Barcelona tours: Diagonal Mar Park

This is our Barcelona Tours section. Here you can take a virtual photographic tour of Barcelona, enjoy the Barcelona pictures and learn about an interesting aspect of the city or the region of Catalonia. We will spotlight a new Barcelona tour frequently throughout the year, so be sure to visit often.

Contact us to book your private tour of Barcelona and to live your own, very personal Barcelona Experience!

Visit the previous Barcelona Tour page: Montesqui, a Medieval Castle

picture of city parks, caption reads: A couple and their dog leave Diagonal Park after their Sunday stroll. This is one of the side entrances to the park. A couple and their dog leave Diagonal Park after their Sunday stroll. This is one of the side entrances to the park.

picture of city parks, caption reads: These individual seats invite us to take a moment to relax and enjoy a quite moment. These individual seats invite us to take a moment to relax and enjoy a quite moment.

pictures of city parks, caption reads: This visitor makes his way across the parks bridge. From here you can see the lake and the park stretched out before you. This visitor makes his way across the parks bridge. From here you can see the lake and the park stretched out before you.

pictures of city parks, caption reads: These ducks don't seem to pay too much attention to their fans as they enjoy their siesta! These ducks don't seem to pay too much attention to their fans as they enjoy their siesta!

pictures of city parks, caption reads: These visitors decide to take a break from taking pictures on one of the park's benches. These visitors decide to take a break from taking pictures on one of the park's benches.

pictures of city parks, caption reads: A group of children in search of a nice spot to pay a little ball. A group of children in search of a nice spot to pay a little ball.

picture of city parks, caption reads: Click on this image for a panoramic view of Diagonal Park.

Images and Text by Gaston Magrinat. Click on any image for a larger version.

One of the things that I like most about Barcelona are its public spaces, and in particular, its parks. These green spaces are the city’s lungs and provide a means of escaping the daily hustle and bustle that goes hand in hand with living in a busy, modern, cosmopolitan city like Barcelona.

While New York City has its enormous Central Park, Barcelona has a number of smaller parks scattered around the city. Diagonal-Mar Park, inaugurated in 2002, is one of the city’s largest and newest additions to its vast network of public parks.

Diagonal-Mar Park is not the typical urban park with trees, lush lawns and colourful flower beds. The Catalan architect Enric Miralles designed it as an open space that acts as a link, a gateway, between the city and the Mediterranean. It symbolizes a tree that was born from the sea and that branches out into an open hand, representing the different paths that we humans walk throughout our lives.

Instead of trees for shade, vast networks of winding steel pipes criss-crossed by wire cables and huge tiled flower pots, many of which are suspended in mid air, support a growing fabric of vines. Scattered beneath these shade oases are individual seats perfect for contemplating your ice cream, the drifting clouds or your children playing in one of the park’s unique playgrounds such as the “Magic Mountain” with its huge slides of different shapes and sizes.

One of the best ways to explore this park and the surrounding area, including the Diagonal Mar shopping centre, the Forum installations and the waterfront, is by bicycle. I often pedal my way along the wide trails, stopping now and then to watch the swans and ducks swimming across the lake and the children playing excitedly, or simply to enjoy the strange beauty that is Diagonal-Mar Park.

Back to the Top!

picture of city parks, caption reads: These two apartment blocks form part of the area's modern housing development. Notice the metal structure in the foreground. On hot summer days water sprays forth in a cooling mist. These two apartment blocks form part of the area’s modern housing development. Notice the metal structure in the foreground. On hot summer days water sprays forth in a cooling mist.

picture of city parks, caption reads: These huge tiled flower pots hold the young vines that will one day provide shade for the park's visitors. These huge tiled flower pots hold the young vines that will one day provide shade for the park's visitors.

picture of city parks, caption reads: This small water fall is located under the park's bridge. This small water fall is located under the park's bridge.

pictures of city parks, caption reads: Seagulls are frequent visitors to Diagonal Park and are fun to watch perform their aerial feats. Seagulls are frequent visitors to Diagonal Park and are fun to watch perform their aerial feats.

pictures of city parks, caption reads: This young girl, while eating her lollypop, races to catch up to her parents. This young girl, while eating her lollypop, races to catch up to her parents.

picture of city parks, caption reads: A tiled flower pot hangs in mid air. Eventually, vines will cling to this roller coaster like steal structure, providing cool retreats from the summer heat. A tiled flower pot hangs in mid air. Eventually, vines will cling to this roller coaster like steel structure, providing cool retreats from the summer heat.