I first walked into the Laberint d’Horta on a Tuesday morning and paid 2.23 euros. I spent twenty minutes without passing another soul, and that was the day I understood Barcelona keeps its best corners where there is no queue.
This is not the greenest city in the world, which is probably why I value these places as much as I do. I keep them sorted by two things that actually shape the plan: how far you want to go, and whether you feel like paying.
Garden basics
Laberint d’Horta 2.23 €, free Wednesdays and Sundays · Hours 10-8 summer, 10-6 winter
The city ones almost all free · The Costa Brava ones paid, 6 to 10 €
First, it helps to know how far each one sits, because some are half an hour on the metro and others a full day out.
| Garden | Where | Travel time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laberint d’Horta | Horta-Guinardó | 25 min, metro L3 | 2.23 € |
| Palau de les Heures | Mundet campus | 25 min, metro L3 | Free |
| Jardins de la Tamarita | Sant Gervasi | 20 min | Free |
| Parc de Torreblanca | Sant Just Desvern | 30 min | Free |
| Palau Falguera | Sant Feliu de Llobregat | 35 min | Free |
| Santa Clotilde | Lloret de Mar | 1 h 15, car | ~6 € |
| Marimurtra | Blanes | 1 h 15, car | ~10 € |
| Cap Roig | Calella de Palafrugell | 1 h 45, car | ~10 € |
| Parc Samà | Cambrils, Tarragona | 1 h 30, car | ~9 € |
The first five fit into one morning. The Costa Brava ones need a full day and repay it.
The city’s oldest garden, for 2.23 euros
The Laberint d’Horta is the oldest surviving garden in Barcelona, and it still costs about the price of a beer.
Joan Antoni Desvalls, Marquis of Llupià, designed it in 1791 with the Italian architect Domenico Bagutti, and it grew from neoclassical to romantic over time. It covers 9 hectares with mythological sculptures, a canal with swans, a waterfall, a Japanese garden and the Desvalls mansion. It stayed private until opening as a public park in 1971.
Its most famous feature is the cypress maze, 750 metres of hedging drawn from the myth of Theseus, with a statue of Eros waiting at the centre.
Access is Horta-Guinardó, metro Mundet, line 3, five to ten minutes on foot. General admission 2.23 €, reduced 1.42 €, and free on Wednesdays and Sundays. Open 10 am to 8 pm in summer, 10 am to 6 pm in winter.
The warning that saves the disappointment: according to the official Barcelona City Council site, the hedge maze is closed for works from early 2025 until early 2027, with all 2,211 cypresses being replaced. The rest of the park stays open and remains worthwhile, but go knowing the most photographed part is off limits for now.
Two more things are worth checking before leaving home, because they are what ruins the visit.
Free gardens in and around the city
No admission here, and several sit within a walk of the centre.
Right by the maze, on the Mundet campus, stands the Palau de les Heures, a late nineteenth-century French château built with returning-emigrant money, ringed by three formal terraces with parterres and ponds. Open to the public since 1999 and free.
Up in the hills, the Jardins de la Tamarita in Sant Gervasi are the work of landscape architect Rubió i Tudurí, who began developing his idea of the Mediterranean garden here. It is where locals go to read, and it pairs well with the art galleries you can visit for free for a quiet afternoon.
The Parc de Torreblanca in Sant Just Desvern hides a nineteenth-century romantic garden with waterfalls, caves, rose gardens and its own maze, on the grounds of the old house of the Marquis of Monistrol. Sundays bring a farmers’ market.
And the Palau Falguera gardens in Sant Feliu de Llobregat date from the seventeenth century. These are half-morning plans with no logistics.
That garden has passed through several hands and several styles across two and a half centuries.
An odd detail from the official file: part of the closure is also tied to swine fever prevention measures across the city.
With those five sorted, the difference between a good visit and a mediocre one comes down to the day and hour you pick.
The paradox of the Laberint is that its free days, Wednesday and Sunday, are exactly the worst for calm. I would rather pay 2.23 € on a Tuesday and have it almost to myself.
The Costa Brava, clifftop gardens with a ticket
These are a different proposition: paid, far, and a full day. They are also the most spectacular.
The Santa Clotilde gardens in Lloret de Mar, created in 1924 and also by Rubió i Tudurí, are pure romanticism, with staircases and sculptures leaning out over the sea. Scenes of House of the Dragon were filmed here, and it is easy to see why they chose it. Admission around 6 €.
The Marimurtra botanical garden in Blanes was created by the German businessman Carl Faust. It holds 4 hectares and around 3,000 species from subtropical, temperate and Mediterranean climates, on a clifftop. According to the official foundation that runs it, it ranks among the most important botanical gardens in Europe. Admission around 10 €.
