This year, the family and I spent one week in Barcelona. This was the third time my husband and I have visited the beautiful city of Barcelona, but it was the first time we felt brave enough to bring the kids along. Find out how it went!
Jump to:
After weeks of planning, I am so proud to present our one week in Barcelona travel itinerary focused on family friendly travel. Discover our favorite family-friendly activities & things to do in Barcelona for a vacation that both you and your kids will remember!
Plan Your Trip
Save on fees abroad with the Wise Card—use it at ATMs, restaurants, and for flights or hotels in over 150 countries. Manage 40+ currencies in real-time with the Wise app.
Need Help Planning?
- Cheap Flights: Find the best deals.
- Accommodation: From hostels to luxury stays.
- Car Rental: Affordable options worldwide.
- Sightseeing Tours: Explore without breaking the bank.
- Travel Adapter: One adapter for all your needs.
- Travel Insurance: Don’t risk it—stay covered.
This post includes affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure and privacy policy.
Our week-long visit to Barcelona was nothing short of a wonderful experience. Were there ups and downs? Definitely ... after all, traveling with kids is practically a full-time job. However, it was truly wonderful.
But hanks to my parents and in-laws we were able to keep the kids entertained the whole time, and even found some time to relax!
Where to Stay in Barcelona with Kids
If you're looking for a great accommodation in Barcelona with clean and comfortable rooms, stylish architecture, friendly staff, and amazing balcony views, I highly recommend U232 Hotel found in the Eixample neighborhood.
It's close to major attractions like the iconic Sagrada Família and Park Güell. It is a generally quiet residential area, so there wasn't too much noise at bedtime.
Rooms tend to be on the smaller side, which can be a potential issue depending on your travel party. There are also no dedicated family suites. Fortunately, the hotel can provide interconnecting rooms on request.
Aside from a hotel in Barcelona, we also spent 5 days at Stay U-nique Apartments Mistral, an apartment rental located in the Sant-Antoni district, close to our previous hotel. The apartment offers more space and privacy compared to regular hotels, which was a big plus for us.
Though we experienced some maintenance issues, particularly with the appliances, our stay was overall great. Although the host was kind enough, especially in attending to our needs, they are a big company after all—they definitely gave us the run-around.
Overall, we love the Sant Antoni neighbourhood and L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample for staying with kids.
Recommendations on Where Not to Say
- Some important tips on where to stay: steer clear of accommodations near Gothic Square and El Raval, since these locations are often jam-packed with tourists, street performers, vendors, and some unsavory characters, which can be overwhelming or unsafe for children.
How to Travel Around Barcelona with Kids
The Kids and the Metro System
The thought of my children on the Barcelona's metro system filled me with dread. and anxiety, but it was surprisingly easy to use. Trains come regularly, typically every 2 to 5 minutes during the day. They also cover most major attractions and neighborhoods, so we reached many places fairly quickly.
It got crowded during mornings (8-10AM) and late afternoons (5-7PM), which was a little stressful but we made it through.
What really helped us with figuring out the transport system was using Google Maps and the official TMB app to find the easiest routes.
Other transportation options
I would probably have exclusively used the metro if it was just my husband and I, but with the kids and grandparents in two, it was a bit of a challenge. This is why we mostly opted for cabs instead, and I used Uber and Cabify.
Top Tip: Book in advance to avoid the hassle of hailing taxi directly on the street!
Uber is not really widespread in Barcelona, so I tend to use Cabify more. It is generally reliable and available throughout the city, including airport transfers. I recommend that you book via the apps when you don't have time to wait, if you're in an area with less people, OR if you're travelling in big groups.
Another option is to rent bikes, or a TukTuk tour of Barcelona with The Tour Guy - more on that below!
Luggage transfer and storage to the airport
I tried a new-to-me service in Barcelona that made travelling with kids a breeze, and I just had to share it.
We booked LuGGit, which offers a very special service that can collect, store and deliver the bags anywhere you want. They can collect it from the apartment and deliver it to you in the airport, freeing you to explore the city for the day.
