Bunkers del Carmel (Turó de la Rovira)

The top of the Turó de la Rovira, a 262-metre hill in the north of the city, is one of Barcelona's great free viewpoints, and it also has a remarkable history. During the Spanish Civil War, Republican forces built an anti-aircraft battery here to defend the city against air raids. After the war the concrete emplacements were turned into homes in a shanty settlement known as Els Canons, which survived until 1990. The site was restored and opened officially in March 2011, and in 2012 it shared the European Prize for Urban Public Space.

Today the site is managed by the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA). Most people come for the 360-degree view from the gun platforms, which takes in the Sagrada Família, Montjuïc, the port, the sea and the Collserola hills, and the hilltop has become a popular place to watch the sunset. Small museum spaces on the hill explain the wartime battery and the informal housing that followed, a reminder that shanty towns were home to a significant part of the city's population until the late 1950s.

Entry to the hilltop is free. The museum spaces are open on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 2pm between October and May and from 4pm to 7pm between June and September, with last entry 30 minutes before closing; they close on 1 January, 1 May, 24 June and 25 December. Guided group visits are paid and need booking.

The bunkers suit anyone who enjoys a view with a story, and older children may find the war history interesting. Bring water and something to sit on, wear comfortable shoes, and be aware that there is little shade and no café at the top. Sunset is the busiest time, and residents ask visitors to keep noise down, as people live on the slopes below. Treat the remains with respect, and stay behind barriers on the edges of the platforms.

The hill lies in El Carmel, above the neighbourhoods of Horta-Guinardó. Bus 22 stops nearby, and the last part of the route is a steep walk uphill on foot. Combine the visit with Park Güell, which is on a neighbouring hill to the west, or with a stroll through the Guinardó, where the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista is a short bus ride away.