Can Barcelona Fix its Love-Hate Relationship With Tourists?
Before last year, Martí Cusó didn’t like to linger in the streets of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, the neighborhood where he has lived all his life. It was impossible to sit on a bench or play with his kids outside without being engulfed by tourists. Shuffling behind tour guides, gazing upward at the architecture or pausing abruptly to buy souvenirs from street hawkers, the visitors were often a nuisance to locals navigating the streets. Some zoomed through the area’s narrow medieval passages on scooters and taxi bikes. Many crowded the bar terraces, which had gradually replaced the local amenities that residents once relied on. “Tourism had eaten up all of the public space and relegated us locals to a role of extras on a set,” says Cusó, 31, a teacher and member of the Gothic Quarter residents’ association.
Despite residents’ protests, the number of tourists flooding into Barcelona soared over the past two decades, with nearly 12 million visiting the city of 1. 6 million in 2019. But when COVID-19 hit, forcing Spain to close its borders to tourists, locals reclaimed the city center. “We saw scenes we hadn’t seen in a long time. The squares that are normally full of terrazas and tourists were occupied by kids playing, or families, or people sunbathing,” Cusó says. “Now we’re scared we’re going to lose that again.”
Tourists visit the recently reopened Sagrada Familia on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
E.U. leaders have agreed to allow vaccinated tourists to visit European countries this summer without quarantining. News of the plan prompted an immediate 47% surge in searches for flights to Europe, according to travel analytics firm Hopper. In Barcelona, where Americans make up the largest group of foreign visitors, the city hopes to welcome 1 million tourists this summer. On May 29, the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudí’s iconic cathedral, reopened to visitors.
Read more: How Europe Transformed Itself for Tourism, and Why It Backfired
Across Europe’s many tourism hot spots, authorities are walking a tightrope as the COVID-19 recovery gathers steam.
The pandemic laid bare how a rush for tourism dollars has left downtowns dependent on the industry. Officials are desperate to revive the sector, which has suffered mass layoffs and normally contributes heavily to local economies across Europe. (In Barcelona, it makes up 15% of GDP.) At the same time, locals are pressuring city governments to use the disruption of COVID-19 to impose new rules on the industry. In March, Italy’s government said it would ban cruise ships from entering the center of Venice, while Amsterdam is pressing ahead with a plan to curb sex work in the city center and relocate its famous red-light district.
Masked tourists visit Casa Batlló on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
In Barcelona, officials have launched a strategy to transform post-pandemic tourism in a way that satisfies both residents and visitors. Under the progressive mayor Ada Colau, Barcelona in January announced a plan that would effectively ban homeowners from renting out individual rooms to tourists on platforms like Airbnb, which would make the city’s already tight controls on tourist accommodation some of the strictest in the world.
In a bid to revive central areas and reduce tourism’s group, in April, the city announced a $21 million plan to buy empty commercial spaces and fill them with businesses catering to locals. A new app and crowd-monitoring system aims to divert tourists to avoid congested parts of town. “We’ve had a break from tourists for a year to think about how we want to deal with them,” says Xavier Marcé, Barcelona’s councillor for tourism and creative industries.
A portrait artist and his subject in Parc Güell on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Visitors pose for a photograph at Parc Güell on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
The city is also changing how it sells itself. On May 17, the tourism board launched an ad campaign, “Barcelona like never before,” touting cleaner, calmer streets. Running in English and Castilian Spanish, authorities say the ads target “high-quality” tourists who come to participate in the local lifestyle, and also encourage locals to visit areas and attractions normally overrun by tourists.
Locals are skeptical that the city’s plans can help them preserve their newfound ownership of the city. But Marcé insists Barcelona can improve for residents and welcome tourists back at the same time: “I can’t put up walls around the city. I can’t move the Sagrada Familia. But there’s a lot of things I can do.”
Rebalancing the relationship between locals and tourists
Barcelona has developed a love-hate relationship with tourists in the three decades since hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics, which kickstarted the industry’s rapid growth in the city. Almost all of the city’s major attractions are in the historic center, meaning that tourists were concentrated in a few neighborhoods. Its cruise port and proximity to seaside towns attracted hordes of day-trippers, who spent less money and flooded the city center. An influx of study-abroad students and “lifestyle migrants”—who come for a few months or years at time to work remotely—compounded the issue, says Claudio Milano, a professor in the social anthropology department of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
“The city has grown to be seen as a place of leisure.”
