Barcelona with kids

BARCELONA WITH KIDS

This summer we had almost 2 months to get to know this city. My 4th time here, Leonardo’s 2nd, and we are trying to experience it more as locals versus tourists, and getting to know the city without a rush. Here is a summary of our adventures, with a list of kid-friendly places and things to do, impressions and travel-hacks.

Where to stay with kids:

• Poblenou
• La Barceloneta
• Eixample

During all my visits to Barcelona, I’ve been lucky to stay in different areas of the city, to feel them and explore them on foot: El Born, Gòtic, Poblenou, Eixample, Barceloneta. It’s hard to pick the favorite cause they are all so different and charming in their own way. If you are looking for the famous Barcelona charm of narrow cobblestone streets Gotic quarters or El Born would be your choice, but with kids, I would vote for El Born as it is a little less crowded. If you want to stay close to the beach, your choices are either Poblenou (modern neighborhood favored by many expats living in Barcelona) or La Barceloneta (old party of town right at the beach. It’s charming and less commercial once you get into the narrow streets between the main promenade and the beach, but some might call it “dirty” and slightly more dangerous when it comes to pick-pocketers)  

Eixample is a pretty vast area of the city where locals themselves prefer to live – and no wonder why. Most buildings have high ceilings, French blinds, tile floors, and beams, creating a beautiful airy movie-like vibe of old Europe. There are also plenty of very nice playgrounds around Eixample, and though it’s not walking distance to the beach, everything is easily accessible by buses and subway.

My personal choice is still La Barceloneta. Maybe it’s the narrow streets with the laundry hanging from every balcony above you, the lack of fancy stores or restaurants, the mix of people, the unpretentious laissez-faire vibe. We rented a small but cozy apartment there for the whole month of August, just steps away from the beach where we were spending all mornings. It took us only a few days to start feeling welcomed – neighbors who greet us from the balconies at an arm stretch in front of ours, at the cafe where I always get my morning latte and croissant on the way to the beach, at the local market where we made friends with the vendors who sell jamon serrano, fresh fish and fruits.

Transportation:

Public transportation in Barcelona is excellent – it’s easy, fast and pleasant to ride around the city on its modern, air-conditioned buses and subway. (Travel-hack: get a T10 card at any metro-station to save 50% on all the rides)

Taxis: There are plenty official taxis in the city but keep in mind that they are only allowed to stop at designated stops so don’t try to hail them in the middle of a street – they won’t stop. Travel-hack: Uber is not working in Barcelona (as of 2019) but you can use Free Now app (a little more expensive than a regular taxi but does allow you to schedule a pickup at your location when you need to go to the airport)

Plenty of options for renting a two-wheel vehicle through an app, from Bcn bikes to Bird & Lime electric scooters. (I used the latter 2 to ride along the beaches with my LO and it was so much fun!)

Airport shuttle bus is a great way to get to/from airport when you are traveling light. It departs every 10 minutes from Placa Catalunia, takes exactly 35min to the airport and costs only 6eur (versus 30+ eur for taxi)

Gaudi sights:

• Sagrada Familia 
• Parc Guell
• Casa Mila La Pedrera 
• Casa Batllo
• Casa Vicens 
• Palau de musica 

When you think Barcelona you most probably envision one of the famous creations by Antonio Gaudi. Seeing at least one (or few) of them together with your kids is a must. The good news is that Gaudi’s architecture is so whimsical and fairy-tale-like, it actually appeals to kids a lot.

We started with Sagrada Familia – I picked a cloudy evening in July to take my son there. We didn’t go inside (you need to buy tickets for that in advance) but instead walked around it and looked at it from all the sides. Its magical architecture might not have left such a strong impression on Leo then, but I hope he will be back to see it again and again as a grownup, and I also hope that it imprinted as a symbol of Barcelona in his head – like Empire State Building is for New York, and Eiffel tour is for Paris, a red double-decker bus for London – so he can recognize it later wherever he sees it and say proudly “We were there!”.

Parc Güell was my the second Gaudi must-see with Leo that I couldn’t avoid despite the fact that it might not be as exciting for Leo as a regular playground with slides (he actually kept asking where were the slides when we got there!) So we did a very quick run-around, made few postcard-like photos to remember, talked about Gaudi who built the park and «that unusual castle-like church” that we saw the other day. Leo enjoyed the cave-looking outdoor terraces the most (so did I) Another imprint, I hope. 

