Cervantes Park

Cervantes Park is living testimony to Barcelona’s relationship with roses. Barcelona had already played host to international competitions at the Royal Palace of Pedralbes from 1929 to 1936, but it was in the late 1980s in Cervantes Park, which was opened in 1965 and dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes, the author of "Don Quixote", when it consolidated its position as the preferred location for the cultivation of all types of rose varieties.

In fact, the Cervantes rose garden contains almost 10,000 rosebushes representing some 2,000 species and varieties and from May to July there may be as many as 150,000 roses in bloom at any given time. In Cervantes Park you can follow a botanical route through the roses across America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There are also flowerbeds dedicated to wild species that are grouped according to country of origin, and others dedicated to the hybrid roses that were cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

But in addition to its rosebushes, Cervantes Park, which was designed by the head of Barcelona’s Municipal Parks and Gardens Service, Lluís Riudor i Carol, features lush plant life and large trees around the lawned areas. You will find Siberian elms, rosewood trees, lime trees, Persian silk trees, holm oaks, pine trees, Himalayan cedars, cypresses, olive trees, chinaberry trees, chestnut trees and even some western red cedars. The park also contains two monoliths, one in stone dedicated to the writer and diplomat Ángel Ganivet, by Jaume Monràs, and another in homage to the novelist Concha Espina, by Juan Díaz de la Campa, in addition to a number of outstanding sculptures, such as "Rombes Bessons" (Twin Rhombuses), a constructivist work by Andreu Alfaro, "Serenitat" (Serenity), a Noucentista nude by Eulàlia Fàbregas de Sentmenat, and "Adam", a classical sculpture by Jacinto Bustos Vasallo.

How do you get to Cervantes Park?

To get to Cervantes Park hop off at the Palau Reial – Pavellons Güell stop on the Blue Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic and then stroll to the end of Avinguda Diagonal, where you will start to notice the perfume of its roses.

For the most curious of you

• Did you know? One of the shrub-rose bushes in this park is called “Solidarity with Japan”, in memory of the victims of the tsunami of 11 March 2011.
• Local’s tip: The broad paths and gentle slopes of the park make it an ideal place for a stroll or to get some exercise, especially for those who enjoy cycling or jogging.
• A must: To contemplate roses of all sizes, colours and varieties.