Barcelona is an incredible city filled with parks, culture, art and history. The Parc del Laberint d’Horta is one of the city’s oldest and least well known. Barcelona has many beautiful parks, but el Parc del Laberint d’Horta (Horta Labyrinth Park) is different than the others – it is a huge maze. The Laberint d’Horta in Barcelona truly is a hidden gem of the city.
Now for a bit of history and background… The Parc del Laberint is the oldest garden in Barcelona, covering over 18 acres, and has a very long history. It is one of the remaining extravagant gardens of the Spanish monarchy in Catalunya. In 1791, Antoni Desvalls, began landscaping the property of his estate then located on the outskirt of the city. The historic artistic gardens are part of a large former estate, containing both an 18th-century neoclassical garden and a 19th century romantic garden. The neoclassical garden was designed with the help of an Italian architect, while the romantic garden added details such as gazebos, waterfalls, and additional beds of colorful flowers.
The maze had me feeling like a child again, I couldn’t help but run through the maze (and I also couldn’t help getting lost a few times). Rafa & I raced through the maze, trying to see who could make it out first… we each took a different path and tried to find our way out, bumping into each other a few times. I really had so much fun.
I couldn’t recommend taking a trip to these gardens enough. They are certainly a bit out of the way in Barcelona, but definitely something worth checking out if you’re looking for something different (and memorable) to do during your time in Barcelona.
