Tibidabo Funicular and Temple of the Sacred Heart

It's fun to ride the modern Tibidabo Funicular and visit Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Drive or take a cab to the Tibidabo Funicular station, which is a 23 minute drive northwest from the main tourist area of Barcelona around Sagrada Familia. It's distance from the other sites makes it far less crowded, a wonderful breather! The funicular is modern, clean, and inexpensive, and takes you for an enjoyable ride to the top! Kids love to ride on things like this! Try to stand by the window at the front!

The scenery as you ride up is wooded and very pretty, with mansions perched on hills.
At the parking lot at the base of the funicular are several cafes at the edge of the cliff, with gorgeous views! Stop for a drink or meal at one of these before your ride. You can even go dancing at night here. This is a ritzy area- people drive their teslas and sports cars up, showing off. The funicular station is historic and pretty, as is El Pinar (which means The Pine Forest), a stone palace with a turret and Gothic spire built in 1904. It is beautifully illuminated at night. 
Once the funicular drops you at the top, there are several things to do! Stop at the many lookouts, visit the vintage amusement park if you have money to burn (it's around 30 euros per person), or best of all, go inside Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 
Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (built 1902-1961 by the same architect as El Pinar) is a strange church because it has two stacked churches in one! The church at the bottom is by far the best. Inside, it is cozy, with seafaring-themed mosaics and statues in alcoves, colorful chandeliers, stained glass, columns and arches carved with natural motifs in Catalan Modernist style, and just an adorable feeling! Say a prayer of thanks for your trip! This lower church is neo-Byzantine on the outside, with castle towers. You can climb stairs (the elevator looked sketchy to me) to the upper neo-Gothic church- choose the stairs to the right of the church as they are sheltered from the fierce wind. You can enjoy another lookout and then go inside the dull, dark, and spartan interior of the church at the top. Don't forget to stand outside and look up at the massive bronze statue of Jesus that all of Barcelona can see!
Tibidabo tends to have stormy, overcast weather, so bring a wind jacket.

Directions

Tibidabo Funicular is located at Plaça del Doctor Andreu in Barcelona. The best way to get there is by car or taxi, a 23 minute drive northwest from the main tourist area.

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