Ultimate guide to planning your Barcelona family trip
TOP THINGS TO DO WITH FAMILY IN BARCELONA
Is Barcelona good for families? Absolutely! Barcelona is very family-friendly! And if you are planning your next Barcelona family vacation, in today’s post you’ll find everything you need to make your trip memorable for everyone. The options are many and your final choices will depend a lot on how many days you are staying, your kids ages and your family’s interests and priorities. Don’t know where to start? Check out our generic posts about what to do in Barcelona depending on how many days you are staying. That will give you an idea of what’s the top sites and attractions in Barcelona for families, how much is reasonable to cover each day and how to organize your itinerary efficiently. Then you can tweak your plan with the family-friendly ideas you’ll find in this post.
Also, if you are planning a multigenerational family trip, make sure you to check out also our posts about Barcelona for teens, for seniors and our suggestions for strollers if you are traveling with babies. But let’s get started!
Best places to stay in Barcelona for families
There's 10 districts in Barcelona city. Here are the best areas to stay:
- Eixample: The center of the city, easy to reach by public transportation and close to many Gaudi sites, restaurants and shopping. It's not a very green area, but there's often small public playgrounds hidden in block interiors. The area is safe and except Passeig de Gracia (which is mostly hotels and offices), it's a very local district.
- Ciutat Vella: The alleys of the Old Town are a great choice for families that love history. However, there’s quite a few downsides: many alleys are too narrow for taxis to enter them (specially bad when you arrive with lots of luggage), there aren’t many playgrounds unless you are near the Ciutadella park, La Rambla is busy and noisy, and if you are renting an apartment chances are there won’t be an elevator. Also, the Raval district is to be avoided.
- Sant Marti. Less central, the best part of this district is its waterfront. But while many young local families are favoring it as their place to live, the rest of it including the Poblenou area aren’t super convenient when you are just visiting (and La Mina quarter is dangerous).
- Gracia. Not to be confused with the trendy Passeig de Gracia in Eixample, this is the district on top of it. While less busy than Eixample and more central than Sant Marti, there aren’t many playgrounds unless you can find somewhere to stay near Plaça Gala Placidia, Plaça Lesseps or Plaça Joanic. And its many plazas that are lovely during daytime tend to be noisy at night with people partying.
- Sarria Sant Gervasi. This is one of the greenest districts in town, and the more upscaled. The area is safe, quiet and reunites some of the best schools, so it has a very family-friendly feel. However, it’s not super central.
- Sants Montjuic. Some will argue that Montjuic is way greener than Sarria, but the truth is that it’s not so much a residential area and the few hotels in the hill aren’t well communicated. Then the rest of the district isn’t particularly appealing for families.
- Horta-Guinardo, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu. The rest of the Barcelona districts don’t offer much to families on vacation, except maybe some better accommodation deals. But make sure to research where is the closest subway station, where does that subway line goes and how long it takes to get to to either Plaça Catalunya or Passeig de Gracia. Remember that time is gold when a vacation is short!
Do want specific recommendations instead? No problem!
- These are our favorite hotels for families in Barcelona.
- If you prefer to stay in fully furnished apartments, these are our recommendations.
- Do you want to stay by the beach?
- Or are pools non-negotiable?
Family-friendly eating in Barcelona
- Start with this: Our favorite restaurants for families in Barcelona.
- What are tapas? Tapas are small savory bites and platters to share than can be served as appetizer or make an entire meal depending on how many you order. Some of them are quite adventurous (such as tripe, blood sausage and some types of seafood), but other are very family-friendly: potatoes, calamari rings, croquettes, omelets…
- What Spanish food kids love the most? This post answers your question.
- My kids won’t eat anything. What about pizza? burgers? Italian?
- In the Winter, go for hot chocolate and churros. Spanish hot chocolate is almost as thick as pudding, and we deep churros on it. Here is where to find the best churros in Barcelona.
