Zoo stop
A good starting point for a route through the residential and coastal district of the Olympic Village or to explore Ciutadella Park, the city’s first public park, where the Catalan Parliament Building and Barcelona Zoo are located.
A park full of history
The Zoo stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic is on Carrer de Salvador Espriu, next to Plaça dels Voluntaris Olímpics. From here you can explore one of the city’s most modern districts, the result of an ambitious urban development plan implemented for the 1992 Olympic Games that transformed an industrial and degraded area into the Olympic Village, a residential zone with wide streets, green spaces and the aroma of the sea.
You can also stroll to Ciutadella Park, an enormous green space that was designed on land that had been previously occupied by a military citadel and in 1888 hosted the Barcelona Universal Exposition. Now, in the park you can see the Catalan Parliament Building and Barcelona Zoo, which has ten spaces especially conditioned for species to live in different environments. To leave the park, we recommend you take Passeig de Lluís Companys, along which you can admire the Arc de Triomf.
What to see
Barcelona ZooBarcelona Zoo has ten different spaces where you can find all types of animals. It was inaugurated in 1892 at Ciutadella Park on a plot that formed part of the facilities built for the 1888 Universal Exposition.
Catalan Parliament BuildingAn 18th-century building used as a military arsenal was transformed in 1932 into the Catalan Parliament Building.
Arc de TriomfBuilt for the 1888 Universal Exposition, this 30 metre arch marks the border between the Old Town and modern Barcelona.
Ciutadella ParkThe venue of the 1888 Universal Exposition is now a large park with two museums, an extensive collection of public art and much more. With a surface area of 17 hectares, Ciutadella Park is Barcelona’s largest urban park after Montjuïc and an open-air sculpture museum.
Olympic VillageThe home of the athletes during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games is a symbol of the regeneration of the city’s urban coastline and industrial land.