Am I Too Old For FUN? A Day at Barcelona’s Tibidabo Amusement Park

Barcelona's Tibidabo Amusement Park

I turned 30 this year. Shortly after hitting the milestone, my goddaughter D and her mom, my good friend B, came to visit me in Barcelona. While here in the Catalan Capital, D was to celebrate her 14th birthday.

What do you do with a teenager for her birthday, besides shopping, (which trust me we did a lot of — I’m never going to H&M again)? We decided to head to Tibidabo for the day to the old-fashioned amusement park located there. Tibidabo is the mountain behind Barcelona which is easy to spot thanks the the lit-up church perched upon it. Many locals and visitors make it up to this impressive church, called the Templo de Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, but few stick around to hop on all the teeth-chattering rides at the amusement park.

Tibidabo Amusement Park

Tibidabo's scary swing ride at sunset...

If you have kids, or are simply young-at-heart, then you’ll want to pay the € 25.00 to spend a day getting splashed on the log ride and fighting the urge to vomit on the roller-coaster – or was that just me? This is where I state again: I turned 30 this year. Does that mean I’ve lost my nerve and can no longer stomach amusement park rides? I don’t know, but I was honestly scared on the swings and couldn’t see straight on the tea cups (which was mostly due to B spinning us around like a top on steroids – thanks B!).

Me, about to lose it on the Tea Cups

If €25.00 seems spendy, then you’ll be happy to know that kids less than 1.2 meters tall get in for €9.00 as do those with disabilities and those over 60 years of age. While there were a few ‘awesome’ rides for older kids (bumper cars, haunted house of horrors, those dreaded swings, roller coaster, log ride..) there were also a ton of activities for younger children including live clown shows and concerts. Overall, there is more for kids 10 and younger than for teens, but D had a great time anyway (as did B and my sweetie A; I think I was the only one who suffered).

Barcelona's Tibidabo Amusement Park - Bumper Cars

How to get there:

Due to its location, which proffers excellent views of Barcelona and the sea, it takes some doing to get up to Tibidabo. The tourist bus T2A from Plaça Catalunya (bus stop located on the corner of Pl. Catalunya and Rbla. Catalunya, in front of Caja Madrid bank) runs from 10:15am every day the Amusement Park is open, and is probably the easiest option for €2.80 a ticket. You could also drive to the park, or take the Tibidabo Funicular (more on that here).

Of course, the Tibidabo amusement park is located in Barcelona, and you can find cheap flights online with flightline.co.uk.

A good time was had by all (mostly)

More on the park and prices:

Over 100 years old, Tbidabo is one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe. There are 25 rides plus shows and theater offered every day. There are also many cafes, restaurants and hot dog stands (beware) throughout the park. The candied apples looked delicious. Check out the Tibidabo Sky Walk for terrific views of the city.

For a full list of prices and discounts, see here: http://www.tibidabo.cat/en/preus

General website info: http://www.tibidabo.cat/en/

Have you been to Tibidabo? Tell us about your experience…

Templo de Sagrado Corazón de Jesús