Cable car

Look up and you will see red gondolas gliding 100 meters above the water, suspended on steel cables between the beachfront and mountain summit. Spanning the old harbor from Barceloneta beach to the slopes of Montjuïc, this aerial tramway was designed by architect Carles Buïgas in 1926 for the 1929 International Exposition. The cable car system was meant to transport visitors between the exposition grounds and the maritime section, but funding problems delayed construction.

It finally opened in 1931, two years after the grand event it was built to serve. The system stretches 1,292 meters across the port, connecting three stations through two striking metal towers. Torre Jaume I rises 107 meters above the water, while Torre Sant Sebastià stands 78 meters tall near the beach. During the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939, the gondolas were removed and both towers became military observation posts. Soldiers used them to defend the harbor against air attacks.

You can still see machine gun bullet holes on Torre Jaume I, physical reminders of those violent years. The cable car remained closed until May 20, 1963. After major restoration work in the 1990s, it resumed operations using the original gondola design, carrying up to 19 passengers on each 10 minute crossing above the port.