Continuing our acquaintance with the quaint Barcelona architect, Leo and I have visited Casa Mila – a curved building dubbed by people La Pedrera (the stone quarry). I was dreading crowds of tourists but seemed like they were all cramped in front of the more famous Casa Batllo nearby, so we got lucky to enjoy this peculiar building without too many people around. Leo got his audio guide in Russian and was super excited retelling me the stories about the house, which was the last residential building Antoni Gaudi designed before devoting all his time to his lifetime project, Sagrada Família. Leo’s favorite was the story about the famous rooftop chimneys, which are not just chimneys – they are warriors turned to stone who come alive at night under the full moon 

Travel-hacks for all Gaudi-related attractions:

a) Buy tickets online at tiquets.com. For absolutely all Gaudi attractions you need to buy advance tickets because they tend to sell out quickly. It’s easy to do and you can do it even from your phone: Just pick a day and a time slot, and either print or download tickets to your phone (don’t count on showing the attachment of the email when you go to Parc Guell -there is not reception up there to do so and you will need to go through the hassle of the ticket office which is hard to find). There is no surcharge for buying tickets online, so you are not risking anything.n Parc Guell I recommend walking around the unticketed (that is free of charge) area of the park, it’s quite lovely and has less tourists Also, in the same unticketed area there is a small playground with slides – in case your LO will get bored with Gaudi.

b) If you are choosing between 3 famous Gaudi buildings to visit, here are my recommendations in the order of personal preference: a) Casa Vicens (least known and least crowded) b) La Pedrera (fairy-tale like roof, and also less crowded) c) Casa Batllo (definitely beautiful inside out but come early or late to avoid crowds

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c) La Pedrera has wonderful jazz events on sunsets at their roof. It’s more adult-oriented but if your kids are older and well-behaved – it’s absolutely worth doing.

d) If your child is older than 3yo you can get him a free audio guide in your language – they can hear some interesting stories while walking around the buildings. We did it for La Pedrera, and Leo was absolutely fascinated with the stories about chimney-warriors on the roof.

e) In Parc Guell store we found a wonderful kids’ book about Gaudi and it was very interesting for both Leo and me to read it. He learned about all his famous creations in a very fun and memorable way. Another way to make your kids familiarize and remember Gaudi is to get them a Gaudi-inspired mug – the designs are pretty and they will forever recognize them afterward.

Parks:

• Parc de Montjuic
• Ciutadella park
• Poble Espanyol
• Park Diagonal Mar
• Joan Miro park
• Parc de Poblenou
• Parc diagonal
• Skate park Marbella
• Parc del Turo

I’ve been to Barcelona numerous times without Leo, but what was different about this trip for me was the number of parks & playgrounds that we visited. While Barcelona parks are wonderful and lush with natural shade, I can’t say the same about the playgrounds, which are very basic. The good news is that often a big park implies a playground or two inside, but you can also see small playgrounds (“area infantile”) around the city. Some of our favorite parks and playground are listed above

• Parc de Montjuic is the largest one in Barcelona, and you can easily spend a whole day here so plan accordingly and prepare for a picnic. There is a lot to see, and there is plenty of natural shade, but distances are long and not always stroller-friendly. Travel-hacks: a) The best and most picturesque way to get there is by funicular – you can take one from La Barceloneta. 2) There are 3 small playgrounds in the parc, all spread out but you can find them on Google maps.

• Ciutadella Parc: Come for a boat ride in the pond, to play with huge bubbles (you need to tip for that activity, 1eur would do) or check out the Zoo at the end of the park.

• Poble Espanyol, an open-air architectural museum next to the Montjuic mountain which is more like a park to me because you spend all your time outdoor walking around a typical Spanish town with its own theater, restaurants, artisan workshops and even a museum of contemporary art. There are no cars in this little “town” so it makes it perfect for a stroll with your little one. And you can make up your own stories about the buildings and castles that you see around – it’s almost like being inside a fairy-tale about knights and princesses. Travel-hacks: a) There is a small playground (suitable for older kids as it has a very steep slide down the hill b) The museum is open until 11pm which makes it great for evening outings especially during hot summer months. c) Combine Poble Espanyol with Magic Fountains show since these are attractions are walking distance to each other.

• Central Park of Poblenou designed by architect Jean Nouvel. Minimal, modern, quirky, with gorgeous landscape design and the most amazing and photogenic full tree coverage I’ve seen. 

