11 Things to Do with Kids in Barcelona

Travelling can be an arduous task for children. That's why it's always a good idea to make activities and plans in which they themselves are the protagonists and enjoy themselves to the full. Fortunately, Barcelona is a city that is well prepared for children to enjoy themselves while they get to know it. The range of options for this purpose is very wide and you won't be short of ideas.

If you need a little help, here you will find a selection of 10 ideas and plans that the little ones at home will be more than happy with. These include amusement parks, excursions, different and entertaining experiences, and all of this without giving up the more touristy side of the city. As you will discover now, Barcelona is a city with a lot to see and do but above all it is also very family-friendly. So here are my recommendations:

Although I have already told you about the Tibidabo park, if we talk about amusement parks we can't forget Port Aventura. Considered one of the best amusement parks in Europe, it is located outside Barcelona near the city of Tarragona. However, it is barely an hour away, so excursions from Barcelona are very frequent.

These excursions include a return transfer from Barcelona and tickets to Port Aventura making them a great option for a family day out.

Actually Port Aventura is a complex that includes the Port Aventura World theme park, Ferrari Land and a giant water park which is perfect for the summer. The amusement park is divided into 6 themed zones with more than 40 rides including Furius Baco and Dragon Khan, two of the most impressive roller coasters in Europe.

Since it can be visited in just one day from Barcelona, it is an unbeatable reward for children.

Useful information

• Price: From 50 euros approx.
• Location: Port Aventura, Tarragona.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 20:00.

Zoos and aquariums tend to be one of the favourite places for children, and no wonder. In Barcelona there is both a zoo, located in the Parc de la Ciutadella, and an aquarium. It is the latter that I recommend the most, as it is not just any aquarium and some of the activities it offers are quite special.

For example, it is one of the best aquariums in the world as far as shark experiences are concerned, and in addition to diving with sharks, it offers the possibility for children to spend a night in the aquarium sleeping surrounded by thousands of fish and sharks.

Apart from these types of activities, the display of marine animals at the Barcelona aquarium is immense. They have aquariums with Mediterranean and tropical species, themed aquariums with unique species... But its main attraction is its oceanarium, its largest aquarium, crossed by an 80-metre tunnel that allows you to immerse yourself almost literally.

General admission for over 11s costs around 24 euros and reduced admission for under 11s is around 17 euros. You have the complete information about the prices in this link.

Useful information

• Price: From 24 euros for adults and 17 euros for children
• Place: Aquarium of Barcelona, in the marina.
• Opening hours: Every day from 10:00 to 20:00.

There is no better place for children to enjoy themselves than an amusement park. Or at least I can't think of one. And in Barcelona you can find one with a lot of history. The Tibidabo amusement park is located on the mountain of the same name in the west of Barcelona.

It is the oldest amusement park in Spain and one of the oldest operating amusement parks in the world. This is by no means a disadvantage, even Walt Disney himself claimed that it was one of the most magical places he had ever visited and served as inspiration for his parks.

Tibidabo Park consists of 6 different levels on which you will find more than 30 attractions. The most popular are the carousel, the merry-go-round and the Ferris wheel, from which you can enjoy incredible views of Barcelona. Since the park is on the mountain, the views of the city are some of the best you can get.

Spending a day here costs about 35 euros for adults and 14 euros for children as long as they are less than 120 centimetres tall. It is a perfect place to enjoy with the family so the entrance fee is well worth it.

Useful information

• Price: From 35 euros for adults and 14 euros for children
• Location: Tibidabo Amusement Park
• Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00. (Varies depending on the season)

The Montjuic magic fountain show is one of the best things you can do in Barcelona completely free of charge. Given its spectacular nature, it is particularly popular with children.

The show consists of a play of lights and music that accompanies the choreography of the fountain's powerful jets of water. The Magic Fountain of Montjuic is located at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina between Plaça d'Espanya and the Palau Nacional de Montjuic.

As well as the show, the area is perfect for a family stroll through the Plaça de les Cascades and up to the terrace at the entrance to the Palau de Montjuic to admire the views. You can also go up to see the Olympic Village or go to the Arenas shopping centre in Plaça d'Espanya, where there are plenty of shops, restaurants and places for all the family.

Useful information

• Price: Free
• Place: Avenida Reina de Maria Cristina.
• Time: Depending on the season, between 20:00 and 23:00.

Playgrounds are ideal for children to enjoy. There are hundreds of them in Barcelona, but some are more special than others. The best of them all is the Can Mercader playground. This park has more than 10 hectares of green areas, terraces, swings, sports facilities and all kinds of amenities to enjoy a day out with the family.

But without doubt what makes this park special and its most special feature are the electric mini trains that run through the park. No child can resist them and they can get on them to travel around the park on the tracks that run throughout the park. They only operate on Sundays and public holidays. Although Can Mercader is located in Cornella, it is well worth the trip and can be reached in just half an hour by taking line 5 from, for example, Plaça d'Espanya.

