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Barcelona’s parks and gardens are the city’s green oases essential for good quality of life. Providing fresh air and natural beauty they serve as places to meet, for leisure and acquire botanical knowledge. In these natural spaces you will find specimens of impressive dimensions and origins, often complemented by sculptures of high artistic value.
Barcelona’s historical parks such as the Labyrinth of Horta, Can Sentmenat, La Tamarita and the Gardens of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes, are authentic cultural treasures, worth knowing first-hand. These historic parks represent a vital part of our heritage, offering a unique escape from the urban fabric. We invite you to discover them with the arrival of the good weather.
Return to the past in the Gardens of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes
The Gardens of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes offer a charming journey to the stately era of the 19th century. Surrounded by a wall covered in bougainvillaea, these French and English gardens, designed by Nicolau M. Rubió i Tudurí, stand out for their lush elegance. After a fire in 1875, the estate became the royal residence in 1926 and, later, the Museum of Decorative Arts, which is currently part of the Disseny Hub Barcelona.
The gardens are biodiverse and include rare species and ancient trees, such as Himalayan cedars and trees of local interest. Sculptures, fountains and architectural elements by notable artists such as Antoni Gaudí and Agapit Vallmitjana i Barbany adorn the gardens, creating a unique experience. Designed with sanded paths, grass beds, pergolas and seating areas, this park’s exceptional landscaping and design will enchant you.
From the sculpture of Elizabeth II to the fountain of Hercules, every corner offers a visual masterpiece. The Kolonihaven, a children’s playhouse designed by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue, provides a modern touch. With their rich history and biodiversity, these gardens are a cultural and natural jewel and every year host a music festival with big names on the international scene.
The Tamarita gardens, a hideaway with exotic touches
The Tamarita Gardens, a historic oasis in Barcelona, are an exemplary transformation of a private garden into a public space. With a total area of two hectares, a farm, originally owned by the Craywinckel family, was acquired at the beginning of the 20th century by the textile industrialist Alfredo Mata.
The design of the house and its gardens are also the work of architect Nicolau M. Rubió i Tudurí, who preserved the original forms. The garden boasts great biodiversity, laurels, robinias, bitter orange trees, cypresses, century-old oaks and curious species such as the araucaria. The park also houses terracotta figures and fountains, and notably the entrance with a pond framed by an exotic liana.
The most classic and ordered area has French flower beds and replanted boxwoods and rose bushes. Don’t leave without crossing the main square, dedicated to the four continents, and photographing the imposing nymphaeum that guides visitors to the wildest part of these captivating gardens. For those who like to eat well, the gardens are very close to one of the most renowned restaurants in the city, ABaC, by chef Jordi Cruz.
Historical splendour in the gardens of Can Sentmenat
The Can Sentmenat gardens, located on the slopes of the Collserola mountain range, are a treasure preserving the heritage of the stately gardens of the late 19th century in Barcelona. Its history dates back to the 14th century, when Guillem Teixidó built the farmhouse that bore his name. In the 17th century, the property passed to the Sentmenat family, marking a time of splendour.
Its romantic and French character, together with panoramic views of the city and the mountains, is testimony to the Catalan aristocracy of the time. The biodiversity is impressive, with ancient trees, palms, cedars and varied plants. Art and architecture are also intertwined, highlighting female figures that symbolise lineages linked to the Sentmenat family and a neo-Gothic mansion converted into a romantic palace.
The terraces and the old house garden reveal a careful design, with waterfalls, stone ponds and a canal that marks the transition between the designed garden and the Mediterranean forest. In Can Sentmenat you will discover living history, biodiversity and landscape design, all in contemporary Barcelona.
The Parc del Laberint d’Horta, botanical jewel and open-air museum
The Parc del Laberint d’Horta offers a unique experience by fusing neoclassical elegance with romantic exuberance. This labyrinth, the oldest in the city, stands as a symbolic challenge, a network of cypresses that invites reflection before attending one of the concerts of the new season, for example that of the Franz Schubert Filharmonia with Anna Fedorova & Tomàs Grau (26th May at 17:30.).
Dating back to the estate of the Marquis of Llupià, this park was inaugurated as a public space in 1971, and restored in 1994, elevating it to the category of a garden museum. The biodiversity is palpable, trees such as lime trees, Himalayan cedars and sequoias being of note. The romantic design, neoclassical temples intertwine with imposing walls of cypress trees and a navigable canal culminating in a large pond.
The landscaping presents a duality, combining neoclassical symmetry with the overflowing nature of the romantic garden. Art and architecture meet in every corner with mythological sculptures and a mysterious refuge. From the Chinese Gate to the Boixos Garden, every corner tells a story of careful planning and landscape evolution. An authentic botanical and cultural treasure in the heart of Barcelona.
