Montjuïc Barcelona: Castle, Gardens, Olympics & Magic Fountain Guide

Montjuïc is the hill that overlooks Barcelona harbour and contains an extraordinary concentration of the city's cultural and leisure assets: the Olympic stadium and facilities from the 1992 Games, the Fundació Joan Miró (one of Spain's finest modern art museums), the MNAC (Catalan National Art Museum) in its palatial hilltop building, the Castell de Montjuïc fortress, and some of Barcelona's finest gardens. It's also the best place in the city to watch the sunset over the Mediterranean.

The Fundació Joan Miró is the hill's cultural centrepiece — a purpose-built building by Josep Lluís Sert that perfectly integrates the Spanish light into its galleries. Miró's primary-coloured universe of figures, planets, and cosmic symbols fills the permanent collection, and the temporary exhibitions are consistently among Barcelona's most ambitious. The MNAC's Romanesque art collection, transferred from Pyrenean churches, is genuinely unique in the world.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (Font Màgica) puts on free evening light and music shows on weekends throughout the summer — a kitsch but genuinely spectacular spectacle that draws enormous crowds of locals and visitors. Take the cable car from Barceloneta beach up to the castle for the most dramatic arrival, or the funicular from Paral·lel metro. The Jardins de Laribal and the rose garden at the Rosaleda are peaceful escapes from the main attractions.