Rents climbed and public services, such as waste management, came under pressure. Limits on new hotel construction and short-term home rentals, and rule changes like a ban on tour groups using electric scooters, haven’t allayed residents concerns. Tourism became a lightning rod for anticapitalist and antiglobalization sentiments that had grown in Spain following the recession of 2008–2009, with groups of local protesters vandalizing tourist buses with slogans like “tourism kills neighborhoods.”
“Before the pandemic, coexistence between locals and tourists, especially young people and those who come to get drunk, was very conflictive,” says Antonio Martínez Gómez, president of the residents’ association for the Raval, another central Barcelona neighborhood.
Visitors enjoy the view of the city from Parc Güell on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Visitors play on Barceloneta Beach on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
But the pandemic has also shown just how much cities like Barcelona rely on tourists.
More than 200 businesses in the city center folded between March and September 2020. “Lots of people fell into unemployment, and families are suffering because of the lack of income,” Martínez Gómez says. “The recovery in tourism will be good for the local economy. But we need to find a balance.”
Alok Lahad, who runs a souvenir shop near the Sagrada Familia, says Barcelona “is dead without tourists.” He has lived in the city for 25 years and used to be a jeweler, but converted his store after the 2008 financial crisis, selling models of the cathedral and nearby Parc Güell, as well as T-shirts emblazoned with the logo of Barcelona’s soccer team. The business has been mostly shuttered since March 2020, and Lahad says he has burned through his savings to pay rent and bills. “There’s a very big possibility I’ll lose the business if tourists don’t come back this summer,” he says. “The locals who criticize tourism don’t seem to understand that the people who are working in the industry are not foreigners, not tourists.
They eat, drink, go to school and give business to the local nontourist businesses. They’re locals too.”
A work out session at Barceloneta Beach on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Pigeons on Plaza de Cataluña in Barcelona on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Officials say the pandemic might help rebalance the relationship between locals and tourists by starting afresh. “Without this year, it’d be like entering a wheel and it’s spinning and you can’t stop it,” says Marian Muro, who began her job as director of Barcelona’s embattled tourism board two weeks before the pandemic started. “We’ve spent a year just thinking.” Where the city was previously reacting to the problems tourism created, she argues, it is can now plan strategic investment in and promotion of the industry to exert some control over it.
Authorities’ main goal is alleviating pressure on the city center. Tourist buses will take a new route, and the Check Barcelona app will warn visitors of already busy attractions, beaches and parking lots.
The app and marketing materials will highlight alternative neighborhoods, such as Poblenou to the east, a hub for tech; northern Gràcia, for its food scene; and the nearby wine region of Penedès.
But officials also want to revitalize locals’ relationship with their city. In June, the Rambla, the pedestrianized shopping street normally brimming with tourists, will hold a two-week festival encouraging local residents to reconnect with retailers and restaurants. The city has earmarked a fifth of its city recovery funds to “diversify and balance” neighborhoods, buying up some of the 5,323 vacant commercial spaces in the city to rent to local-friendly businesses at below-market rates. Paris credits a similar program in the 2000s with saving local amenities and stemming the rise of chain stores in its center.
Muro says her long-term goal is to bring different classes of visitors to Barcelona. That includes bigger spenders, such as Russian tourists, who spend almost 30% more during their visit than the average visitor.
But she also wants people attracted by Barcelona’s culture and customs more than sunbathing and excessive drinking. “In the center, there are restaurants where I wouldn’t eat,” she says. “And if I wouldn’t eat there, then neither would the kind of tourists we’re pursuing.”
Young women stroll along Barceloneta Beach on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
An artist in Las Ramblas takes a smoke break while waiting for customers on June 6
Ricardo Cases for TIME
A more equitable and sustainable model for tourism
European governments are under substantial pressure to revive their pandemic-ravaged travel industries. International visitors spent $619 billion in Europe in 2019. That figure fell by 64% in 2020, and about 3.6 million people lost tourism jobs.
Governments across the region are now pushing to relax travel restrictions to allow a rebound this summer. But officials in Spain, Italy and Greece say they will use the recovery to make tourism more environmentally and socially sustainable.
