Barcelona's castle hill made simple: which tours really include the cable car and the
castle, how the funicular fits in, and the best way to see the views, museums and gardens.
Inclusions checkedCable car, castle and funicular, tour by tour
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Tours
Choose your Montjuïc tour
In the centre, the guided walk that includes everything: the Old Town, the funicular, the cable car
and a castle visit. On the left, the cable car ticket on its own. On the right, the hill by e-bike, with no
climbing at all.
A return ride on the Telefèric from Parc de Montjuïc up to the castle, over pines with the port below. Castle entry is not included; buy it at the gate.
A guided walk through the Raval, then up the hill by funicular and cable car to a visit of Montjuïc Castle. Both rides and the castle entry are inside.
From the Arc de Triomf to Plaça d'Espanya, the Olympic Stadium, the Palau Nacional and the castle viewpoints. The motor does the hill, you enjoy the views.
What's included
A guide and a small group
Electric bike, helmet on request, all sizes
Ciutadella Park, Columbus Monument, Plaça d'Espanya
A bike and boat day, an evening with the Magic Fountain, a private guide, a gardens walk with wine, the Miró museum, Poble Espanyol and a self-drive GoCar
The first row is the honest baseline: the funicular, the cable car and bus 150 take you up without
any tour, and the gardens and viewpoints are open to everyone. A tour adds a guide, the stories and, on some of
them, the castle visit.
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On your own, no tour
Paral·lel metro, or bus 150 from Plaça d'Espanya
Independent visitors: funicular on a metro ticket, cable car ticket at the station, castle ticket at the gate
The cable car ticket covers the ride only; the castle has its own ticket at the gate. The
Port Cable Car from Barceloneta is a different ride and does not reach the castle.
What the tour pages don't tell you
Two cable cars, one castle.
Barcelona has two cable cars, and visitors mix them up every day. The Montjuïc cable car
runs from Parc de Montjuïc, beside the funicular, up to the castle. The Port Cable Car crosses the
harbour from Barceloneta to Miramar, on the lower slope of the hill. They are separate rides with separate
tickets, and only the first one takes you to the castle.
Three more things to know: the funicular stops halfway, at Parc de Montjuïc, so you change there to
the cable car or walk; a "Montjuïc tour" does not always go inside the castle, as several only explain
it from outside; and the castle is a fortress, not a palace: walls, a moat garden, a watchtower and
some of the widest views over the port.
750 m
of cable carry you from Parc de Montjuïc to the castle in
only a few minutes. On the way down, the cabins stop at the Mirador, a viewpoint over the port.
Funicular on a metro ticketCable car to the castleCastle ticket separatePort Cable Car is differentRide up, walk down
The castle moat, now a garden below the walls.
01
How to go up?
Metro to Paral·lel, the funicular, then the cable car to the castle.
02
How long?
Half a day for the castle, a viewpoint and one museum.
03
When?
Morning for the castle, golden hour on the MNAC steps.
04
Mondays?
MNAC and the Miró museum close; the castle and cable car open.
How a day on the hill works
From Paral·lel to the castle
The easy way round Montjuïc is to ride up and walk down. This is the order most guided tours follow,
and the one we suggest if you go on your own.
01
The funicular
From Paral·lel metro station, an underground train climbs to Parc de Montjuïc in about two minutes, on a normal metro ticket.
About 2 minutes
02
The cable car
A short walk to the Telefèric, then straight up over the pines to the castle, with the port below you.
A few minutes
03
The castle
Walls, moat, parade ground, the watchtower views and the history exhibition renewed in 2026.
About 1.5 hours
04
Walk down
Past the Mirador de l'Alcalde, the gardens, the Miró museum and the Olympic Ring to the MNAC steps.
What each ticket covers, when things open, what to bring and how to reach the hill.
Funicular: a normal metro ticket or travel card, from Paral·lel to Parc de Montjuïc.
Cable car: its own ticket, return or one-way; online tickets cost a little less than at the office.
Castle: a separate ticket at the gate; the castle sets some admission days each month, so check its website.
Magic Fountain, gardens and viewpoints: no ticket, open to everyone.
Museums: MNAC, the Fundació Miró and Poble Espanyol each have their own ticket.
Castle: from 10:00 to 20:00 from March to October, to 18:00 from November to February.
Cable car: from 10:00 to the early evening, to 18:00 from November to February.
Funicular: from early morning to 22:00 in summer, to 20:00 from 26 October.
Annual stop: the cable car closes about a month each year for inspection, usually in February.
Mondays: the MNAC, the Fundació Miró and the Olympic Museum are closed.
Comfortable shoes: the walk down is easy but long, with steps and gravel paths.
Water and a hat: the upper paths have little shade on summer afternoons.
A light layer: the wind on the castle walls can be cool, even in spring.
