Amusement/Theme parks of Barcelona
If you are looking for a theme park in this city, you will have to go outside of the main districts including outside of the city. Following some of them where you can go to have fun and why not, escape to the heat of the city during summer. Let start first by the one near to the downtown, the Tibidabo Amusement Park. On the top of the Tibidabo mountain (plaza del tibidabo 3-4, Barcelona), it is here that you will find it and from the rambla de catalunya street, you will spot it by searching the only church on the mountain which is located near to the park. I would say that it is a good park for family and for children under 18 years old, well older people can also entertain but I don’t think that they will enjoy it a lot. |
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What can you find and do at the park ??? Well, it has 30 rides and activities including street theatre/show performances, services and food places. You can also visit the church, the automatons museum and the sky building.
In the sky building, you can watch the 12 minutes documentary about the history of Tibidabo, the automatons museum is a kind of miniature museum moving automatically and the church is called the Expiatory Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus built between 1902 and 1961 next to a little chapel built in 1886. To go there, you can either from catalunya square:
- use a renting car or your own one, just take the passeig de gracia street and always up and after just follow the indication
- take the bus called “tibibus” which operates only when the park is open
- take the FGC train L7 to last stop (avinguda tibidabo), then the blue tramway (tramvia blau) or the bus 196 and after the funicular tibidabo
The ticket for the tibibus and the funicular will be reimbursed to you if you present the ticket at the moment you will buy your entrance. For any complementary information, check its official website. To go back to the downtown, don’t take the bus 196 because it will make a little detour before to bring you to the FGC train.
The Portaventura Park (avinguda alcalde pere molas, Salou) is for all ages and much bigger than the other. Here everyone can find his/her entertainment, no matter if you have less or more than 18 years old, no matter if you go alone, with friends or with family, it is for everyone. Located at Salou, more or less at 1h15 from Barcelona, the park is divided in 3 sections:
- the portaventura park
- the aquatic park, also called the portaventura aquatic park
- the golf park, also called the portaventura golf park
The portaventura park is the main one where you will increase your adrenaline with rides like the hurakan condor, the dragon khan, the furius baco… not at all suitable for children. There are street show performances mixing with colors and water, the sea odyssey 4D spectacle, the ice skating show… and also some attractions and shows dedicated for kids including fun characters walking on the street to entertain them.
The aquatic park is its water section, you will need a swimsuit to enter if not the only pleasure you will have it is to see the others entertained on your behalf by staying at the entrance. Rides like the tifon, the torrente… are not for children but majority of the attractions are designed for them like its many swimming pools and water slides.
The golf park is its golf section where everyone can practice his/her swing in its different courses. You can go with your children or go alone if your kids prefer the rides and attractions of the other sections.
About food, don’t worry, like any amusement parks, there are a lot of places where you can go to eat something including special children meals and about services, you will find a push car rental, baby changing tablets… Well a lot of things to not let you out from the moment you enter until you leave the place at night time. To go there from Barcelona, you can either:
- take the RENFE train from passeig de gracia station to port aventura station
- take the bus operates by the company Autocares Plana
- use a car via the highway through C-32 and after AP-7 then take the exit 35
For any complementary information, read my topic PortAventura, the amusement with attractions.
The Marineland Park (carretera malgrat a palafolls, Palafolls) is a mix of water theme park and marine zoo. Once there, you will be able to watch some shows as the dolphin, sea lion and exotic birds ones but also some animals like pink flamingo, storks, seals, pelicans...
On the other hand, if you want to have fun, you can go to its amusement park part where you will increase your adrenaline if you dare to do the boomerang, a fall of vertigo in a floater, the black hole, a slide through the dark in a floater…
It also includes a mini park for very young children and swimming pools, so even if you want to relax or to have fun with your baby, both sections are the good place to do it. The park only opens during summer time, normally from may to september and if you want to go there:
- take the RENFE train from catalunya square to santa susanna station then the free bus to the park
- use a car via the N-II then the highway AP-7, take the exit 10 to Blanes-Hostalric.
For any complementary information, check its official website.
The Aqua Leon Park (finca les basses, Albinyana) is like the Marineland, a place divided by its water theme park and its safari section. About the amusement park, you will find more or less the same attractions like the other one as the black hole, the kamikaze… including a mini park for children. However, you may enjoy its surf beach, a 1,400m2 area where you will experience thrilling times riding 1m waves, its congo river, an experience similar to rafting…
About the safari, the animals like lions, tigers, elephants… are free, of course there is an enclosure so with your car, just drive to meet them. If you want to be very close to them, you can take the safari bus experiencing a kind of African photographic safari. The safari section also includes a mini zoo to see raccoons, llamas, iguanas…
Only open during summer time normally from june to september, you can get there:
- by driving a car via the highway C-32 then take the exit 31 and follow the C-51
- by taking the RENFE train from catalunya square to el vendrell station then take the free aqualeon bus.
For any complementary information, check its official website>.
The Aquopolis Park (avinguda pau casals 65, Vila-Seca) is totally a water theme park located near the Portaventura Park. Like the other ones, you will find great attractions like the boomerang, the black hole, the splash… including a section for children.
Only open during summer time normally from may to october, you can get there:
- by driving a car via the highway through C-32 and after AP-7 then take the exit 35 and follow direction La Pineda
- by the RENFE train from passeig de gracia station to tarragona station and after take the bus direction la pineda.
For any complementary information, check its official website.
The Catalunya Miniatura Park (Torrelles de Llobregat) is not really a theme park but a big touristic and cultural complex in miniature of Catalonia. In this park, you will walk between the most famous monuments as a giant or from the sky via the rope system and if you get tired, just take the mini train. To go there:
- use a car via the highway through A-2 and take the exit 5 then follow N-2 to the exit 602 and after direction Torrelles del Llobregat
- use the FGC train from espanya station to sant vicenç dels horts station and after the bus direction soler i sauret
- use the bus 62 Torrelles-Barcelona and get off at sant vicenç dels horts station but to take it, you will have to go to the metro L5 collblanc station.
For any complementary information, check its official website.
Following the official website of the public transport:
One advice to pay less for the entrance, take the leaflet that you can find in any tourist information offices, normally there is a discount voucher or go to their website to print the discount voucher then present it at the cash desk and after, enjoy your entertainment day :-)