Make the most of the good weather to discover Barcelona's new parks and gardens

Situated in the heart of the city, this park is a vast green lung in the throes of transformation. Its contemporary design and large green spaces have made it one of the locals' favourite new places for a stroll, doing sport or enjoying a picnic.

It offers more than 25,000 m2 of space just waiting to be explored. The central avenue on the south side of the square cuts through different green spaces dotted with play areas. The kids will have a whale of a time on the slides and climbing frames on the wavy rubber play surface. If sport's your thing, don't forget your ping-pong bats or basketball ball to get the most out of its sports courts. And there's also a dedicated space for dogs in Parc de les Glòries where they can run, play and socialise safely. There's no doubt that this is the perfect place for people of all ages and backgrounds.

This large park, covering an area of 21,000 m2, opened in 2024 in the area of Marina del Prat Vermell, in the Sants-Montjuïc district. It was designed by the architect Rafael de Cáceres Zurita, and contains fields, gardens, play areas and meeting places. Its central plaza has interesting panoramic views over the fields and is an excellent viewing point. The fields are actually large expanses of lawn where you won't be able to resist the temptation to stretch out and relax, recharge your batteries and feel connected to nature. The wide variety of greenery includes aromatic native plants, like lavender and rosemary, which coexist with Japanese cherry trees and wetland plants like tamarinds and reeds.

The children's play area is the main protagonist and the entire park is perfectly equipped with benches, lighting, fountains and bike racks so you can enjoy it to the full. In case you were wondering, the name of the park (tretze roses means thirteen roses in Catalan) is a tribute to our historical memory and the thirteen activists from the Young Socialist party – whose symbol is the rose – who were executed in 1939 at the beginning of Franco's dictatorship. The name was chosen by the local community after a consultation exercise, which makes this green space even more special.

And now we're heading to the district of Les Corts to immerse ourselves in the new Parc de la Colònia Castells, which covers an area of more than 9,000 m2. It stands on a site once occupied by a workers' housing estate of the same name and commemorates the community spirit the estate was founded on in the 1920s. It has an area of community gardens and allotments and has also preserved nine of the original houses as part of the city's historical memory. There is also a large children's play area with an impressive central structure shaped like a sea urchin with slides, sensory games, swings and a see-saw.

If you want to keep fit in the open air, the park has a fitness trail with exercise stations. And if you prefer something more contemplative, the park has more than 160 trees, including jacarandas, tipus, yuccas, ombus and Japanese medlars, so you can unwind as you wander among them. What could be more relaxing?

The area of La Bordeta in the district of Sants-Montjuïc has gained 30,000 m2 of green space. Parc de Can Batlló has been laid out around a large central plaza which has different paths that lead to recreation areas as well as places where you can exercise and do sport, a children's play area and an area for dogs.

The former textile factory, Can Batlló, is the centrepiece of the park and the symbol of this urban transformation project. The building has amenities for the public as well as community spaces. It also bears witness to the area's historic and industrial past in a landscaped setting that is suffused with light. Make sure you don't miss it! It's waiting for you to enjoy spring in all its glory.