• Park Diagonal Mar. They call it the epitome of the new Barcelona which is reminiscent of Gaudi’s organic architecture. The park architecture revolves around the water reservoir. Also, there you will find the biggest slides you can imagine – they are so big and wide that you either run atop of them, or you need to find something to sit on (local kids use cardboard or plastic bags) if you are planning to slide down.                                                    

Museums:

• Cosmo Caixa 
• Blau museum
• Museum of maritime
• Museum of design 
• Picasso museum 
• Museum of illusions 
• Museum of Chocolate

Absolutely all the museums we visited in Barcelona were wonderful and unique in their own way. I listed them above in the order of our preference, with side notes below

• Cosmo Caixa is by far one of the most photogenic and fun science museums I’ve ever been. Travel-hacks: a) The museum has a beautiful outdoor area with shallow running water, so plan accordingly (bring water shoes and a change of clothes or a towel), b) There is an excellent kids store inside, so if you are not planning to spend $$$ try to detour your kids from it – it would be hard to leave empty-handed otherwise. c) Since it’s walking distance to Tibidabo tram funicular, it might be a good idea to combine with the visit to Tibidabo Amusement park.

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• Blau museum is the museum of natural history. I don’t know any kid who doesn’t like dinosaurs, so this museum is a must-visit, especially if you are hiding from the summer heat in the middle of a day. It’s compact but very modern with beautiful lighting design and very well-curated exposition that ranges from dinosaurs to contemporary creatures from all around the world. Travel-hacks: a) Free entrance on every Sunday after 3 pm b) Register at the ticket office for some awesome age-appropriate lab sessions inside the museum c) There is a pretty awesome outdoor playground just behind the museum

• Museo del Disseny, a design museum. A friendly guard at the door told us that Leo would probably enjoy the 1st floor the most (real objects of design like chairs, motorcycles, etc) but to my surprise he actually loved all the floors (including a historic 2nd one with a royal horse carriage and antique and 3rd floor with fashion designs from ancient times till now$ expect the last one with print graphic design, which I still insisted on looking at together, followed by my excited explanations why it’s worth seeing  this museum also has kids programs and tours on the weekends, and a stylish cafe with excellent food. 

• Museum of Illusions. We went there when Leo was 3mo. It’s Instagram-worthy (as they call it now) and amusing, but not smth you would be talking about afterward. More like an indoor playground for kids and grownups.
• Picasso museum. Beautiful museum but alas not super kids friendly. They don’t allow strollers or scooters (or anything else with wheels), and there are stairs to walk up & down. It also gets super crowded, and the pairings and sculptures are not partially interesting for a kid. I brought Leo with me here in a baby carrier when he was 3mo. This time around he said he didn’t want to go because they didn’t let us bring his scooter in.

 Entertainment sights:

• Tibidabo amusement park by tram 
• Magic Fountain 
• Barcelona Zoo
• Barcelona Aquarium
• Naval tours with pirates 

We’ve been to so many amusements parks this summer so I feel a bit like an expert by now.  From all of what we’ve seen the Tibidabo Luna Park is by far the most beautiful one, but alas not the most amusing, especially for children shorter than 120cm  But the sweeping views from 500m above the sea level and the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on sunset make it worth the trip, even though traveling to Tibidabo is not easy – whichever option you decide on (funicular, public transport or taxi) we are still talking about approx an hour of travel time. This is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world so I didn’t expect the thrill rides to be either extravagant nor fast, but it would be great if the service at the park – when it comes to operating the thrill rides and organizing the lines – could be a little faster.. We spent more time waiting in lines than riding, and it was very frustrating. Also, most of the rides are designed for children taller than 120cm. After couple hours of running up and down the mountain and trying to find a height-appropriate ride for Leo, we gave up and went back to the upper level to check out the Tibidabo museum – which was the only place that didn’t have the line to get in. And it was really wonderful, with beautiful old interior and miniatures of the thrill rides we were not able to enjoy 

The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc is the “singing” (and dancing!)  fountain in front of Palau Nacional. Performances take place at half-hour intervals every weekend, with weekends extended during the summer season (check online the timings because it changes from month to month) It’s a very popular sight and gets very crowded, with people gathering in front of Palau Nacional about an hour in advance. It’s worth it. We didn’t come in advance and risked the best views but I felt like it didn’t matter – it’s a pretty grand show which you can enjoy from different points, and there is no need to be particularly close to the fountain. Travel-hacks: a) Since it’s very close to Poble Espanyol, got here first for a sunset stroll and dinner and then come by the first performance around 9pm. b) Come up on the elevator to the bridge crossing over the avenue in front of the Palace – there are always good spots there, and kids can sit on the granite side of the bridge, elevated for a better view.

Aquarium. It’s pretty compact which doesn’t let the kids get bored. The upper floor has a cool playground with a submarine and running water.