- In the Summer, visit the many award-winning gelato places in town and try orchata.
- Eating at the markets. Food markets are fun to explore and your kids will be able to see many interesting fruits and food items. The best market to visit is La Boqueria, and there you can treat them to a potato spiral skewer, or some chocolate covered strawberries, or ham or cheese cones. However, planning to eat at one of the market tapas bars won’t prove to be a good idea because finding enough available stools together by the counter will be hard.
- What about food tours? Bear in mind that group food tours offer very little flexibility as all the tastings are pre-purchased, so unless it’s a kid-oriented tour, your kids might not find many interesting options for them… A private food tour is your best way to go, instead. Also know that most tapas tours take place in the evening and finish late due to the opening hours of the bars – they are mostly OK for teens, but not so much for younger kids. Oh, and did you know there’s a Chocolate Museum?
Moving around Barcelona with your family
Just bear in mind that large taxis charge a small supplement when they transport more than 4 passengers (which you shouldn’t be charged if you are 4 or less even if you are using a large taxi). Uber and Cabify exist, but their fleets are small, you’ll be better off using one of the official taxi apps instead, such as Free Now, and it also allows you to pay a set fee rather than go by the meter. Lift doesn’t exist in Barcelona so far.
As for subway, this is the way most people move around. Unless you aren’t centrally located and expect to use subway a lot to move around, your family will be better off getting a T-Familiar pass (8 rides sharable card) for occasional rides. The T-Casual 10-ride pass is personal and can’t be shared, so it’s only a good deal if you’ll be using public transportation a lot.
Other fun transportation means:
- Did you know that there are two cable cars in Barcelona?
- And there’s also 3 funiculars. Two of them are integrated in the public transportation system and you don’t pay extra to use them (Funicular de Montjuic and Funicular de Vallvidrera). The third one is called Cuca de Llum and it takes you to the top of the Tibidabo Mountain.
- There’s also two tramway tracks connecting with the suburbs. They area also integrated in the local public transportation network, but you’ll rarely need them unless you are staying near them.
- And what about taking the traditional Golondrinas boats around the old port? You’ll find more sailing activities in our blog, btw.
Top Barcelona tourist sites to visit with kids
Barcelona is famous for the architectural works of Antoni Gaudi, a genius that designed crazy buildings that are out of this world. And the best part is that they are quite family friendly! The next Barcelona tourist attraction is the Old Town, which includes the Gothic Quarter and the famous Ramblas pedestrian street. We discuss them along with a few more below:
1
Sagrada Familia church
MAKE IT MORE KID FRIENDLY: Play with your kids to identify animals in the Nativity façade (donkey, chicken, goose, rabbit, turtle and tortoise, turkey, dog…) and the Passion façade (dog, rooster, snake, eagle). If they are older than 6yo, consider purchasing tickets for the towers. Plan a playground stop after the visit – you’ll find them in the parks at each side of the church.
PREPARE THE VISIT: Before the trip, get the kids some book about Gaudi or the Sagrada Familia, make together a puzzle, or play the Sagrada board game!
2
Park Guell
Park Guell is another masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi, a failed residential area turned into a beautiful park. Adults will love to admire its quirky architecture and take pictures, and kids will love the opportunity of being outdoors and the colorful structures inspired in fairy tales. Make sure to purchase tickets well in advance: despite being a park, the entrance isn’t free and the tickets sell out, and being relatively far from the city center, you don’t want to go all the way there with your kids excited about it, just to be refused entrance.
MAKE IT MORE KID FRIENDLY: Challenge your kids to find a mosaic of a butterfly in the ceramic bench, a column that looks like a woman (bonus if you can find one that looks like a serpent rolled around a column nearby), a ceramic doll on a ceiling and a petrified elephant under which horse carriage parked. Plan for a break on the playgrounds near the bottom entrance after you finish visiting the park.
