After a cracking breakfast of Nutella pancakes at a local eatery, one morning we set upon walking up Montjuïc hill to see Montjuïc Castle, an old military fortress perched on the top…

The weather was a little overcast to start with on our way up, but we still had some stunning views of the city including the various parts of the Port of Barcelona.

It is an old site – original works were started on it in 1640. The frontage is quite stunning; the old moat has been planted with a colourful patterned garden.

Before we went in, we actually walked all of the way around the castle walls – which was a much longer walk than I’d anticipated, as the site spans quite a large area! Got to get the steps in, right?

The ticket prices were around €5 each, which is pretty reasonable. Once you’re in, you can wander freely around the fortress. There are no internal elements; it is all outside, so you definitely want to go on a day when it’s not raining!

There are some really great views of the city and surrounding areas from all sides. One of the sides overlooks the industrial port, which is huge.

By this point, the sun had come out to bathe the world in joy. We headed up to the top level, which is a big empty area with amazing views all around.

From the top level, you can look down into the courtyard. On this particular day, it was strung with notes embodying political statements about the upcoming Catalan Referendum.

We got the Telefèric de Montjuïc (Montjuïc Cable Car) to take us back down which was really fun, gave some great views, and wasn’t too extortionately expensive if I remember rightly.

If it’s a nice day and you’re in the Montjuïc area, I would recommend seeing Montjuïc Castle – you might not learn a whole lot about the history as available information is thin on the ground at the site, but it is worth it for the views alone.

If you’re not feeling too energetic you can get the cable car up, or, as we did, take a steep but pleasant walk to try offset some of your holiday indulgences!

Also in the Montjuïc area are the Palau Nacional, Magic Fountain, Olympic Stadium and Joan Miró Museum – and I recommend seeing all of those things too 🙂