Apartments in Barcelona

The Parc de la Ciutadella is located in the edge of the old town in the district of Ciutat Vella - in the triangle between the station of France (Estación de Francia), the Arc de Triomphe and the Villa Olímpica.

The Parc hosts 30 ha and creates a green oasis with tall palm trees in the center of the Spanish metropolis. It includes a zoo, a lake with little turtles and fishes and the possibility to use a rowing boat, a large fountain, museums and the Catalan Parliament. Parc de la Ciutadella is a great location for a picknick or to enjoy the Spanish sun, even some Yoga classes take place there.

The highlight of the Parc is the Zoo Barcelona, which was opened to the public while the Festival of the Mercè in 1892, Barcelona's patron saint's day on 24 September and from them until now it is one of the favorite places for people of all ages. On the 13.5 ha of the Zoo are living 7.500 animals from over 400 species, such as gorillas, orang-utans, dolphins, wolves and crocodiles. The Zoo was known worldwide for its albino gorilla “Snow Flake”, which unfortunately died in 2004.

The large fountain the Parc is called “Cascada de Gaudi”, even though Gaudi was just assisting the architect Josep Fontsère to design the fountain – Gaudi was still a student at this time. The Baroque fountain was finished after 6 years of construction in 1888 for the Universal Exhibition and is said to be based on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. 

The Museum of Natural Science of Barcelona consists of the Zoology Museum and the Museum of Geology and constructed at the same time as the Cascada, by the architect Lluís Doménech i Montaner. On the ground floor are temporary exhibitions to be found apart from a huge insect collection and skeletons of a mammoth and a whale. The upper floor houses the main exhibitions.

Useful Information

Parc de la Ciutadella (daily)
open: Summer: 10:00 to 19:00, Winter: 10:00 to 17:00
Address: Passeig de Pujades, Barcelona
Metro: L1 (red line) to Arc de Triomf (recommendable - nice walk along the Arc de Triomf from the station to the Parc) or L4 (yellow line) to "Jaume I"

Barcelona Zoo (daily)
open: November to February: 10:00 to 17:00, March to May and October: 10:00 to 18:00, June to September: 10:00 to 19:00
Admission: 14 €, children 8,50 €

Museum of National Science
open: Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 to 14:30, Thursday: 10:00 to 18:30
Admission: 4 € for both museums or 3 € for each

Credits Pics:
Parc de la Ciutadella Flickr Gallery FaceMePLS
Cascada Flickr Gallery katherineprice
Parlament de Catalunya Flickr Gallery FaceMePLS