PREPARE YOUR VISIT: Pack snacks – there’s currently no bar inside the park (closed in 2024) and take a taxi to get to the park: the closest subway station is 20-30 minutes walk from the park… Uphill! It’s a no-no for strollers. But it’s easy to walk down to the subway to get back to the city center.
COMBINE IT WITH: The Gaudi Experience, a fun 10 minutes 4D ride inspired in Antoni Gaudi, his works, medieval knights and dragons.
3
Casa Mila / La Pedrera
One of Gaudi’s apartment buildings in Passeig de Gracia, inside you’ll visit an apartment fully furnished with antiques from the early 1900’s, and you’ll be able to show your kids how their great-grandparents lived. There’s also a very educating exhibition about Gaudi’s works (your kids will love to see a skeleton of a python snake and how it compares to the arches of the attic), and the views from the rooftop are magnificent. Plus they have a kids radioguide.
WHY PEDRERA INSTEAD OF CASA BATLLO? Honestly, most of the time Casa Batllo is way too crowded, and kids get easily annoyed. Sure, you can pay extra for their tablet guided tour that has some cool virtual reality tricks (but did you pay an admission to visit an architecture masterpiece or to be glued to a screen?). You also have to pay extra to see a room with vintage furniture, and the views from the rooftop aren’t as good as those in La Pedrera.
MAKE IT MORE KID FRIENDLY. Complement the “serious” visit with their virtual reality visit of the mezzanine (children 7 and up – their recommendation is 10 and up, but that’s because kids with small head circumferences might not be able to fit their VR glasses correctly, my child was 8yo when she did it and she almost couldn’t use them).
REWARD THEM WITH: Gelato at Badiani or cake at Mauri.
4
Barcelona Cathedral
I know, most kids don’t care much about old churches… But if you are traveling with them to a destination like Barcelona, you are likely to want them to be introduced to art and history, correct? A church that is hundreds of years old is a great opportunity to do that! Specially since the admission includes the elevator to the rooftop, and there’s 13 geese living in the cloister!
MAKE IT MORE KID FRIENDLY. At the rooftop, find the stone snail that was used as a “staircase sign” on the central spire. In the cloister, find the tombstones of bakers, oat makers, tailors and doctors: you’ll identify them by their symbols carved on the floor.
COMBINE IT WITH: A stroll around the Gothic Quarter or Las Ramblas.
REWARD THEM WITH: Gelato at Gelaaati di Marco or hot chocolate in Petritxol street.
5
Columbus statue
Columbus was supposed to meet Isabella and Ferdinand in Barcelona after his first trip, and that’s why a statue of him stands by the Old Port since the 1888 International Fair. Many aren’t aware that there’s an elevator inside the Columbus Statue that shows you some of the best views over this part of the city! And even if you don’t do that, kids love climbing on top of the lion sculptures at the foot of the column.
COMBINE IT WITH: Maritime Museum, the Wax Museum, the Aquarium, a stroll along Las Ramblas or the Port Vell marina.
Activities for families that love animals
What child doesn’t love animals? If doing animal-related activities is a sure success for your family, here are some ideas:
6
Barcelona Zoo
COMBINE IT WITH: Boat rowing at the lake of the Ciutadella Park. A stroll around the Born district. See if there’s people making soap bubbles by the Arch of Triumph.
7
Aquarium
Considered one of the best in Europe, the Barcelona Aquarium specializes in the fauna of the Mediterranean sea. And if you are thinking that means mostly sardines… you are wrong! The best part of the visit are the glass tunnels under the shark tanks. You’ll also see sea horses, eels, morays, sting rays… Your kids will also love the interactive exhibit at the end of the visit (don’t miss the penguins there!).
PREPARE YOUR VISIT: Buy your tickets in advance to avoid lines.
COMBINE IT WITH: Maritime Museum, the Wax Museum, the Columbus statue, a stroll along Las Ramblas or the Port Vell marina.
