The rowing boats on the lake in the Parc de la Ciutadella cost €7 per half hour for one or two people, €10 for three and €11 for four or five. They run every day: 10.00 to 18.00 from 1 October to 31 March, and 10.00 to 20.00 from 1 April to 30 September. The park itself is free.
In the middle of Barcelona there is a lake where people row among century-old trees and grey herons, a stone's throw from the Parliament. It belongs to the Parc de la Ciutadella, the first park in the city designed specifically as a public park. Here is what a boat costs, when the park opens and what is worth a look once you have handed the oars back.
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The boats: prices and hours
The rowing boats on the lake are hired by the half hour. According to the City Council listings, the price depends on how many of you get in: €7 for one or two people, €10 for three and €11 for four or five. Checked in October 2026.
They run every day, bank holidays included. From 1 April to 30 September, 10.00 to 20.00; from 1 October to 31 March, 10.00 to 18.00. If the weather looks doubtful, have a look before promising it to anyone.
From the water you get a close view of the bald cypresses growing in the lake itself, planted in the first third of the 20th century. With a bit of luck you will see a grey heron too: according to the City Council, the park's colony is the largest in Catalonia, among more than a hundred bird species recorded there.
Is it free? The park's opening hours
Yes. It is a municipal park, and its page on barcelona.cat gives opening hours but no admission price. What you pay for is the boats and, separately, Barcelona Zoo, which takes up half the park's grounds and is a different visit altogether.
The hours come with a caveat. The park's own page says it opens every day from 7.00 until dusk; the council's page on park opening hours, however, lists it among those that close later, from 22.30. If in doubt, count on daylight.
The Cascade, with Gaudí as assistant
Two names answer the question of who made it. The monumental cascade was designed by Josep Fontserè in 1875 and opened in 1881. His assistant was a very young Antoni Gaudí, who is credited with the rockwork and some of the decorative motifs.
In the centre stands the Birth of Venus by Venanci Vallmitjana, and crowning the whole thing, the Quadriga of Aurora by Rossend Nobas. Stairs on either side climb to a sort of small temple with a view over the park. It is lit up after dark, although in October 2026 the council listings had it switched off for cleaning work, so you may find it dry.
The mammoth and the lady with the umbrella
The mammoth gets more photos than anything else. It is made of stone and life-size, and it has an odd story: in 1907 the Natural Sciences Board wanted to put life-size reproductions of extinct animals in the park, and this was the first and only one. Ginkgo trees grow beside it.
The other famous sculpture is La dama del paraigua by Joan Roig Soler, for many years one of the symbols of Barcelona, standing on top of a fountain designed by Fontserè. There are many more, by Frederic Marès, Josep Llimona or Pau Gargallo; so many that the City Council calls the park an open-air museum.
The Parliament and what is left of the citadel
The name is not just decoration. After Barcelona surrendered on 11 September 1714, Philip V had a military citadel built here in 1715, and 1,262 houses in the Ribera neighbourhood were pulled down to make room for it; what was left of that neighbourhood can be seen today beneath the old El Born market. In 1869 General Prim handed the fortress over to the city on one condition: that the land would become a public park.
What survives of the citadel is the garrison chapel by Pròsper Verboom (1728), the governor's palace, now a secondary school, and the arsenal building, which houses the Parliament of Catalonia. In front of it lies the Plaça d'Armes, laid out in 1916 by the French landscape architect J. C. N. Forestier: it is the best-preserved piece of landscaping in the park.
The Umbracle and the Hivernacle
Along Passeig de Picasso stand two buildings that look like siblings. The Umbracle, by Fontserè (1883), combines brick, iron and wooden slats that shade subtropical plants; it opens daily from 10.00 to 17.30 in winter and from 10.00 to 20.00 in summer. The Hivernacle, made of iron and glass, was designed by Josep Amargós i Samaranch in 1884.
Both were planned for the 1888 Universal Exhibition, as was the crenellated brick building by Domènech i Muntaner that people nicknamed the Castle of the Three Dragons, home to the Zoology Museum since 1934.
Anyone living in Barcelona for a few months ends up treating the Ciutadella like a back garden: a boat on a Sunday, the cascade another afternoon, and the herons always overhead.
Checked
Boat prices and hours, Umbracle hours and the state of the Cascade: Barcelona City Council listings, checked in October 2026. History, sculptures, buildings, trees and birds: the park's page on barcelona.cat. The park's closing time differs between two council pages (the park page and the park opening hours page); we give both.
Quick questions
Is the Parc de la Ciutadella free?
Yes. It is a municipal park, and its page gives opening hours but no admission price. You pay separately for the boats and for Barcelona Zoo.
What time does the park open and close?
The park's own page says it opens from 7.00 until dusk; the council's page on park opening hours lists it among those that close from 22.30.
Who designed the Ciutadella cascade?
Josep Fontserè designed it in 1875 and it opened in 1881. His assistant was a very young Antoni Gaudí, who is credited with the rockwork.
What is the Ciutadella mammoth made of?
It is made of stone and life-size. In 1907 the Natural Sciences Board wanted reproductions of extinct animals in the park, and this was the first and only one.