Tibidabo Amusement Park facts for kids
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| Location | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
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| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1899 |
| Owner | City Council of Barcelona |
| Operated by | Parc d'Atraccions Tibidabo, S.A.U. (PATSA) |
| General manager | Jaume Collboni Cuadrado |
| Operating season | March - December |
| Area | 7 ha (17 acres) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 31 |
| Roller coasters | 2 |
| Water rides | 2 |
Tibidabo Amusement Park (in Catalan: Parc d'Atraccions Tibidabo) is a super fun amusement park located on Tibidabo mountain in Barcelona, Spain. It's one of the oldest amusement parks in the world that's still open today! It first opened its doors in 1905, but the idea for it started in 1899. Many of its original rides are still working, which is pretty cool. The park is now owned by the City Council of Barcelona.
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History of Tibidabo Park
The idea for an amusement park on Tibidabo mountain came from a pharmacist named Salvador Andreu in 1899. He imagined a funicular (a special train that goes up a steep hill), a tram line, and fun rides. Work on the "Tranvía Azul" (Blue Tram) and the funicular started in 1900. They officially opened in 1901.
The first amusement rides arrived in 1905. These were smaller attractions like binoculars, fun mirrors, and cool robot displays. Over the next 20 years, the park added bigger rides. Some of these, like the Avió, Ferrocarril Aéreo (now Embruixabruixes), and Talaia, are still popular today!
Tibidabo Park kept growing and doing well until the late 1950s and 1960s. More people started owning cars, so they could travel to other places. This meant fewer visitors came to Tibidabo.
In 1987, a businessman named Javier de la Rosa bought the park. He invested in many new rides from Italy and Germany. These included the Tibidabo Express roller coaster, Hurakan, Carrusel, and Diàvolo. However, the park later faced financial problems. In 1999, the park had to declare bankruptcy. The City Council of Barcelona then stepped in and bought the park to keep it open for everyone to enjoy.
Since then, Tibidabo has continued to add exciting new attractions. A thrill ride called Pèndol was built in 2006. It was later removed in 2010 after a serious incident. The park replaced its old "Montaña Rusa" roller coaster with a new one in 2009. This new coaster, called Muntanya Russa, gives amazing views of the city. In 2014, the park opened its newest ferris wheel, Giradabo. More recently, new virtual reality experiences have been added to some coasters. The park is always looking for new ways to make visits fun!
Exciting Rides and Attractions
Tibidabo Park is built on a hillside, so it has five different levels. Guests usually enter at the very top and explore their way down.
Level 6 — Sky Path (Camí del Cel)
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This is the highest part of the park, about 1,693 feet (516 meters) above sea level. It's where the main entrance is, and you can walk around this area even without a park ticket.
- Avió: This is a famous ride that looks like an old airplane! It's a model of the first commercial flight from Madrid to Barcelona in 1927. Built in 1928, the plane is held up by a crane and moves in a circle using its own propeller. It offers fantastic views of Barcelona and is a park favorite. The Avió got a fresh new look in 2017.
- Carrusel: A beautiful Venetian carousel that has been at the park since 1989.
- Giradabo: The park's newest ferris wheel, opened in 2014. It gives you a wonderful view from high up!
- Talaia: This observation ride takes guests up in two buckets to a height of 1,808 feet (551 meters) above sea level. From here, you can see all of Barcelona, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Serra de Collserola mountains. It opened in 1921.
- Kid's Attractions: Three fun rides for younger children: Tasses (spinning teacups from 2000), Rio Grande (a boat ride from 2000), and Pony Trek (a pony ride from 1990).
Level 5
- CreaTibi Robotics: A special area where kids can learn about Lego Education and do fun robotics activities. It opened in 2019.
- Embruixabruixes: One of the park's oldest rides, from 1915! It's a suspended monorail that takes you through outdoor sections with city views and indoor spooky scenes. It used to be called "Ferrocarril Aéreo" and has been updated many times.
- Marionetarium: A cool puppet theatre where you can watch shows and see puppets from the Herta Frankel Puppet Company.
- Miramiralls: A classic house of mirrors where you can see funny reflections of yourself.
- Museu d'Autòmats: A museum filled with amazing automaton (moving mechanical figures) that have been at the park since it opened. The oldest piece is "The Mandolin Clown" from 1880! Did you know that Walt Disney once tried to buy the whole collection?
Level 4
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- Crash Cars: Fun bumper cars where you can bump into your friends! They opened in 1989.
- Zoochok: Smaller bumper cars just for kids, also from 1989.
- Hotel Krüeger: A spooky haunted house that opened in 1996. It's a walkthrough experience with live actors that lasts about 10–12 minutes.
Level 2
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- Alaska: A smaller log flume ride for kids, opened in 1990.
- Diàvolo: A fun wave swinger ride that spins you around in the air, opened in 1989.
- Dididado: A 4D cinema that shows short films with special effects you can feel!
- Mini Hurakan: A smaller version of a "top spin" ride, installed in 2017.
Level 1
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This is the lowest level of the park and has many of the bigger rides and restaurants.
- Castillo de los Cuentos: An exciting story-filled experience inside an old castle, opened in 2018. It's a new version of an older attraction called "Castell Misteriós" from 1955.
- Globus: A colorful samba balloon ride that spins you around, from 2006.
- Granota: A junior drop tower ride for kids, opened in 2000.
- Mina d'Or: A 984-foot (300-meter) long log flume with two exciting drops!
- Muntanya Russa: This is the park's larger roller coaster and a very popular ride!
- Piratta: A fun pirate ship ride that swings back and forth, opened in 1989.
- Tchu Tchu Tren: A small train ride for kids, updated in 2017.
- TibiCity: A miniature driving area where children can practice driving electric cars and learn basic road safety. It opened in 2015.
- Tibidabo/Virtual Express: A powered roller coaster from 1990 that goes around the lower level and through a tunnel. Since 2017, you can wear special headsets for a virtual reality experience while riding!
- Viking: A spinning ride with cool Viking ship vehicles, installed in 1989.
Past Rides at Tibidabo
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Over the years, some rides have left Tibidabo to make way for new ones or because they were too old. Here are a few:
- Aladdino: A "rainbow" ride that was removed in 2009.
- Autos de Xoc: An older bumper car arena that was replaced by Crash Cars.
- Hurakan: A "top spin" ride that was removed in 2021 because it was getting old.
- "Mega Drop": A tall drop tower that was at the park temporarily between 2004 and 2005.
- Montaña Rusa: This was the park's original roller coaster, removed in 2009 to make space for the new Muntanya Russa.
- Panorámic: An older ferris wheel that was replaced by the current Giradabo.
- Pasaje del Terror: The park's first haunted experience, which later became the Hotel Krüeger.
- Pèndol: A thrill ride that was removed in 2010 after an incident.
- Roda Panoràmica: The park's second ferris wheel, replaced in 1982.
- Transmòbil: A monorail ride that took guests from the top to the bottom of the park. It was removed in 2008 to make way for the Muntanya Russa.
About the 2010 Pèndol Incident
In 2010, the Pèndol ride had a serious incident where its mechanical arm broke. As a result, the ride was removed from the park. Investigations showed that there were problems with how the ride was designed and built. The park and city council made sure to review all safety procedures after this event to prevent future issues.
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See also
In Spanish: Parque de Atracciones Tibidabo para niños