Phone in a front pocket: especially in the crowds at the Magic Fountain.
Your tickets on the phone: the cable car and GetYourGuide tickets are mobile.
Metro and funicular: L2 or L3 to Paral·lel, then the funicular up to Parc de Montjuïc.
Bus 150: from Plaça d'Espanya to the castle, all year, on a normal bus ticket.
From Plaça d'Espanya: walk to the MNAC, with outdoor escalators beside the steps.
From Barceloneta: the Port Cable Car to Miramar, then walk or ride on to the castle.
With a tour: most meet near La Rambla, Paral·lel or the Arc de Triomf.
1640The first fortBuilt in a few weeks during the Reapers' War.
1751Today's castleRebuilt by Juan Martín Cermeño, moat and bastions.
1929The ExhibitionThe Palau Nacional, the stadium and the Magic Fountain.
1940Lluís CompanysThe President of Catalonia is executed in the moat.
1992The OlympicsThe Olympic Ring takes shape on the hill.
2026New exhibitionThe castle's history centre reopens in April.
Where to start
Parc de Montjuïc, the cable car
The cable car base station and the funicular
Avinguda de Miramar, Parc de Montjuïc, Barcelona
The Montjuïc cable car starts at Parc de Montjuïc, a short walk from the top station of the funicular,
which comes up from Paral·lel metro station. Bus 150 from Plaça d'Espanya stops nearby and climbs on to the
castle. Most guided walks meet in the centre, near La Rambla, and ride up with you; the e-bike tours start
near the Arc de Triomf or in El Raval.
Funicular: Paral·lel (metro L2 and L3) to Parc de Montjuïc
Cable car: Parc de Montjuïc to the castle, Mirador stop on the way down
4.7★★★★★ 1,085 reviews · Old Town walk, castle and cable car GetYourGuide figure
★★★★★
Katy was an amazing guide. Her enthusiasm and obvious love for her city shone through. She was knowledgeable and funny. The cable car ride was amazing with stunning views. Definitely recommend this tour.
★★★★★
Had our own cable car with no other passengers which was nice. Views of Barcelona were stunning. Stopped off at the castle and walked all the way round with amazing views of the port and sea. Well worth a visit.
★★★★★
We were in a small group of 4 with Artem as our guide. Overall the tour was excellent, the pace was right, e-bikes comfortable to ride and easy to use. The tour was mainly via bike lanes or very small side roads so no concern about the traffic.
★★★★★
What a wonderful tour! We were only in Barcelona a couple of days, so this fit the bill: a walk around the iconic city, cable car ride, castle visit and a fabulous ending with a magic fountain show. Katty our guide was friendly, very knowledgeable and fun.
★★★★★
Pepa was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable, and friendly. The tour was great and informative, with a glimpse of the old town and the market before heading to Montjuic. Beautiful views in all directions.
★★★★★
A great experience. Great views from the cable car and the castle, where there was also an excellent exhibition about the history of the castle, especially the civil war.
★★★★★
Danny was our guide and he was great! We had never ridden e-bikes before, and we really enjoyed them. We got a fun tour of the city and the view from the top of Montjuic was amazing.
★★★★★
The tour was just as amazing as the views that followed. Francisco was an absolutely fantastic and informative tour guide. His personal style of delivering information was perfect.
★★★★★
Our tour was fantastic, Mirko was lovely and very informative. Exploring Barcelona by e-bike was easy, fun and such an efficient way of getting around.
The story behind the walls
Montjuïc's darker history
The castle was a prison for much of its life, and Lluís Companys, President of Catalonia, was
executed in its moat in 1940. If that history stays with you, this walk through the Old Town explains the Civil War
and the dictatorship where they happened.
Spanish Civil War History Walking Tour
★ 4.9 · 304 reviews · GetYourGuide
The castle's darkest chapter makes more sense with this walk. A historian guide takes you through the Old Town streets where the war, the bombings and the long dictatorship left their marks, with old photos at every stop. Full refund if you cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
Montjuïc rises straight from the port on the south side of Barcelona, a green hill crowned by a
fortress that stands about 173 metres above the sea. Over four centuries it has been a battlefield, a prison, the
stage of a world's fair and of the Olympic Games, and today it is the city's biggest park, full of museums,
gardens and viewpoints.
A fortress above the city
The first fort went up in a few weeks in 1640, during the Reapers' War, and became a castle in 1694. After 1751
the engineer Juan Martín Cermeño rebuilt it as the star-shaped fortress you see today, with its moat, bastions and
cisterns. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries it was a prison, and on 15 October 1940 Lluís Companys,
President of Catalonia, was executed in the moat. The city took the castle over from the Spanish state in 2007,
and a new history exhibition opened inside in April 2026.
The castle walls and the moat garden.
