Plaça Espanya
Photo: Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash
- Category
- Monument
- Hours
- Open access 24 hours; the Font Màgica only runs at specific times and days, mostly in the evening
- Price
- Free
- Neighborhood
- Sants-Montjuïc
- How to get there
- Metro L1, L3 and FGC/L8, Espanya stop
Plaça Espanya took its current shape ahead of the 1929 International Exposition, and it still shows: it's a huge roundabout designed to impress, with the old Las Arenas bullring — today a shopping centre — at one end and the start of Avinguda Reina Maria Cristina at the other, flanked by the two Venetian towers marking the entrance to Montjuïc.
Walking up that avenue, guarded by the towers and with the Palau Nacional (home to the MNAC) in the background, you reach the Font Màgica, which combines water, light and music in night shows on certain days of the week, free and with no booking required. It's one of the most photographed night-time postcards of Barcelona.
A lesser-known tip: the upper terrace of Las Arenas is a free circular viewpoint over the square and Montjuïc, hardly used as such, and usually quiet. It's also a good base for heading up Montjuïc on foot, by tourist bus, or combining the funicular and cable car.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Font Màgica in Plaça Espanya run?
Only at specific times and days, mostly in the evening; it's free with no booking required.
Is there a free viewpoint at Plaça Espanya?
Yes, the upper terrace of Las Arenas is a free circular viewpoint over the square and Montjuïc, not widely known.