Montjuïc Castle

Montjuïc Castle crowns the hill that rises straight out of the sea at the southern edge of Barcelona, and its ramparts give the best views over the port, the container terminals, the cruise ships and the long line of the coast. The fortress you see today, a star-shaped bastion with moat, drawbridge and thick stone walls, dates mostly from the eighteenth century, when an earlier fort was rebuilt as a military stronghold. Its history is far from romantic. For much of its life the castle was used less to defend Barcelona than to control it: its guns were turned on the city during uprisings, and it served as a military prison where political prisoners were held, tortured and executed, most notoriously Lluís Companys, President of Catalonia, who was shot here by the Franco regime in 1940. For decades after the Civil War the castle housed a military museum that celebrated the regime, and only in 2007 was it handed over to the city of Barcelona. Since then the City Council has turned it into a civic space with exhibitions on the castle's history and on Montjuïc itself, and it hosts open days, concerts and outdoor cinema in summer. Visitors walk through the gate, explore the parade ground and the exhibition rooms, and climb onto the terraces and bastions, where the view sweeps from the port and the sea to the whole city and the hills behind. The entrance fee is modest, and admission is free on Sunday afternoons and on the first Sunday of the month, with free entry for young children; a ticket with a guided tour is also available, and guided tours run on free-entry days at a small charge.

Getting up the hill is a highlight in its own right. The Montjuïc cable car, the Telefèric de Montjuïc, rises from the top station of the Montjuïc funicular, which connects with the metro at Paral·lel, to a terminus beside the castle, with gondolas swinging over the gardens and views widening all the way. For more drama, the Port Cable Car, the vintage Transbordador Aeri, crosses the harbour high above the water from a tower in Barceloneta to the Miramar viewpoint on Montjuïc, from where you can walk through gardens or take buses up to the castle. Both are paid rides with their own tickets and both are popular, so expect queues in high season. Walking up through the gardens takes longer but is free and pleasant in cooler weather.

Visiting well: the castle is open every day, with longer hours from March to October than in winter, and closes only on a couple of major holidays. Tickets are sold on the castle's own website and at the gate. Plan an hour to an hour and a half at the castle, more if you join a guided tour, which brings the history to life. Late afternoon gives the best light over the port, and Sunday afternoons, when entry is free, are the busiest. Bring water and sun protection, as there is little shade on the ramparts, and note that bicycles, scooters and pets are not allowed inside.

How it fits a trip: the castle is the high point of a Montjuïc day that can include the Fundació Joan Miró, the gardens that cover the hill, the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Magic Fountain on show nights. Families enjoy the moat, cannons and cable cars, and couples come for the views. It is also a sobering place for anyone interested in Catalan history, and the exhibitions handle that history honestly. If you have only time for one viewpoint over the sea in Barcelona, this is it.