Plaça d'Espanya
The gateway to Montjuïc Mountain
This square designed by Puig i Cadafalch is where Montjuïc mountain meets the Sants and Poble-sec districts. Lying at the intersection of some of Barcelona’s most important streets is Plaça d’Espanya, the gateway to Montjuïc constructed for the 1929 Universal Exposition that was partially inspired by Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican. In the centre there is a monumental fountain designed by Josep Maria Jujol, a disciple of Gaudí, called the Font dels Tres Mars (Fountain of the Three Seas), symbolising the three seas surrounding the Iberian peninsula.
Barcelona Bus Turístic, on the Hola Barcelona app
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Why visit Plaça d’Espanya?
This square is important because it is the hub of various points of interest, such as the Sants district, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Avinguda del Paral·lel and the Poble-sec district, and Montjuïc Mountain. Around Plaça d’Espanya there are also a number of other features:
- At the entrance of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, the gateway to Montjuïc, there are two 47 metre-tall Venetian towers, which were designed by Ramon Reventós and built from 1927 to 1929 following the style of the bell tower in Saint Mark’s Square in Venice.
- On either side of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina are the facilities and pavilions of Fira de Barcelona, the city’s main trade fair and congress centre.
- On the corner of Carrer de Tarragona there is a singular building, Las Arenas shopping centre, which was built over the old neo-Mudejar bullring and offers good views of the square and its surrounding area.
- Between Plaça d’Espanya and the National Art Museum of Catalonia, at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, is the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, where the famous nocturnal music, light and colour show is held.
How do you get to Plaça d’Espanya?
Simply hop off at the Plaça d’Espanya stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic!
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? With a surface area of 34,000 m² it is the second largest square in Spain, after Plaza de España in Madrid and before Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona.
- Local’s tip: To go up to the lookout point of the Las Arenas shopping centre you can pay to use the exterior lift or you can go up for free inside the shopping centre on the escalators.
- A must: To access the Olympic Ring, the Fundació Joan Miró and other museums, the Barcelona Pavilion, and all the parks and points of interest on Montjuïc mountain.
