Montjuïc is the green hill the city keeps forgetting it has, and the morning is when it belongs to you rather than the coaches. Three and a half kilometres along the top, from the gardens to the fortress to the cliff path, with the whole port unrolling below the whole way.
Start at Paral·lel and take the Funicular de Montjuïc — it's on the metro ticket, so the climb is free in every sense. The Jardins de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer are the first thing worth stopping for: terraced stone ponds of water lilies stepping down the slope, almost always empty before ten. From there it's up to the Castell de Montjuïc, the castell that watched over the city more than it ever defended it. Walk the ramparts, find the rooftop, then carry on round to the Mirador del Migdia, where the view is the same sea and far fewer people.
The Camí del Mar brings you back along the cliff, pine on one side and the open water on the other. End at the Mirador de Miramar — take the Telefèric down to Paral·lel, or walk it off if the legs are willing.
