Cable Cars - Teleferic de Montjuic, Barcelona

The cable car at Montjuic was a nice ride to get to the top to see the castle ... the ride take about 10 minutes and you wait no longer than a couple of minutes for a cable car .... the cost was 9.50 Euro round-trip. Otherwise it's about an hour walk to get to the castle.

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After wandering around the Olympic Stadium, we made our next stop the Teleferic De Montjuic Gondola.

Our Turistic Bus stop was near the Gondola station, so we elected to take the easy way to reach the top of the hill..... Of course, walking is another option. The Gondola takes 8 people at a time to the old military fort on Montjuic. On our way to the top, we sat on the left hand side, this gave me good photo opportunities of the harbour. I sat on the other side coming back, this gave me fabulous views over Barcelona The journey only took 8 minutes for the 752 metres ride. Which ever way we looked, there were great views.

The Gondola runs....................
January & February 10:00 to 6pm (usually closed for maintenance for three weeks)
March, April & May 10:00 to 7pm
June to September 10:00 to 9pm
October 10:00 to 7pm
November & December 10:00 to 6pm

Prices in 2011
Single ticket Adults: 6.30 euro ....Return trip 9.00 euros
Single ticket Children..4.80 euros......Return ticket Children: 6.50 euros

Of course there are several means for transportation that you can use to climb the Montjuic.

By Metro, tram L2 or L3 and on foot (which I love doing) but......

There is also this TELEFèRIC that will carry you high over Barcelona through the sky to the Montjuic.

The PANORAMA of city and harbour are EXTRAORDINARY.........

Take the Barcelona Metro, L1 or L2 to the Paral.lel stop, then the funicular RR towards Montjuïc. That's the fun part of the trip.

But be vary, vary aware of one thing. The ride from the top of the funicular train to the castle is a cable/gondola ride, known as Telefèric de Montjuïc. The last gondola departure is 7PM. You are advised that you can buy round-trip tickets; or one-way tickets, then walk or take a bus to return to other locations of the city. We also asked where Baños were available and were told at the castle (top of the cable ride). Upon arrival, such things were closed and we were refused the opportunity to buy the return trip at the original added cost differential of the two-way ticket (3 Eu each). Upon pressing our case that we only went up based on what we were told about Baños being available, the attendant called a supervisor. No consideration to our increasing call of nature. This posting is my pay-back to such treatment of customers.

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We really enjoyed riding the cable cars. Our day pass on the Barcelona tourist bus included a book of vouchers for attractions - which included a discount on the price of a ride on the cable car.

The cars are easy to get on and off and you get to see great views of the city. They each hold 4 people and the ride is gentle making this a good family attraction.

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An interesting feature of Port Vell the cross-harbour cable car or as locally named Teleférico. It runs across the harbour, and provides the passengers a superb views as it sweeps via the tower Torre Jaume I to the hillside at Montjuïc.
At the eastern end on the new mole you can see the giant skeleton of the harbor terminal - the Torre de Sant Sebastian - an amazing piece of the old transportation of the city, which was built for the Barcelona International Exposition in 1929.

At the top of the tower Torre de Sant Sebastian you can find even a restaurant. The midway stop is the 158m high Torre de Jaume I ( at the moment out of service!) on the Moll de Barcelona next to the large World Trade Centre. The end terminal on Montjuic hill is the Torre de Miramar in the near of Jardins Mossen Costa i Llobera - Cactus garden.
The trip is very popular among tourists, so should expect a huge queue with a very long waiting time.

During the scenic ride, which lasts cca. 10 minutes, you can not only enjoy a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea, harbour area, La Ramblas and the wide Passeig de Colom but Barcelona’s great monuments such as La Sagrada from above, as well.
Last time we did not take it because there was a long queue and the car (no seats inside !!) has an official capacity of max. 20 people, but can fit about 10 people only.

Operating time daily 11am to 8pm in every 15 minutes (times vary depending from season)
Tickets: return 12.50 €, one way 9.00 €
Children under 6 years free of charge.

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It's old and scary, this Cable Car. But so is Barcelona!

Nah, really, I felt totally safe jumping the Montjuic tram at the Port Vell station and riding on to Montjuic. The views are incredible, the lines were nearly non-existent, and you arrive at a phenomenal overlook of the entire city.

Sit down at the the little touristy cafe and enjoy the views.

For E9, one way(12.50 r/t), it's well worth it. Then, you can wander down to the fountains or through Poble Sec for a return via the Metro.

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Parc de Montjuïc is a large hilltop which overlooks the harbor. Because it is such a large hilltop, we decided to take the most scenic route by boarding the cable car for 5.75 euros. This cable car, which can fit about 6-8 people, gives you an aerial view of the city and mediterranean (and can be quite frightening if you are afraid of heights.) We decided to take the roundtrip up to the hilltop and back and just enjoy the beautiful views of the city, harbor and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Montjuïc, among other things, contains a castle and an Olympic stadium, and this is where the the Summer Olympics were hosted in 1992.