Here we show you the sights that parents will enjoy just as much as the children. Whether the children have a lot of fun on the beach, ride the cable car, have fun at the amusement park or admire famous cartoon characters made of chocolate in the Museu de Xocolata; Barcelona can always offer attractions that provide something for children and parents together. This way everybody has the chance to have the holiday they deserve.

Barcelona offers plenty for families with children

Barcelona has many places where families with children will find enjoyment. Children and parents can have fun at many sights: an amusement park, cable cars, a zoo, several parks to let off steam, many museums that are specifically adapted to the interests of children, and in particular 4.5 km of sandy beach make an ideal destination for families with children in Barcelona.

Many hotels offer family rooms and apartments. The prices for accommodation, food and public transport in Barcelona are fairly low for Central European standards, which spares the holiday budget. In restaurants, people have a typically friendly Mediterranean attitude, and are understanding when a child is a little loud sometimes.

Arrival with children and travelling in Barcelona

When travelling by car you should expect that a trip from Germany, Austria or Switzerland to Barcelona will take a good two days, depending on where you start your journey. Likewise, the cost of petrol, tolls, parking fees and a possible overnight stay is not negligible.
Our tip: take the coast road from Figueres. This saves toll charges, your children can see the boats on the water and you can always stop at a beach.

In Barcelona itself, the public transport is well developed and almost all attractions are within walking distance of a metro or tram station, therefore a car is not necessarily required. Even now almost all public transport is barrier-free, i.e. even with a pram you can use all means of transport.

If you travel by plane but still need a car to take a day trip to the countryside, for instance, there are rentals cars available from only € 40 per day at pick up stations throughout the city.

A flight with a scheduled airline or a low-cost carrier is not only a highlight of the holiday for your children; it may as well be cheaper than the car. Infants of 1-2 years fly at a much lower price if they sit on the lap of their parents during the flight. Children up to 11 years old still get a reduced fare, although children over 12 years old must pay full price with most airlines.

Babysitting

You need a babysitter in Barcelona? Some babysitting agencies provide professional babysitters. These speak Spanish as well as several other languages, eg. French or English.
The sitters come to your hotel. One of these agencies is BcnBabysitter.

Accommodation with children

Since Barcelona, amongst other things, is a Trade Fair centre, usually school holidays are not necessarily peak season. So it is indeed very hot in August and the whole city is a little quieter, but the hotel prices are lower than in other months.

Many hotels offer special family rooms for three or four people. On Barcelona.de you can reserve these rooms. To do this choose "advanced options" in our booking system and select the "family room". You will receive a selection of hotels that have rooms and prices for the period requested. Or you can directly visit our hotel page with recommended family-friendly hotels.

Often, even small children up to 2-3 years old can sleep for free in their parents' bed, or a free cot will even be made available. The conditions are stated in the hotel description. If your child is a little older an extra bed can often be set up in the room.

An alternative to one or more hotel rooms are apartments. The apartments have multiple bedrooms and usually they are self-catering so you can safely save a few Euros. In smaller apartments prices per person are roughly equivalent to the range of a middle class hotel. For families or groups of about four people there will be more favorable rates in comparison to a hotel.

Rental of prams and accessories

In Barcelona you can rent prams, beds, children's clothing and anything else that children need. This is ideal if you’re travelling by plane and the transport in an aircraft is too inconvenient. The booked equipment can be delivered to your hotel and collected again. These services are offered, for example, by the companies Baby Travelling, Easy Travel Kids or BackPackBaby.

Discounts for children and families

Children under 3 get free admission to most museums and attractions. There is reduced admission for kids up to 12-16 year olds, but this is not uniformly regulated. Some institutions also offer a discount for students (don’t forget your ID). In addition, there are often special family tickets.

For bus and subway ride infants up to 3 years old travel for free, but four year olds and older must have a ticket. A reduced rate for children under 12 years old is included with the Barcelona Card, which includes the use of bus and subway.

Attractions for the whole family

In Barcelona there is plenty to see and discover for children: an amusement park, beautifully landscaped parks, a plentiful sandy beach, cable cars and a lot of museums that are tailored to the interests of the children. All these attractions help to make Barcelona an interesting destination for the entire family.
The age references are approximate guidelines for the age at which the attractions could be interesting for children.