Tibidabo Amusement Park

The Tibidabo Amusement Park is an amusement park located on Tibidabo's Mountain in Barcelona. It is the oldest in Spain and the second oldest park in Europe, only preceded by the Tivoli Copenaghen. It has many attractions trying to gather different audiences, e.g. museum and attractions that can work as viewpoint, because the mountain is located about 500m. above the sea level.

It was created in 1899 by a pharmacist, very famous in Barcelona for his cough drops called 'Dr. Andreu pills', which still can be purchased. The park was initially used for private leisure. It was opened to the public in 1901 together with the Funicular and the Blue Tram, although many of its machines were not put into operation until 1905.

Among many attractions that can be found inside the park the most popular ones are the aircraft, dating from 1928 and the original replica of the first plane that covered a distance from Barcelona to Madrid. It is the flagship attraction of the park and is also used as a logo for the company which manages the park. From the cockpit you can see Barcelona in 360 degrees. Another viewpoint in the park which is one of the oldest attractions, is called the Watchtower. It has a form of a basket and a capacity from 8 to 10 people. It rises 50 meters above the ground level and 551 meters above the sea level. The Watch tower was inaugurated in 1921 and is still fully operational.

Yet another attraction to visit is the 'Panoramic', a Ferris wheel from 1983 with 20 compartments in which you can also see the city from the air. These, plus some more attractions like the Museum of Automata or Miramiralls, are included in 'Camí del Cel' (Path to the sky), a series of tourist viewpoints that can be visited at a price more affordable than the entire ticket to park.

The attractions of the park are divided into 5 types and their use depends on the height of the visitor. While most may be suitable for any audience, there are some that cause stronger emotions, e.g. Diavolo, the Hurakán or Kruegger Hotel. The last being a horror show and one of the most visited attractions in the park.

Throughout its history has belonged to several private owners and the appearance of the park was changing according to the needs of the moment. Currently is the City Council who manages the whole park. Due to its location must be visited in a special bus, the Tibibus, the funicular or the Blue Tram (Tramvia Blau).