La Floresta
Groceries
Great organic grocery store, in the main square of La Floresta near the coffee shop, bar restaurant and train station. 6 minutes walk from the apartment.
10 locals recommend
Norma Alimentación
6 Plaça Miquel RosGreat organic grocery store, in the main square of La Floresta near the coffee shop, bar restaurant and train station. 6 minutes walk from the apartment.
La Muntanyesa
1 Avinguda de les MinesOpen most days, sells basic grocery supplies
At the top of the stairs to la floresta train station, only 5 minutes from the apartment. Open 8:00 - 22:00 daily.
Condis Express Supermercats
12 Passeig de la FlorestaAt the top of the stairs to la floresta train station, only 5 minutes from the apartment. Open 8:00 - 22:00 daily.
Cafe, Brunch
Forn Cultural La Floresta
1 Plaça Miquel RosCoffee and fresh bread
Les Escales Bistró
75 Av. Verge de MontserratGreat food and fresh bread. Highly recommended.
La Farigola
31 Carrer DiputacióCafe and Bakery
Restaurants
Rancho El Paso
15 Carrer Pas de l'EstacióTraditional Catalan food
CORRELOLA
11 Carrer Pas de l'EstacióRestaurant and bar.
Pharmacy
Farmàcia la Floresta
9 Passeig de la FlorestaCity/town information
La Floresta. In the middle of the Collserola mountain range, a place of relaxation where the people of Barcelona can enjoy a little purer air and nature.
With rambling streets full of colourful chalets tumbling down its verdant hilltops, it has the feel of a remote mountain retreat, even though it’s just on the other side of Mount Tibidabo.
It began in the early 1900s as an English-style garden suburb of exclusive holiday mansions for the Barcelonese bourgeoisie, dreamed up by Canadian railway engineer Frank S Pearson (who also built the railway line connecting Barcelona to the industrial towns of El Vallès).
By the Sixties, many of these wealthy weekenders had abandoned their mansions in the hills of Collserola for more glamorous settings on the coast. La Floresta, stripped of its glitz, seemed little more than a range of misty hills and a few run-down homes. But at the end of the decade, a new artistic, hippy community moved in, whose spirit survives today in numerous workshops and eco-homes, as well as commuting young professionals attracted by the combination of green spaces and good rail links.
In recent times, La Floresta has become a favourite weekend haunt of ramblers and cyclists, enticed by dozens of trails into the surrounding forest. An agreeably eccentric sort of place, where street signs declare the presence of wild boars and minimalist cube-houses jostle with okupas (squatters) and Modernista gems, it’s only 20 minutes from Plaça de Catalunya by train.
8 locals recommend
La Floresta
La Floresta. In the middle of the Collserola mountain range, a place of relaxation where the people of Barcelona can enjoy a little purer air and nature.
With rambling streets full of colourful chalets tumbling down its verdant hilltops, it has the feel of a remote mountain retreat, even though it’s just on the other side of Mount Tibidabo.
It began in the early 1900s as an English-style garden suburb of exclusive holiday mansions for the Barcelonese bourgeoisie, dreamed up by Canadian railway engineer Frank S Pearson (who also built the railway line connecting Barcelona to the industrial towns of El Vallès).
By the Sixties, many of these wealthy weekenders had abandoned their mansions in the hills of Collserola for more glamorous settings on the coast. La Floresta, stripped of its glitz, seemed little more than a range of misty hills and a few run-down homes. But at the end of the decade, a new artistic, hippy community moved in, whose spirit survives today in numerous workshops and eco-homes, as well as commuting young professionals attracted by the combination of green spaces and good rail links.
In recent times, La Floresta has become a favourite weekend haunt of ramblers and cyclists, enticed by dozens of trails into the surrounding forest. An agreeably eccentric sort of place, where street signs declare the presence of wild boars and minimalist cube-houses jostle with okupas (squatters) and Modernista gems, it’s only 20 minutes from Plaça de Catalunya by train.
Neighborhoods
Only 5 minutes by train from La Floresta. Sant Cugat has lots of shopping, good restaurants, cafes, bars, markets and an impressive historical monastery. Well worth a visit.
19 locals recommend
Sant Cugat del Vallès
Only 5 minutes by train from La Floresta. Sant Cugat has lots of shopping, good restaurants, cafes, bars, markets and an impressive historical monastery. Well worth a visit.