8
Museu Blau
The Blue Museum (called like this because of the color of the building that houses it) is the Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences. Fossils, dinosaur bones, stuffed animals, insects… And exhibitions about life on Earth including minerals, microbes, algae, funghi… Perfect for your little scientist!
COMBINE IT WITH: Beach time in Platja de Llevant, zip lines at Bosc Urba, relaxed play time at the Parc de Diagonal Mar, or shopping and movies in English at the Diagonal Mar shopping mall.
9
Feed the animals
Is there anything that captivates kids more than feeding animals? And it’s way cheaper compared to museums and tourist sites! Grab a bag of rice from a supermarket and head to Plaça Catalunya to feed the pigeons (and probably some green parrots as well!). Buy a loaf of bread and head to the Ciutadella Park to feed the ducks that live in the lake. The fish that swim under the bridge connecting the Statue of Columbus with the Maremagnum mall also love bread crumbles!
Relaxing outdoors: best parks, beaches and playgrounds
Children need outdoors time and moments to just be free to play without an agenda, maybe to even interact with other kids their age. Make sure to throw in some down time like this in your sightseeing plans!
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Ciutadella Park
COMBINE IT WITH: A visit of the zoo. A stroll around the Born district. See if there’s people making soap bubbles by the Arch of Triumph.
11
Parc del Laberint d'Horta
What about getting lost in a real cypress tree maze? Despite the longish subway ride, this is a really cool thing to do. The gardens are over 100 years old, and besides the maze they provide many opportunities to explore its different hidden corners. And the maze is big enough to feel lost for a few minutes, but it won’t take you long to find the way out (at least not the adults!). There’s also a playground with a café and picnic tables right outside.
12
Parc de l'Oreneta
If you want to feel like a local, on Sundays the families of the uptown districts flock here to let their kids ride the little trains. It’s a small circuit that even includes a tunnel. Parents are also allowed to ride the train to accompany the little ones. The park also features many playground areas.
COMBINE IT WITH: In the Summer, time at the nearby Can Caralleu public outdoor pool.
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Other city playgrounds
Our recommendation is to always plan a playground stop in between your sightseeing. A family vacation needs to have a relaxed pace, and if your kids have the opportunity to burn energy, it’ll be easier to manage them the rest of the day. Plus they’ll feel taken care of and listened to. This is why we wrote a post to help you find the best playgrounds near the top city sites.
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Going to the beach
There’s several kilometers of beach in Barcelona. The ones closest to the city center tend to be more crowded, some other are nudist (Mar Bella), some other admit dogs (Llevant). Our favorite to go with family are Nova Mar Bella (not the nudist one), Bogatell and Nova Icaria – this last one with a rope pyramid to climb. You can learn more about the Barcelona beaches and their equipment here.
COMBINE IT WITH: Water sport activities or a paella lunch by the sea.
Best museums to visit in Barcelona with family
Looking for some educational indoors time? We got you covered, too!
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Miro Foundation
PREPARE THE VISIT: Get familiar with Miró’s symbols. Buy tickets in advance to avoid lines.
COMBINE IT WITH: Riding the Funicular of Montjuic and the Cable Car. Exploring the rest of the Hill of Montjuic.
WHAT ABOUT THE PICASSO MUSEUM? We personally don’t find the Picasso Museum as appealing to children because it focusses in the artist’s early and late years – not really his masterpieces. And while we love it for adults if you have access to a tour (the amount of information about the paintings inside the rooms is escarce) because there’s a story behind every painting, those aren’t necessarily stories that kids find entertaining. But if you must, be ready to go through most of the museum quite quickly and head to the last rooms dedicated to Picasso’s versions of Las Meninas – then find an online image of Velazquez’s original and spend time with your kids finding similarities and differences.
