BY PAULINA HERNANDEZ

So I only ended up on the top of Mount Tibidabo because my group decided for our project, we wanted to visit the Observatory. I didn’t even know Barcelona had one before coming, so I thought we would check it out. It interested me in particular because it seemed like more of a low-key thing– kind of something you should do if you have time after seeing all the other touristy things.

How to Get There

Well THIS was definitely a longer journey, but very doable. It took us about an hour leaving from Arc de Triomf once again. We had to take the metro, a tram, and a bus, but the views were 100% worth it. You can view the directions from Google maps here or follow these steps:

  1. Take metro line R1 to Molins De Rei
    1. 2 stops
  2. Get off at Plaça de Sants
    1. You’ll have to exit and go to another metro station for the next line
  3. Take the S2  to Bellaterra
    1. 5 stops
  4. Get off at Peu del Funicular
  5. Walk to the tram and take FV to Vallvidrera Inferior
    1. Non-stop
  6. Get off at Vallvidrera Superior
  7. Walk to bus stop 111 to Tibidabo
    1. Stop depends on if you want to go to the Observatory (4 stops) or the amusement park (5 stops)

Observatori Fabra

When we finally got to the observatory, it reminded me of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The Observatory Fabra is actually the 4th oldest active observatory in the world. Once the bus drops you off, you walk along this pathway surrounded by trees and greenery and end up at the gates. The hours of visitation are dependent on when you go:

Day Visits are only Sunday mornings from 11AM to 12:30PM. No bookings are needed, but tickets cost 2 Euros and includes a guided tour (children under 10 are free!). This applies all year except for August, Christmas and Easter.

Night Visits must booked ahead of time during the months September to June. The price is 10 Euros(children under 7 are free!) and you get to look through the telescope Centenari.

Something that I WISH I got to do was Dinner with Stars which includes a dinner at the observatory under the stars, a guest lecturer, a tour, and the opportunity to look through the telescope! You can definitely check out the website for more details on pricing and dates, or click here.

Tibidabo Amusement Park

You can see the castle from this amusement park all the way across the city in Barceloneta. Once again, I didn’t even know there was an amusement park in Barcelona! When we were up on the mountain, it seemed like a lot of children’s summer camps were visiting as well as families with young children, but it has rides for all. From the iconic ferris wheel to a statue of Jesus (like the one in Rio), this is just another fun activity to add to your list of non-so-touristy things to do in Barcelona! You can purchase tickets here.

Uaala! Gelateria

After a long day of traveling to Tibidabo, there is conveniently a lovely ice cream store across the street from where the tram drops you off call Uaala! Gelateria. It had some great gelato and a sweet owner so I would definitely recommend checking it out while you’re up there ?

Paulina Hernandez studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain in summer 2018: https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/span-barcelona/