Useful information

• Price: Free
• Place: Can Mercader Park in Cornella
• Timetable: The electric train is in operation on Sundays and public holidays from 11:15 am to 1:30 pm.

The Barcelona cable car is one of the most original ways of getting around Montjuic and is always a very popular experience with the little ones at home.

This cable car runs along the heights of Montjuic in a route of about 750 meters and allows us to have privileged views of some points of Barcelona such as Camp Nou, La Sagrada Familia or the area of Plaza de España. The starting point for this route is at the Parc Montjuic stop and it goes straight to Montjuic Castle.

Tickets for the cable car cost 9.40 euros for adults and 7.50 euros for children between 4 and 12 years old. This is only for a single ticket. Return tickets are 12.70 for adults and 9.20 for children. In both cases children under the age of 4 are free of charge.

Another option to take a cable car is to go up to Montjuic from the port of Barcelona in a ride of about 10 minutes to get the best views of the port of Barcelona.

Useful information

• Price: From 9.40 for adults and 7.50 for children.
• Place: Montjuic, parc Montjuic stop.
• Opening hours: From 10:00 to 18:00 in winter, from 10:00 to 21:00 in summer.

The beach is always a safe bet for children to enjoy themselves. And in Barcelona, especially in the summer months when the heat is really hot, it is a highly recommended option. In Barcelona there are several beaches which, due to their location and services, are perfect for a family day out.

The first of these, and the best known, is Barceloneta beach. It is more than 500 metres long and has space for sports areas, parasol and sun lounger hire, lockers, showers and public toilets.

But Barceloneta also has children's play areas for the little ones. As well as having all kinds of amenities, there are dozens of restaurants and bars for lunch or dinner on the promenade next to the beach. Also, given its location very close to the centre, it is very easy to get to. Another option with similar characteristics is Sant Sebastia beach, very close to Barceloneta.

Useful information

• Price: Free
• Place: Barceloneta Beach

Children are among the best football fans. And if you visit Barcelona, it's up to you to fulfil the dreams of many of them, especially for Barça fans. Barcelona is a very football-loving city, thanks in part to clubs like Barcelona, which offers its fans the chance to fulfil their dream of visiting its stadium with the Camp Nou Experience.

This experience includes a tour of the stadium's facilities. You can visit the stands, the changing rooms, the tunnel and a view of the entire stadium at the foot of the pitch. You can also visit the club's museum where the club's history is reviewed and its many trophies are on display. If football is one of the biggest dreams of some of the kids in Barcelona, this is the place to be.

Useful information

• Price: From 50 euros approx.
• Place: Camp Nou
• Opening times: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00. Sundays from 10:00 to 15:00.

At first glance, a tour of Gaudí's Barcelona doesn't sound very attractive for children. But this is a mistake, as these tours tend to delight the little ones for two reasons: if you go with children, the visits and the guides adapt to make them more enjoyable, and secondly, Gaudí's striking architecture always surprises children. Enjoying Gaudí with children is perfectly compatible.

These tours take you on a tour of Gaudí's monuments and buildings in Barcelona. The pillars and main points of the tour, as you can imagine, are the Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia.

In these cases you can combine the visits in many ways. For example, you can get joint tickets only for Park Güell and Sagrada Familia or for Gaudi's two houses on Passeig de Gràcia. In any case, don't be afraid to take the kids on these tours as they are sure to enjoy themselves.

Useful information

• Price: From approx. 20 euros (depending on the type of tour)
• Place: Gaudí's Barcelona

The "Golondrinas" are emblematic boats of Barcelona that leave from the port to make tours along the coastline of the city. This is a different way of getting to know and seeing the city and is very popular with children.

The swallows are located in the port in front of the statue of Columbus where they have their embarkation point. The tour of these boats goes through the Port Vell area where you can see several emblems of the city such as the Hotel Vela, the clock tower, or the Maremagnum.

There are two types of tours depending on their duration. The first one lasts about 40 minutes and always takes you inside the port, while the second one lasts about an hour and a half and also covers more areas of the coastline.

Tickets start at 7.70 euros. It is an ideal activity for children as they can enjoy nature while getting to know part of the city.

Useful information

• Price: From 7.70 euros.
• Place: Barcelona Marina.
• Timetable: From 11:00 to 18:00 approx with departures every hour.

Let them have a great time at the Chocolate Museum, where they'll discover the history of this product, which is so important to Barcelona's chocolate tradition. With tickets to the Museu de la Xocolata they can visit the different rooms, learn about its uses and, of course, taste it.

If you prefer, you can also take your children to Casa Amatller, the place where the family of the famous chocolatier Antonio Amatller lived. The building, with its exquisite modernist architecture, can be visited thanks to the skip-the-line tickets that allow you to visit the different bedrooms, the dining room and the music room. You'll be amazed by the interior decoration.

Although children might enjoy it less because there is no chocolate tasting...