16
Egyptian Museum
Are your kids fascinated by pyramids, pharaohs and mummies? This museum has the right size to keep your children engaged and entertained without being overwhelming like the British Museum in London, for instance. You’ll find here sarcophagus, animal-shaped Egyptian gods, jewels… even a replica of an Egyptian chapel.
PAIR IT WITH: A visit to Casa Batllo or Casa Mila / La Pedrera.
17
Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum is instead pretty large, as it occupies the Barcelona medieval shipyards, where dozens of ships could be built at the same time. Go through the history of navigation, seeing old maps and pictures, sailing devices, ship models, figureheads and real size vessels including a replica of the Spanish Royal Galley!
COMBINE IT WITH: The Columbus statue, the Wax Museum, the Port Vell marina and Las Ramblas.
18
Cosmocaixa
A kids favorite, you can spend the entire day in this Science Museum! Located inside a former factory, the visit starts going down a spiraling ramp around a massive tree trunk. Once at the exhibit area, your kid won’t want to move from the “Flooded Forest”, a replica of the habitat in the Amazonian forest complete with a water area with caimans and piranhas, and a wooded land with lush trees that are home to colorful birds and two capibaras.
But once you are able to drag them out of there, they’ll be captivated by the interactivity of the science experiments. Math, physics, electricity, astronomy… A chunk of ice from the polar caskets and a geological wall with minerals and sands from all over the world.
PREPARE YOUR VISIT: Buy tickets ahead of time to avoid lines. There’s a picnic area outside and a café, perfect for a light meal.
COMBINE IT WITH: The Tibidabo amusement park, a ride on the Cuca de Llum funicular, or park and playground times at the nearby Tamarita gardens.
More fun things to do in Barcelona with family
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Tibidabo Amusement Park
PREPARE THE VISIT: You’ll find everything you need to plan your visit in our blog post about the Tibidabo park. And make sure to book your tickets in advance to avoid lines.
20
Port Aventura Park
If your kids are older and you are ready to leave the city to spend the day at a world-class theme park, head instead to Port Aventura World – it’s easily reachable by train if you don’t have your own car! There’s three theme parks there: a water park (Caribe Aquatic Park), Ferrari Land and Port Aventura. While park hoping is possible, if you are going there for only one day you’d rather stick to one single park – Port Aventura being our top choice.
The park is divided in 6 “worlds”: Mediterranean, China, Polynesia, Far West, Mexico and Sesame Adventure. The last one is mostly for younger kids, and the others feature each at least a couple of adrenaline rides besides other cool attractions. There’s also shows and a parade with fireworks at the end of the day.
21
Wax Museum
The Barcelona Wax Museum has been recently renovated and what used to be boring rooms lined up with wax figures now is an exciting walk through a variety of surprising settings and decorations that allow for a very immersive experience. Get caught by King Kong in the jungle, enter a space ship and a submarine, get a selfie next to Taylor Swift and your favorite actors and sportmen, go through a scary tunnel of terror… It’s so much fun!
COMBINE IT WITH: The Columbus statue, the Maritime Musuem, the Port Vell marina and Las Ramblas.
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Other funky museums
In Barcelona there’s no shortage of funky museums where you go just for the fun of doing something different. Here are some to try:
- Museum of the Illusions. Unique backdrops for once-in-a-lifetime family pictures. Located in the Raval district very close to the Boqueria Market and Las Ramblas.
- Big Fun Museum. Similar to the previous one, it also includes 3D effects and labyrinths. Located in the middle of Las Ramblas, close to the Boqueria Market and the Gothic Quarter.
- Bubble Planet. An immersive experience where kids and adults get to play and goof around with bubbles and balloons of all sizes.
23
Camp Nou, the FC Barcelona Stadium
PARTIALLY CLOSED DUE TO REFURBISHMENT WORKS
The FC Barcelona team is one of the most famous soccer teams in the world, and their stadium is one of the largest, too. At present the stadium is being refurbished and it’s not possible to visit the field, grades and changing rooms, but their interactive museum continues to be open. Get to see their trophies collection and old memorabilia, together with immersive and touch screens, and a balcony over the construction works.