- Another option we were recommended was Locker in the city, which was a fully automated and secure luggage storage area with a 10% discount through this link: https://goo.su/ZTjV or using code: STAYUNIQUE.
My Places to Visit with Kids in Barcelona
Most of our time in Barcelona was spent visiting many beautiful places. We booked a TukTuk tour of Barcelona with The Tour Guy. It focused mainly on the Sagrada Familia and Grazia neighbourhoods. Overall, loved the platform and the entire experience thanks to our trusty tour guide to Barcelona. It's great for kids and is very sustainable.
We also got the Go City sightseeing & attraction pass, specifically the 3 attractions package. It saved us quite a lot of money and time in preparing an itinerary. I highly recommend it if you want to see several places without dealing with separate bookings.
Here are some of the places we went to, which made our experience in Barcelona wonderful:
Park Güell
Park Güell is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, which was designed again by Gaudi. It was supposed to be a residential area, but it evolved into a public park instead.
It took around 15 to 20 minutes to get to the park since it was nice and close to our hotel. We arrived a bit earlier than the usual lunchtime to avoid a bigger crowd (it was a weekday).
Kids, especially young kids, will definitely enjoy the park's open spaces and interactive structures. Older kids, on the other hand, will particularly enjoy the Monumental Zone, with its Dragon Staircase, Serpentine Bench, Hypostyle Hall, and other attractions.
We packed a generous lunch, perfect for a family picnic spread, complete with sandwiches, fresh fruit, and snacks to keep everyone energized. Once in the park, we found a lovely designated picnic area.
Sitting there together as a family made for a perfect, peaceful break from the bustling noises of the city. Book your tickets in advance, or book an organized tour to get the most information.
La Sagrada Familia
Exploring Barcelona would not be complete without checking out the world's largest unfinished Catholic church (at over 200 years of construction!), Sagrada Familia, which also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site and is designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi.
It was so beautiful, I got literal chills looking up in awe at it.
The architecture was nature-inspired with intricate sculptures and symbolic motifs on its exterior and beautiful stained glass windows in the interior. We've never seen anything like it before.
Want to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later when you're planning your trip!
Go early to avoid being swarmed by thousands of people. No, I'm not even exaggerating. We're lucky enough to be able to go inside the church since we've heard from the locals that the place is usually filled with tourists. Reserve your tickets in advance to avoid issues, get a ticket with an audioguide, or book a private tour for information as there is SO MUCH to learn here.
Cathedral of Barcelona
Tickets were expensive, but it was well worth it. Although it was not as beautiful as the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Cathedral was a magical experience of its own nonetheless.
You can book tickets directly through the Catedral de Barcelona's website, or book a private tour with rooftop access for one of the best views of Barcelona.
My favorite part was the rooftop, it was truly magical! We got to see the most unbelievable views of Barcelona from high up. My kids were definitely exhilarated at seeing the city. Make sure to bring sweaters or scarves before going, since it got a little chilly for us, and you'd have to pay an additional fee to buy at the church itself.
Don't miss out on the 13 white geese in the beautiful courtyard when you leave. It represents the age of St. Eulalia when she was martyred, making it an interesting historical fact
Parc de la Ciutadella
Ciutadella Park is a beautiful park to visit on a bright, sunny day. It has playgrounds for kids and teens to enjoy as well as picnic tables, grassy areas perfect for sitting, a lake, and the Barcelona Zoo inside.
We even rented a little boat for a fun paddle across the lake. We had an impromptu picnic under the shady trees, and the fountain there? Totally Instagram-worthy.
La Barceloneta and Barcelona Harbor
Barcelona's (in)famous beach is cheap, but you may end up paying for it with your sanity. There are plenty of vendors here and loads of sticky sand, so I would recommend going somewhere quieter with kids.
That being said, it's located near the Barcelona harbor, which is beautiful to stroll through in the evening. Across from the beach, there’s a decent playground area with slides, climbing structures, and swings, perfect for kids to let off steam. The wide paths are ideal for scooters or strollers, and the park is generally shaded, which makes it a nice stop even on warmer afternoons. Locals hang out here often, so it feels safe and relaxed.