Barcelona Zoo. It’s huge!!! Bigger than I expected. Reminded me NY Bronx Zoo. Most animals are tropical/African, and they have spacious outdoor areas, but sadly they also have penguins and brown bears and dolphins, and that was a heartbreaking sight. The best part of the Zoo is actually the playground inside: it is the best playground we’ve seen in the city. Sadly, you can’t access the playground if you didn’t get the tickets to the Zoo.

Breakfast with pirates by Naval Tours. It was a fun family-style option to a traditional sailing – you do get to sail along Barcelona coast for an hour on a historic sailboat, plus there is a fun performance for kids. The best part of the show for us was the anticipation & surprise factor (the pirates don’t appear right away, we were already sailing for a while when kids heard the voices from the deck below) and then the sword battle at the end. You also get to keep the pirate bandana as a souvenir.

Travel-hacks: a) The performance is conducted in Catalan, and it’s mostly verbal, so if you and your child don’t speak the language – be prepared to be completely lost in translation b) I would NOT recommend it for children younger than 5 (There is a pretty scary part of the performance) c) What they call “breakfast” or a meal included with your tickets is just a glass of chocolate milk and a chocolate muffin. d) The tour ticket is 20eur and kids under 6yo are free but there is a warning that with a free kids ticket they don’t get the “meal” (aka muffin & milk) So there is also an option for a reduced price ticket for a child with the meal (15eur). You can easily skip that share your own “meal” and get the real one after, thus saving 15eur.

Walking around the city:

• Barrio Gothic
• El Born
• La Rambla de Poblenou
• La Boqueria market 

Barcelona is perfect for walking around the city and getting lost between its charming curvy streets. It’s pretty safe except for the notorious pick-pocketing issue, especially on busy commercial streets like La Rambla. I actually try to avoid this kind of streets (for example, La Rambla de Pobenou is smaller, less touristic and just as charming on the weekends) But regardless, please be careful. Travel-hacks: a) Never have your phone, IDs, and/or wallet in your pockets or backpacks b) If you have to bring your backpack for a walk in the city, wear it on the front c) Funny packs are your best friends in Barcelona, but even with a fanny pack be alert – local thieves are very fast and skillful.

Kids friendly beaches:

One of the secrets of Barcelona’s appeal is the long strip of beaches along the city. The beach area is split into old and new. Old area is easily accessible by buses and subway, while the new beaches are usually in short walking distance from public transportation. There are always plenty of kids at the beach, both local and visiting, but I find some areas more suitable for smaller children. From the of beach area I like Sant Miquel & La Barceloneta, and from the new is – Mar Bella (pronounces like Mar Bey’ya) & Nova Mar. Travel-hack: As you know topless sunbathing is allowed and acceptable at all Barcelona beaches, plus few of them are nudist/gay-friendly (like a nudist beach between Santa Sebastia & Barceloneta beach (old part) and Nova Icaria and part of Mar. Bella beach.

Kids stores:

• Drim (biggest toy store chain)
• Tiny Cottons (local fashion brand with international exposure and shipping)
• Visual Poetry (local fashion brand with conceptual designs for both kids & grownups)
• Little Creative Factory (local high-end fashion for kids)
• Som Naturals (natural nude/offwhite cotton clothing for babies)
• IKKS Junior (local edgy kids clothing)
• Impossible Barcelona (concept store with a great selection of toys, books, and accessories)

Restaurants:

• La Bombeta (cash only traditional catalan tapas place in the heart of Barceloneta)
• La Boqueria market (Barcelona must-visit with the best selection of food which you can enjoy at the spot at various bar-like cafes inside the market)
• Bar Lobo
• Bar Bacaro
• Gradisca 
• Salero
• Boca grande (fancy dinner) 
• Filete ruso 
• Bar torpedo
• Cometa 5
• Cecconi pizza
• Pez Vela (one of the oldest and nicest chiringuitos of La Barcelonata, right at the beach)
• el Gallito (younger brother of Pex Vela located just next door)
• Pla
• Casa Lolea restaurant 
• La taqueria close to Sagrada Familia

Recycle:

Last but not least, one of the things I’ve been admiring about Barcelona is their garbage system and how clean the city is. You will see huge recycle bins of various colors on all streets, so being in Barcelona is a great chance to stay mindful about your waste or to practice the right way to do it. Locals separate their waste by 5 categories, and below is just a quick reminder of how to do so:

• Blue – paper
• Green – glass
• Yellow – plastic & cans
• Grey – the rest
• Brown – organic