Spain · Catalunya · Barcelona
Montbau, Barcelona — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Montbau is a barri of Barcelona's Horta-Guinardó district at the foot of Collserola, built as a rationalist housing estate from 1961.
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Where to stay in Montbau
How the choice of base plays out on the ground.
Base yourself in Montbau for Collserola and the metro together. Three stations on line 3, Vall d'Hebron (also line 5), Montbau, and Mundet, lie on the barri's southern boundary under the Ronda de Dalt. The Mundet campus, with University of Barcelona faculties, lies on the east side of Montbau.
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Things to do in and around Barcelona
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Churches & Religious Sites
5- Mare de Déu del Coll Heritage
- Sant Joan d'Horta Heritage
- Ermita de Sant Cebrià i Santa Justina Heritage
- Església de les Llars Mundet Heritage
- Monestir de les Mares Mínimes Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
2- Castell del Fortí Heritage
- Escultura el Porc Senglar de Barcelona
Stadiums & Sports
3- Camp Olímpic de Tir amb Arc Heritage
- Tennis de la Vall d'Hebron
- Camp de Rugbi La Teixonera
Landmarks & Notable Places
8- Can Marcet Heritage
- Torre Jussana Heritage
- Can Sala Heritage
- Casa a la Clota Heritage
- Casa Joaquim Puig i Grau Heritage
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- Torre del carrer Puríssima Heritage
- Can Crehuet Heritage
- Ca N'ordeig Heritage
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Barcelona
About Montbau
What are the main landmarks in Montbau?
Forma 212 by Josep Maria Subirachs, at the entrance to the Mundet grounds, was the first abstract sculpture set up in a public place in Barcelona. The Palau de les Heures dates from 1895. A Noucentista house with the air of a French castle, it stands in its own gardens.
Between 1964 and 1968 Joan Bosch i Agustí added 58 houses at the top of the estate, known as the casetes blanques.
What is the history of Montbau?
The area took its old name, the Vall d'Hebron, from the monastery of Sant Jeroni, whose friars bought the ground between the Sant Genís and Pomaret streams in 1732. Later it was split among estates such as can Barret, where Francesc Barret laid out gardens, temples, and pools after 1851. From 1957 the Patronat Municipal de l'Habitatge planned the estate.
It went up in two phases from 1961, to ease Barcelona's housing shortage.
Where is Montbau?
Montbau lies at the foot of the Collserola range, above the Ronda de Dalt and the Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron. Most of the barri lies inside the Collserola Natural Park. The rest holds the housing built from the late 1950s.
The name likely comes from a stream.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Montbau?
Montbau: A metro-linked base at the foot of Collserola.
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Updated October 2026