Overlooking the city, it is an imposing military fort used by Franco throughout his time in power and as a fort up to 1950s, handed over by military only recently. Take the metro up to the cable car, worth taking to the top and walk diwn if the weather is good. Free entry first Sunday of the month and make sure to book the English language tour which goes into areas only recently revealed.

The ticket is 5 euro just for the castle or you can get tickets for the castle and the botanic gardens for 7 euro (prices for January). We got the tickets only for the castle as the botanic gardens are 25 min away and we were very tired. The castle is nice, like all other castles. Impressive view over Barcelona. There is a small coffee shop inside the castle were you can sit and enjoy the sunshine. I'm sure the surroundings and the castle look much nicer in the spring or summer, but they were ok in January too.

We got the cable car from the underground station, so it isn't a cable car, it is an underground, that was the normal price. But when you get off and get on the cable car it is Barcelona prices, so we walked up. The gardens just up the road on the left are nice to walk through, you then go through a car park, but only cutting across it. When you get to the top it is worth going into the castle because you get above the trees and have a great view of the city and the port. There is also a nice little cafe, but it takes a while to get served, so send someone in as soon as you get a table. Overall a nice break from the bustle of the city.