PLAN YOUR VISIT: Figure out where to eat near the stadium and get tickets in advance to avoid lines.
COMBINE IT WITH: Ice skating in the skating ring of the FC Barcelona.
24
Montjuic Magic Fountain
OUT OF ORDER DUE TO CURRENT DRAUGHT SITUATION
If your family is OK staying up late or dining late, then you can’t miss this water, music and color show. The Magic Fountain was created for the 1929 World Fair and it continues to delight children and adults up to day. There’s different passes, each using a different type of music, from opera to pop and rock, to classic music, to Catalan and Spanish songs. Since the show is free, you can stay there for as long or as little as you wish – which is an advantage when you travel with young kids.
PLAN YOUR VISIT: Make reservations for dinner near the Fountain.
COMBINE IT WITH: Other Montjuic sites.
25
Zip lines and climbing at Bosc Urba
This Urban Forest includes two adventure circuits (8yo and up) and one trampolin area (5yo and up). The perfect choice to get your kids to release excessive energy after many days sightseeing and behaving. There’s a small food truck, or you can plan to eat at the nearby Diagonal Mar shopping mall.
COMBINE IT WITH: Beach time at Platja de Llevant, or shopping and movies (in English) at the Diagonal Mar mall.
26
See the giants at Casa dels Entremesos
Giants are a main character of traditional parades in Catalonia. Made of papier maché, wood and cloth, they are carried by one person and they usually go in couples and dance to the music. But when there’s no festival to attend, they rest at the Casa dels Entremesos, where you can visit a cool exhibition of not just giants but also other traditional monsters and beasts.
COMBINE IT WITH: A walk around the Gothic Quarter, a visit to the Cathedral or the Santa Caterina market, some park time at the Ciutadella park, or a visit to Rei de la Magia.
YOU CAN SEE MORE GIANTS AT: the atrium of Santa Maria del Pi church and the patio of the Palau de la Virreina in La Rambla.
Cool shops and cafes that families love in Barcelona
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El Rei de la Magia
COMBINE IT WITH: The Ciutadella park and the zoo, or a walk around the Born district and the Gothic Quarter, or a visit of the Casa dels Entremesos.
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Papabubble
A shop where they make their own candy. In the morning you can often see them rolling the sugar and cutting it off (they may offer a free sample if you are lucky!). Their confectionery makes for great souvenirs.
COMBINE IT WITH: A stroll around the Gothic Quarter or la Rambla, the Big Fun Museum, hot chocolate and churros in Petritxol, Galeries Malda or a visit to the Boqueria Market.
29
Galeries Malda
An old-fashioned mall of the Gothic Quarter has become the Barcelona version of London’s Candem: a place to find geek stores dedicated to Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Dragon Ball, Pokemon… A funky place that will delight your older kids.
COMBINE IT WITH: A stroll around the Gothic Quarter or la Rambla, the Big Fun Museum, hot chocolate and churros in Petritxol, Papabubble or a visit to the Boqueria Market.
30
The Lego store
If you visit the Lego store in NYC or Disney, why not in Barcelona? Here you’ll find Lego replicas of the top Gaudi sites, and much more!
COMBINE IT WITH: La Rambla and Passeig de Gracia.
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Bosc de les Fades
The Cafe of the Wax Museum is worth a visit for itself: it’s a theme cafe where you enter a fairy forest, complete with trees that seem to be alive and vigilant, owls, cricket sounds… and of course fairies! There’s also some private rooms that look like they are taken from an enchanted mansion.
COMBINE IT WITH: La Rambla, the Columbus statue, the Maritime Museum, the Wax Museum or a stroll along the Port Vell.
I hope to have helped you plan a great Barcelona family trip!
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
Last update on 2024-11-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API