Collserola

The ridge that closes the city to the west is a natural park larger than the built-up area it shelters, and it starts where the city ends.

Carretera de les Aigües

A level track cut into the hillside, about nine kilometres long, with the whole of Barcelona laid out on your left the entire way.

Paths climb through pine and holm oak to a string of summits; the Tibidabo side takes the crowds and the rest takes nobody.

Carry water, keep to marked paths in the dry months, and ride the Vallvidrera funicular or a bus up rather than walking from the city.