The cactus garden of Montjuïc: the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera in Barcelona

In Barcelona the hill of Montjuïc concentrates museums, Olympic stadiums and fortresses, and almost all visitors stay on the side facing the city. On the opposite side, the one turned towards the sea, lie just over three hectares of garden devoted to succulents and desert plants: the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera. The name is that of Miquel Costa i Llobera, a Majorcan poet and priest of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (in Catalan "Mossèn" means precisely "priest"). It is part of a trio of Montjuïc gardens named after Catalan poets, together with the Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer and Joan Maragall gardens.

History of the garden

The garden was designed in 1970 by the architect Joaquim Maria Casamor i d'Espona together with Joan Pañella Bonastre, a teacher at Barcelona's municipal gardening school, and was created as an open-air classroom for botany students. It was carved out of an old quarry filled with the excavated earth from the hill's military fortifications. The location is no accident: the central hollow enjoys a microclimate with temperatures two or three degrees higher than the surrounding areas, and it is sheltered from the strong winds that batter this stretch of coast. It is this thermal niche that allows the survival of species that elsewhere at these latitudes would not endure. History has not always been kind: the frosts of the winters of 1985 and above all 1987 destroyed nearly 40% of the plants. Between 2006 and 2011 the garden was overhauled both structurally and aesthetically. In 1987, the same year as the frost, the New York Times had ranked it among the ten most beautiful gardens on the planet.

The collection

What you see today is one of the most important collections of cacti and succulents in Europe: around 800 different species, coming from desert and semi-desert regions of various continents, set alongside palms and subtropical trees. Among the specimens stands out an Oreocereus neocelsianus, the "old man of the Andes", about two hundred years old. The route unfolds across several levels, with paths and stairways, some zigzagging, that climb and descend through different scenes. Among the plants are scattered decorative elements: a pergola offering shade and a few sculptures, including "La Puntaire" by Josep Viladomat, placed at a viewpoint with benches from which you look out over the port. The terraces face directly onto the coastline and the traffic of ships, and this contrast - the spiny, geometric forms of the succulents against the sea in the background - is the reason it is worth the trip.

Despite the collection and the views, the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera remain among the least visited gardens in Barcelona: a few hundred metres from the attractions of Montjuïc, you often find yourself walking the terraces alone. Admission is free: it is a municipal public park, open every day from 10am until sunset.

Getting there

To get there, the address is Carretera de Miramar 38, near the Plaça de l'Armada and the Hotel Miramar. By metro you get off at Paral·lel (Lines 2 and 3) and continue on foot for 15-20 minutes; by bus you need routes 21 (stop on carretera de Miramar) and 150. Alternatively, take the Montjuïc funicular, then walk down along the Avinguda de Miramar to the entrance near the Jardins de Miramar. A practical tip: shade is scarce and in summer the heat is intense, so it is best to avoid the middle of the day (from noon to 4pm) and to bring water. Late afternoon is the best moment, with the raking light on the port and more bearable temperatures.

Related guides: Spain off the beaten track: villages, islands and nature far from mass tourism · Instead of Barcelona: Spanish Mediterranean cities without the crowds or chaos.

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