Port Cable Car

The Aeri cable car passes for 1.3km across the old harbour of Barcelona from the hillside of Montjuïc to Barceloneta. It was conceived by the architect Charles Buigas in 1926 as part of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, but it opened two years later. The mechanical design was by Adolf Bleichert and Company of Leipzig in Germany. The cars were pulled by an electric motor at the Miramar station on Montjuïc with counterweights in the Sant Sebastià tower at the other end. It was closed in the Spanish Civil War when the towers were used by the military. It began operating again in 1963 and a major restoration was completed in 2000. The original cars are still in use and carry 20 passengers each. They give spectacular views over the city. The journey takes 8 minutes. The central tower, Torre Jaume I, is 107m high and houses a restaurant.