killing ourselves...!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

-Steve

[4774Papa]

Hello, all.

 

By looking at maps and photos, I'm having a hard time grasping how large an area the different attractions in Montjuic are located within.

 

Would it be feasible to take the metro to Catalunya, walk around the Olympic stadium area, and then walk down to the castle? From the castle, is it possible to walk down the the Mirimar hotel area to catch the cable car to Barceloneta?

 

My other option is to take the metro to Para-lel, the funicular and cable car up to the castle, and explore form there.

 

Does anyone have any insight into this area? We want to see as much as we can, without killing ourselves...!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

-Steve

Steve,

We took a city tour that took us up the hill at Montjuic. A person could walk up that hill. I felt that I could have done it, and I was 62 at the time, but I am very active.

Most people would not wish to walk up that hill. I believe there is a funicular going up to the hill, and a METRO stop close to the funicular.

 

I have a Rick Steves' that probably lays that out. Frommer's Barcelona seems to imply from this link that a stroll up the hill is doable.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/barcelona/A31845.html

 

Frommer's provides four walking tours for Barcelona, none include Montjuic.

[Eileen G]

I have been up to the fort on Montjuic several times. Since the fort is on the higest point of the hill it is best to ride the funicular up and work your way down. At the fort there is a book store which sells a good map of the whole area. Here is what I wrote in a review.

 

I know many of you will be wanting to get on the ship first thing but if anyone wants something fun to do in the morning you can go up to Montjuic Castle (really more of a fort). From there you get great views of all Barcelona including the port where your ship will be. You can easily take public transportation. You can take the L2 or L3 metro to the Paral-lel station then switch to the Montjuic funicular. You do not need to pay anymore for the funicular as long as you don’t go out the turnstiles. It can be fun for the kids to follow the signs from the metro to the funicular and then ride up the hill.

Once off the funicular there is a cable car that will take you the rest of the way for 6.30 euros or you can walk through the gardens keeping up and left. The castle/fort is fun to explore and it is free. There is a small playground with a water fountain (if you need to fill water bottles) just below where the cable car lets people off. There are more gardens just below the fort which make a really nice walk down back to the funicular. There is also a bus that circles around Montjuic but I have never taken it and I don’t know the cost. We have walked down past the Olympic Stadium and National Palace to Placa Espanya but that is a long walk.

Here is the link to my Barcelona pictures.

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=1E98E90214E77BF9&id=1E98E90214E77BF9%21106

[MeHeartCruising]

I would also suggest you ride the funicular and cable cars up as far as they go. First, it's fun and there's lots to from the ride. And it gets you to the higher parts of the park. I did this with my parents (ages 48, 71, and 75) at the time. We walked all over the castle area and then started back down on foot at a reasonable pace. We worked our way back to Espanya where we caught the Metro back to our hotel. We probably spent around 3 hours total and really enjoyed the views. When I planned this out in advance, my plan was to catch the bus on the way down somewhere, but we enjoyed the walk so much, we just kept going. So you might do something similar. There are numerous bus stops that you can catch the bus at along the way.

[sstepson]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I just realized I made a mistake on the metro stop...I should have said Espanya instead of Catalunya. Either way, we'll probably stick to the funicular from Para-Lel. Thanks again!

[riffatsea]

Just to add a bit of explanation.

Castles are fortified structures(forts).

Palaces are grand elegant homes. The castle in Barcelona is definitely on the highest point of the Montjuic park area.

[Steppy08]

Just to add a bit of explanation.

Castles are fortified structures(forts).

Palaces are grand elegant homes. The castle in Barcelona is definitely on the highest point of the Montjuic park area.

 

Thank goodness! Our vacation would had suffered greatly had the distinction between castle and palace remained unclear.

[sstepson]

I have been up to the fort on Montjuic several times. Since the fort is on the higest point of the hill it is best to ride the funicular up and work your way down. At the fort there is a book store which sells a good map of the whole area. Here is what I wrote in a review.

 

I know many of you will be wanting to get on the ship first thing but if anyone wants something fun to do in the morning you can go up to Montjuic Castle (really more of a fort). From there you get great views of all Barcelona including the port where your ship will be. You can easily take public transportation. You can take the L2 or L3 metro to the Paral-lel station then switch to the Montjuic funicular. You do not need to pay anymore for the funicular as long as you don’t go out the turnstiles. It can be fun for the kids to follow the signs from the metro to the funicular and then ride up the hill.

Once off the funicular there is a cable car that will take you the rest of the way for 6.30 euros or you can walk through the gardens keeping up and left. The castle/fort is fun to explore and it is free. There is a small playground with a water fountain (if you need to fill water bottles) just below where the cable car lets people off. There are more gardens just below the fort which make a really nice walk down back to the funicular. There is also a bus that circles around Montjuic but I have never taken it and I don’t know the cost. We have walked down past the Olympic Stadium and National Palace to Placa Espanya but that is a long walk.

Here is the link to my Barcelona pictures.

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=1E98E90214E77BF9&id=1E98E90214E77BF9%21106

 

Awesome...thanks! One more question...any idea how far of a walk from the Castle down to the Miramar Hotel, where we can catch the telefarico over to Barceloneta?

 

Oh, and thanks for the link...great pictures!!!

 

-Steve

[Eileen G]

We never walked all the way to the Miramar Hotel but we walked to the Miramar area (where the tour busses stop). The walk takes about 10-15 minutes and is very nice. Make sure to walk in the gardens not the road. There are fountians and overlooks. Take the trail just outside the fort entrance across the street.