1929 and 1992
Two great events shaped the rest of the hill. The 1929 International Exhibition gave Montjuïc the Palau
Nacional, now home to the MNAC, the Magic Fountain by Carles Buïgas, Poble Espanyol, the Mies van der Rohe
Pavilion and the stadium. The 1992 Olympic Games rebuilt that stadium and added the Olympic Ring, the Palau Sant
Jordi and Santiago Calatrava's white communications tower. FC Barcelona played at the stadium from 2023 until
November 2025 and is back at Camp Nou for the 2026/27 season.
The honest small print: the cable car ticket does not include the castle, the Port Cable
Car does not reach it, and the funicular stops halfway up. Several "Montjuïc tours" explain the castle from
outside only, so check the inclusions before you book. The Magic Fountain runs on selected evenings, not every
night.
Getting up the hill
The Funicular de Montjuïc, an underground train from Paral·lel metro station, reopened on 13 April 2026 after
almost six months of works, and counts as a normal metro journey. From its top station at Parc de Montjuïc, the
Telefèric de Montjuïc cable car carries you about 750 metres up to the castle. Bus 150 from Plaça d'Espanya covers
the same route more slowly and runs when the cable car stops for its yearly inspection.
The cable car over the pines, the city behind.
Gardens and viewpoints
Between the sights, Montjuïc is a garden. The Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera, on the slope facing the sea,
grow more than 800 kinds of cactus and succulents; the terraced Jardins de Laribal lead down towards the Miró
museum; and the Mirador de l'Alcalde, with its mosaic paving, looks straight over the port. All of them are open
to everyone and make the walk down from the castle the best part of the day.
What to know in one line
Take the funicular and the cable car up, buy the castle ticket at the gate or book a tour that includes it, walk
down past the gardens and museums, skip Monday if the museums matter, and stay for the fountain on a show night.
Straight answers to what visitors ask most about Montjuïc and its tours.
Is visiting Montjuïc worth it?
Yes, for most visitors. In one hill you get the castle, the widest views over the port, the MNAC and Miró museums, Poble Espanyol, the 1992 Olympic Ring, quiet gardens and the Magic Fountain. Half a day is enough for the highlights. Ideas in things to do on Montjuïc.
How long does the Montjuïc cable car ride take?
Only a few minutes. The Telefèric de Montjuïc runs about 750 metres from Parc de Montjuïc straight up to the castle; on the way down you can hop off at the Mirador de l'Alcalde viewpoint. More in the Montjuïc cable car guide.
Do I need to book the Montjuïc cable car?
No, you can buy at the station, but online tickets cost a little less than at the ticket office and save the queue on busy summer weekends. A return ticket covers the ride only: castle entry is a separate ticket.
What is inside Montjuïc Castle?
A military fortress, not a palace: a moat garden, four bastions, the parade ground, a watchtower with views of the port and a history exhibition that reopened in April 2026. The dungeons and cisterns are shown on guided visits only. Details in the Montjuïc Castle guide.
How long do you need for Montjuïc Castle?
About an hour and a half on your own, walls and exhibition included. The weekend guided tours take about an hour. The castle opens from 10:00, until 20:00 from March to October and until 18:00 from November to February.
Is the Montjuïc funicular open?
Yes. The funicular was closed from October 2025 for sewer works and reopened on 13 April 2026. It runs from Paral·lel metro station to Parc de Montjuïc in about two minutes on a normal metro ticket.
Cable car or funicular: which is better?
You usually need both. The funicular is an underground train from Paral·lel to Parc de Montjuïc, halfway up; the cable car carries on from there to the castle. Bus 150 from Plaça d'Espanya is the slower alternative.
What is the best way to see Montjuïc?
Ride up and walk down: funicular and cable car to the castle, then on foot past the Mirador de l'Alcalde, the gardens, the Miró museum, the Olympic Ring and the MNAC to Plaça d'Espanya. An e-bike or a guided tour does the same with less effort. Compare them in Montjuïc tours compared.
Montjuïc or Montserrat: which is better?
They are very different trips. Montjuïc fits into a half day inside Barcelona; Montserrat is a mountain with a monastery about an hour away by train and needs a full day. More in Montjuïc or Montserrat.
What time is the Magic Fountain show?
Shows run on selected evenings: most nights of the week in summer, from Thursday to Saturday in October (21:00 to 22:00), and fewer evenings in winter. There is no ticket; you simply walk up and watch. Check the times in the Magic Fountain guide.
Does the Port Cable Car go to Montjuïc Castle?
No. The Port Cable Car crosses the harbour from Barceloneta to Miramar, on the lower slope of Montjuïc. It is a separate ride with its own ticket; the castle is reached by the Montjuïc cable car or bus 150.
Is Montjuïc safe?
Yes. Montjuïc is a relaxed, family-friendly park. As anywhere busy in Barcelona, keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket, especially in the crowds at the Magic Fountain.
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