Tibidabo is a hill with an amazing viewpoint overlooking Barcelona. In my opinion Tibidabo is Barcelona’s best viewpoint. The hill is 512 meter high at the tallest peak of Collserola. Collserola is a mountain range between the rivers Llobregat and Besos. The name “Tibidabo” means “I will give it to you”. It came from the Latin Vulgate Bible verses, (Luke 4:6) and (Matthew 4:9). The phrase was told by the devil to Jesus contemplating him, when they stand on very high mountain, according to the Bible.
How to get to Tibidabo?
By metro, from Plaza Catalunya (L7) to Avenida Tibidabo. Change to Tramvia Blau to Plaza Dr. Andreu and then take the funicular to the top. Another option is to go by Tourist bus that stops at Avenida Tibidabo or take a taxi. Look at the best route on google maps.
Visit Sagrat cor church on Tibidabo
Translates from Spanish as Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The church was built during 1902-1961 by architect Enric Sagnier and finished by his son Josep Maria Sagnier i Vidal. It all started with a tiny chapel, when the mountain was completely empty in 1886.
The building has 2 churches. The lower church is a neo-Byzantine style of sandstone from the Montjuic hill, which is also called the crypt. The second church, the upper, is neo-Gothic style of gray bluish limestone. The use of different materials for churches has a spiritual meaning, a cleansing from the earthly to the heavenly.
The original Sculpture of Christ on the top was made by Frederic Mores. It was placed on the roof terrace of the crypt in 1935. Jesus statue height was 8 meters, at that time it was the largest sculpture in Spain. The sculpture should be on the main tower of the church. But during the Civil war, the statue was destroyed.
The new statue was made by Josep Miret in 1950, and it was smaller than the original. Statue was placed on the roof of the crypt, and then moved to the main tower of the cathedral. I recommend climbing to the middle and upper observation decks, to admire the stunning views of Barcelona.
Have fun at Tibidabo Amusement park
Tibidabo amusement park is one of the oldest and still functioning parks in Spain. It was built in 1899 and opened to the public in 1905 by Salvador Andreu. The most famous carousel in the park is 1928 Avió airplane ride. The park was shown in a film of Woody Allen “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. To avoid the lines, book your tickets to the park here.
What about sketching at Tibidabo?
Tibidabo is an amazing location to sketch, it could be the temple or city view or maybe the park. Decision is up to you! Enjoy it!
What else you can do in Barcelona? Read my post about 6 masterpieces of Gaudi architecture.
