The “Must See” Tibidabo Amusement Park for Families in Barcelona, Spain

In our travels, the amusement park that still stands out the most to us is Tibidabo Amusement Park in Barcelona, Spain. Which is saying something because we live close to Disneyland and Legoland in California, which have set the bar SUPER high.

We almost didn’t go because it was toward the end of our time in Spain and we were getting travel weary, but we had a friend say it was “a must” so on one of our last days of vacation – off we went.

First of all, the views from the park are AMAZING. It is set up 500 meters above sea level so you can see the entire city all the way to the ocean. It was an easy cab ride to get there from our vacation rental near Las Ramblas, maybe 10 minutes, and completely worth going. We chose the option for General Admission tickets because it included all the rides (you can buy just panoramic for the top portion) and got to it!

We started with the iconic Ferris wheel so we could see the whole view from even higher and worked our way through.

Both boys loved the trampoline and my 6 year old loved to go around and around on the water rollercoaster called Alaska which we’ve been calling “the seal ride.” It looked so simple but he wanted to go over and over and even talked his big brother into going with him.

The highlight for my 8 year old was the roller coaster with the red tracks – Muntanya Russa Rollercoaster, now affectionately referred to in our household as the “red roller coaster.” It was the perfect amount of scary and fun and he still says he wishes we had it here. I loved it too and we must’ve gone on it at least five times (my 6 year old wasn’t tall enough to ride it).

Other than my 6 year old loving the seal ride, his other highlight was driving the little cars and getting his “real driver’s license” in Tibicity. Even though he isn’t usually confident enough to go on something new without his older brother, he stood in a long line so excited to drive the little cars in what was a miniature city, complete with stop lights. They take the kids in a group, the employees weren’t able to speak English well – which of course was expected since we were in Spain after all – but I was surprised he didn’t feel scared and come running back. Even when the next part was to go to a room without me and watch some sort of driving movie. He was so proud of his driving that we happily paid the 7 or so euros to buy his “real license” and he still drags that out to show people every chance he gets and tells us that he can drive in Spain.

We did bumper cars, got wet on the Gold Mine, rode the roller coaster which is now “the virtual express”, but nothing was as beloved as the red roller coaster. My 8 year old went through his first haunted house there – which did scare him as there are people who jump out at you so be prepared with your little ones – and we over all had a blast.

We mistakenly thought we could take the funicular all the way down (so much for the one time I decided to wing it and not do my research!) but found a cab by walking down the street a little ways (see: Redefining What it Means to be “Strong” for Boys for that part of our adventure).

Now, I have to say, I do appreciate the safety measures at places like Disneyland, but we also did enjoy the ease of which other parks operate in other countries. It seems like they do their checks but it’s not so strict as California nor as time consuming. I don’t know which is better from a safety standpoint, but from an ease of experience we enjoyed Tibidabo Amusement Park as it had a more laid-back, casual feel to it. Looking at their website, it looks like they’ve added even more attractions since we were there.

We had a lazy morning and arrived there at noon and had plenty to do until exhaustion when the park closed at 8:00 p.m. You could easily spend the day there and your kids will be plenty occupied. It is definitely geared toward families, both with younger and older kids. I even noticed some teens enjoying themselves. I don’t know if I would go without kids, but certainly with them was worth it.

Now I know nothing compares to Disneyland’s gold standards, but for around 77 Euro (approximately $87 U.S.), the whole family spent the day happily for less than the cost of just ONE ticket to the more famous parks in So Cal. The bonus, it was so much less crowded than a major theme park, even early July during tourist season. It wasn’t hard to get on all the rides, even many times.

And again, if you go just for the views it’ll be worth it!

If you go to Tibidabo Amusement Park we’d love to hear how you like it. Let us know in the comments.