This isn't as grand as Ciutadella Park, but if you're looking for a more chill area of Barcelona, this park is worth a visit.
Casa Battlo
I am a big Gaudi fan (if you haven't put that together yet), and Casa Battlo is one of my Barcelona favorites.
This was an immersive experience into Antoni Gaudí’s extraordinary vision. I'm talking about interactive displays and 3D models that help you understand the symbolic architecture. It has a dragon-inspired roof and underwater-like interiors that the kids particularly enjoyed seeing. You can book tickets and wander it yourself, or book a self entry tour with an audioguide.
Barcelona Aquarium
Going to the Barcelona Aquarium was a great idea, since my kids love seeing sea critters in any part of the world. We went here as part of our Go City Pass. We came in as soon as they opened and there were not a lot of people, and I heard that it's not too bad in the late afternoon. I especially enjoyed the tunnel walkthrough because it gave us an opportunity to view a lot of sea creatures up close and personal.
Big Fun Museum
The Big Fun Museum is home to 9 different museums, which are really more like rooms or wings in a traditional museum. We went here as part of our Go City Pass. There is the museum of illusions, where you can pose near artfully drawn 3D images to pose an illusion, the Sweet Museum, where you can pose next to candy, and several other scary and illusionary rooms.
It wasn't exactly my favorite activity, but My kids absolutely LOVED this! I highly recommend it if you have teenagers or little ones.
Flamenco Casa Sors & Guitar Museum
HIGHLY recommended. We loved the Flamenco Casa Sors show & the tour of the guitar museum. We also went to another flamenco show at the Tablao Flamenco Cordobes and Casa Sors was much better.
Casa Sors is a family-owned business that has worked and hosted some of the world's greatest flamenco performers and guitarists. They also have a school wing where kids and adults train in flamenco to this day. The performance was beautiful and it included a tour of the small but loved museum, which doesn't sound like much but when it's the son of the founder doing the tour, and he finishes with his own flamenco guitar performance, you feel the love and feeling in every corner.
Poble Espanyol
Poble Espanyol is an open-air museum with amazing artworks from Picasso and other iconic artists. However, prep yourself and your kids for a lot of walking. At the end of the trip, we were hungry and exhausted. Safe to say, we devoured our dinner after that.
Museu Egipci de Barcelona
This Egyptian museum of Barcelona is a small and quiet museum with a grand display of over 1,000 artifacts of mostly Egyptian origins. Definitely worth a visit! My son adored it and begged me to take him a second time. They even have a cat mummy!
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona
The Catalnuyan art museum will help you discover new artists and the rich history of Catalunyan art. It has a great viewpoint on the city from Mount Montjuic, but also excellent exhibits of Catalunyan art. Highly recommended.
Walk through l'Exiample
Our accommodations were right at the heart of this neighborhood, so it only made sense for us to walk around and see the entire residential area for ourselves. I firmly believe a day trip in Barcelona with younger kids should involve some walking, so they can appreciate beautiful Barcelona.
Walk through Gothic Quarter
True to its name, this neighborhood gives off a medieval charm you don't usually get to experience anywhere else. It is one of the most beautiful parts of Barcelona, away from the chaotic streets of Las Ramblas.
- Fair Warning: Oh, and do yourself a favor and skip Las Ramblas as there are plenty of pickpockets here.
This Gothic Quarter Tour with Go City Pass promises a tapas tasting and tour of the Gothic Quarter. We tried to book it, but it didn't work out for our schedule. If you go, let me know what you thought!
Traveling with Kids in Barcelona Has Never Been This Fun
Traveling to Barcelona was not only an amazing time for me, my husband, and my grandparents, but it was also a fun experience for the kids. We recommend going to Barcelona in the warmer months, so you can fully enjoy the city's beauty and do all the fun activities in Barcelona that kids will love.
