As you walk through Barcelona in the evening, stop and turn towards the city. There is a temple glowing on a mountain. That's the Tibidabo mountain. You can see it from almost anywhere in Barcelona. It's like a loving mother watching over everyone. It is a true symbol of the city. A must for every visitor to the Catalan capital!
At the top of Tibibado you can:
Watch the sun set over the mountain peaks in one of the most romantic spots in Barcelona
Enjoy a breathtaking bird's eye view of the city
Take a ride on the almost 120-year-old funicular railway
Visit the Church of the Sacred Heart, with a view of the statue of Christ
Return to your childhood in Europe's oldest amusement park
It is easy to get to Tibidabo and the park from the city centre. Find out how to get to Tibidabo.
Mount Tibidabo
The 500-metre peak of Tibidabo is one of the best vantage points in the city. The skyline of Barcelona and the coastline are mesmerising! A local legend says that the devil seduced Jesus Christ by showing him this view from the top, saying: "...worship me and all this will be yours". Et dixit illi haec tibi omnia dabo si cadens adoraveris me! This is where the name of the mountain comes from - "Tibi dabo" literally translates from Latin as "I give it to you".
If you decide to walk to Tibidabo, you won't regret it. Along the way, you'll enjoy dizzying scenery and artistic houses along the way. As you explore the beauty of the area, you won't realise that you'll be at the top in less than an hour. There you'll be greeted by a temple whose majesty will make you stop for a moment and catch your breath.
Access to the Tibidabo panoramic area is free. However, it's not easy to get there, as the opening hours change every month. To find out the opening times on the day you want to visit, check their website.
The Tibidabo Viewpoint is normally open all year round. It is closed:
1 January
25 and 26 December
From 6 January to 31 January
Monday to Friday in February
The Church of the Sacred Heart
The Gothic temple of the Sacred Heart is the heart of Tibidabo. The lower part is the crypt (built in 1911) and the upper part is the church. Standing in front of the wide staircase, you can admire the mosaics on the façade and the three statues of the Virgin Mary of La Merced with Child, Saint George and Saint James, patron saints of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain respectively.
Inside you will find amazingly beautiful stained glass windows, frescoes and statues of saints. Take your time to examine them. The bas-reliefs in the crypt tell the story of the Stations of the Cross, the frescoes tell the story of Christ's earthly life, and the stained glass windows depict scenes from the lives of local saints.
Go up to the church. Compared to the crypt, it looks modestly decorated. From here take the lift up to the viewing platform of the statue of Christ at the top of the church. Bring cash (!) and warm clothing - the wind can be crazy up there.
Temple opening hours: every day from 11:00 to 20:40
Tickets are purchased from a machine that accepts coins and small notes (€5 and €10 notes only). Credit and debit cards are not accepted at present.
Entry fee: €5.60 (general admission) and €3.10 (senior citizens). At the time of writing (January 2023), access to the viewing platform is temporarily closed.
The crypt and basilica can be visited free of charge, opening hours vary:
November - February: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
March - May + October: 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
June - September: 9:00 am - 8:15 pm
You can also get an even better view of the city and the mountains. Next to the Tibidabo is the viewing platform of the Torre del Collserola. It is 560 metres above sea level! Check the website for the timetable.
EUROPE'S OLDEST AMUSEMENT PARK
Tibidabo Amusement Park has been up and running since 1900! The first merry-go-round was inaugurated in 1910. Five retro rides are still in operation and safe according to modern regulations. They are the big wheel and the aeroplane, the French merry-go-round, the "chain" ride and the aerial railway.
You can relax and take your time at the huge Tibidabo amusement park, which has more than twenty-five rides. Many of them are suitable for children.
For aficionados of auteur cinema, Woody Allen, master of atmospheric films, shot some scenes in Tibidabo for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, starring Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem.
Footage from the movie “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Note that the Tibidabo amusement park has a tricky timetable. It is closed in winter. It opens every year on the 4th of March. The official website has an opening schedule for each month.
Tibidabo amusement park schedule in 2023:
March, April, May: weekends, public holidays and from 13 to 18 April
June: weekends and holidays. From 22 June, from Wednesday to Sunday
July and August: Wednesday to Sunday and public holidays
September, October and November: weekends, public holidays, 1 and 2 September and 31 October
December: weekends, from the 6th to the 11th, from the 22nd to the 24th and from the 27th to the 31st
The park is closed on 25 and 26 December
A ticket, bought at the entrance or online, gives you access to all the rides in the park. The cost of the ticket is based on height, not age:
Ticket prices for Tibidabo (including Luna Park)
Admission ticket (>120 cm) - €35
Junior ticket (90-120 cm) - 14 €.
Senior ticket (+60 years) - €10.50
Functional diversity ticket - €7
Admission for single parents and large families (>120 cm) - €28
Admission for young single parents and large families (90-120 cm) - 11.20 €.