And the Cap Roig gardens, between Palafrugell and Mont-ras, were begun in 1927 by Nicolai Woevodsky and Dorothy Webster: 17 hectares, close to 1,000 species, a castle, and views over the finest coves on the coast. Admission around 10 €, free under 16. In summer it hosts the Cap Roig Festival, and it makes the perfect excuse to string together the prettiest villages in Girona.
Among the Costa Brava heavyweights, size dictates how long you need.
Cap Roig is nearly double the Laberint in size, so it is not a place for half an hour between two other plans.
If you find yourself in Tarragona, the Parc Samà between Cambrils and Montbrió is a magnificent example of returning-emigrant garden architecture, with ponds, waterfalls and grottoes. Admission around 9 €.
Before driving ninety minutes, it helps to have the free-versus-paid line clear.
Free, close, half a morning
- Palau de les Heures, Mundet campus
- Jardins de la Tamarita, Sant Gervasi
- Parc de Torreblanca, Sant Just
- Palau Falguera, Sant Feliu
- Laberint d’Horta, an almost token 2.23 €
Paid, far, a full day
- Santa Clotilde, Lloret, ~6 €
- Marimurtra, Blanes, ~10 €
- Cap Roig, Palafrugell, ~10 €
- Parc Samà, Tarragona, ~9 €
- All need a car and a whole day
The left column is for a weekday morning. The right, for a Saturday when you want garden and sea on the same day, in the spirit of a day trip to a village nearby.
Four places where I do not rush
The Laberint at the weekend. Free on Sunday, yes, but full of groups, and it loses exactly what makes it special.
Any of them in a hurry. These places reward having no clock on you. Under time pressure you will feel nothing.
The Costa Brava gardens in a single morning. Santa Clotilde and Marimurtra do not fit together in half a day, and forcing it wastes both.
Going to Horta expecting the maze. It is gone until 2027. The park compensates, but the photo you came for cannot be taken.
Getting the most from them
Go midweek or first thing. It is the difference between a garden and a school outing.
Check for works and closures. The Horta maze is the perfect example: without knowing, it is a 2.23 € disappointment.
Bring something to eat and a book for the city ones. They are built for staying, not for a photo and out.
Set aside a full day for the Costa Brava. Each garden deserves its time, and the sea is right there. It pairs beautifully with Catalonia’s autumn forests outside beach season.
Finding peace in Barcelona does not mean leaving it. It means knowing which door to push, ideally on a Tuesday.
Know a hidden garden missing from this list? There are surely green corners I have not set foot in yet. Message me on Instagram @barcelonainspira and I will go and see it.
Keep exploring Barcelona with me
More corners and plans I write about here: Catalonia’s autumn forests, the facts behind the Gothic Quarter, and the full run of experiences, getaways and plans.
What is the oldest garden in Barcelona
The Parc del Laberint d’Horta, the oldest surviving garden in the city. Joan Antoni Desvalls, Marquis of Llupià, designed it in 1791 with the Italian architect Domenico Bagutti. It covers 9 hectares and combines a neoclassical garden with a romantic one. It stayed in private hands until opening as a public park in 1971.
How much does the Horta Labyrinth cost
General admission is 2.23 euros and reduced 1.42 euros, and it is free on Wednesdays and Sundays. It opens daily from 10 am to 8 pm in summer and 10 am to 6 pm in winter. The nearest metro stop is Mundet on line 3, around five to ten minutes on foot.
Can you see the cypress maze at Horta
Not at the moment. The hedge maze is closed for works from early 2025 until early 2027, with all 2,211 cypresses being replaced. The rest of the park stays open as normal, with the romantic gardens, the canal, the waterfall and the sculptures, so the visit is still worthwhile once you know.
What beautiful gardens are on the Costa Brava
Three sit above the sea and charge admission. Santa Clotilde in Lloret, from 1924, where scenes of House of the Dragon were filmed. The Marimurtra botanical garden in Blanes, with 4 hectares and around 3,000 species. And Cap Roig, between Palafrugell and Mont-ras, with 17 hectares and close to 1,000 species. All three run between 6 and 10 euros.
What free secret gardens are near Barcelona
The Palau de les Heures on the Mundet campus, the Jardins de la Tamarita in Sant Gervasi, the Parc de Torreblanca in Sant Just Desvern and the Palau Falguera gardens in Sant Feliu de Llobregat. All are free, quiet and barely touristed, reachable by public transport or a short drive.
