Parc Astronòmic Muntanyes de Prades

The Parc Astronòmic Muntanyes de Prades is the astrotourism project of Prades, the red-stone village in the Muntanyes de Prades, in the Baix Camp. It takes advantage of the genuinely dark skies here to teach astronomy to the general public, families and schools, always with one part indoors and another looking at the sky through telescopes.

Who is behind it

The project grew out of Astroprades, the platform set up in 2014 by amateur astronomers Georgina Serven and Aleix Roig when they installed a private observatory in the village. In 2015, after talking to the town council, the street lighting was changed to sodium vapour lamps, and in 2016 the first season of activities began. Since 2019 there have been sessions in an immersive 360-degree dome planetarium. The park itself opened in summer 2020, with the visitor centre and the adapted Sant Roc viewpoint; its website describes it as a national project led by the Ajuntament de Prades. In 2021 it received the international Starlight award in the astrotourism category and Starlight Tourist Destination certification. Tickets are sold by Mizar Experience SL.

What it offers and when

The programme is organised into shows with their own names: one designed for families with young children, another for adults and families with children over 8, and another with denser content, recommended from age 12. There are also sessions in Spanish, dinners under the stars, courses and trips, experiences to give as gifts and a loyalty club. For schools it organises day and night sessions, visits and tailor-made sessions.

According to its own website, there is no better time of year than another: sessions are scheduled to observe in total darkness, so the timetable changes throughout the year. What does change is what you see. With a waxing moon the Moon is easy to observe; with a new or waning moon, the deep sky. Most sessions are split into an indoor part in the visitor centre and an outdoor part, with a break between the two for a snack or dinner. The village has picnic areas.

Meeting point and ages

The park's address is calle Muralla, 5, second floor, in Prades. The outdoor observation point is on the edge of the village, and the last 200 metres to it are unlit, so it is worth bringing a torch, ideally a red one, and comfortable shoes. It gets very cold at night even in summer. There is no minimum age for buying tickets, but each show carries its own age recommendation, and reduced prices apply from 2 to 12 years old. The website does not publish group sizes.

Booking, cancellation and bad weather

You book online: choose the day in the calendar, pay for the tickets and the confirmation arrives immediately by email. Sessions go ahead whatever the weather. If clouds or rain prevent the outdoor part, you can come back on another day within the following three months to complete it, at no cost.

The conditions are strict. The day, time or type of experience cannot be changed except for a justified reason. If you cancel by email up to 15 days beforehand you receive a voucher for 100% of what you paid; between 14 days and 24 hours beforehand, for 50%; with less than 24 hours' notice, nothing. Vouchers must be used within 30 days and the money is not refunded. The site is in Catalan, Spanish and English, and sessions are given in Catalan and Spanish; the website does not advertise sessions in English. For questions, the phone number is 663 075 962.