At a local level, the key is a more equal distribution of the industry, not just geographically, but also of the wealth it creates, says Marcé, the Barcelona tourism councillor. “We need to widen the frame. It can’t just be hotels and restaurants and luxury brands in the center of town, but also local actors that have a lot to offer visitors but maybe aren’t part of powerful lobbies that have set the agenda in tourism.” Stores selling daily necessities, cultural creators and local sports venues should also benefit, he adds.
A cafe on Las Ramblas in Barcelona on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Fashionable women walking near Barceloneta Beach on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Cusó, the Gothic Quarter resident, doubts the city’s plans will improve the lives of Barcelona residents. The only way to do that, he says, is to stop promoting the city and reduce the number of tourists who come. “I wanted the government to use this opportunity to rethink a new model for the city,” he says, arguing that the city should spend recovery funds to create new jobs in public health and education.
“What they’re doing now is just an attempt to revert to the situation we had in 2019.”
Even if it is, Marcé doesn’t expect Barcelona’s tourism to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2023, amid varying rates of vaccine rollouts and restriction easing around the world. Marcé says that time will allow the city’s strategy to bear fruit. “We think we can have a very different situation,” he says. “To find out, we need tourists to come back.”
Beach goers find a spot at Barceloneta Beach on June 6.
Ricardo Cases for TIME
Write to Ciara Nugent at [email protected].
Barcelona City Pass vs. Barcelona Pass vs. Turbo Pass 2023
This post compares the Barcelona City Pass, the Go City All-Inclusive Barcelona Pass, the Turbo Pass, and other tourist most popular attraction discount passes that are available in Barcelona.
We have updated this post to reflect prices as of Jan 2023.
- Before You Buy
- All-Inclusive
- Build Your Own
- Preset Package
- Museum Pass
- Transport Passes
Disclosure: While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you.
See the full text.
Before You Buy
There are several different tourist passes to choose from in Barcelona.
Some of them focus primarily on museums, while others offer discounts at several different locations.
There are also transport passes which can make traveling around the city much easier.
You will also want to consider the differences between the all-inclusive, preset packages, and build your own options.
One thing to keep in mind is that most passes include fast-track entry privileges at several tours and most popular attractions.
An all-inclusive pass allows you to visit most popular locations in Barcelona for free without a limit on the number of things you can do.
You can also expect a bus tour to be included with this option, but the price for these passes are usually much higher as a result of all the services they provide.
That being said, for some, this type of pass is the easiest and most stress-free way to enjoy sightseeing in the city.
In comparison, a build-your-own pass will allow you to choose the specific locations that you want to visit and save money on them.
If you’re not interested in paying for all of the services included with an all-inclusive pass, this can be an excellent alternative.
Rather than paying for admission to several attractions you may not even visit, you can select the locations you want to see and pay a lower price for tickets to each site on your itinerary.
If you’re not that interested in going to the Zoo or taking a tour of Camp Nou (both offered through all-inclusive and build-your-own pass services), a science museum pass may be your best bet.
There are a lot of wonderful museums in Barcelona, and more than one tourist pass provides free entry to all of them.
This is a much more affordable option and may be preferable for some visitors.
Tourists who are only interested in visiting a few specific locations may want to consider a preset package pass.
This option includes a few most popular attractions and activities for one low price.
The main advantage of these passes is that you can use them pretty much whenever you want rather than rushing to experience everything as quickly as possible.
Finally, a transport pass will allow you to use the metro, bus, and tram services for one low price.
This will allow you to hop on and get where you need to go without much trouble, but some travelers may also want to consider a hop-on-hop-off bus tour instead.
These bus tours will take you to the most popular attractions in Barcelona, and they may be preferable for visitors who aren’t familiar with the area and don’t want to get lots.
For more details on each tourist pass offered in Barcelona, make sure to visit each respective section in this post.
All-Inclusive Pass
An all-inclusive pass will provide free admission to several different locations.
Although this type of pass is usually the most expensive option, it is also one of the easiest and most extensive tourist passes you can buy.
It also provides the potential for the most savings, which means that this could also be the cheapest option (if you plan optimally).
There are 4 different all-inclusive passes to choose from and we detail each below.
This All-Inclusive pass provides free admission to 23 top most popular attractions in Barcelona.
One of the services included is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour which will allow you to visit all of the major sites with ease.
With that said, if you plan on doing any travel outside of the bus tour routes, you can purchase a Hola Barcelona Travel Card separately.
Check our transport pass section for more details.
Included Attractions
- Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour
- Las Golondrinas Cruise
- Barcelona Bike Tour
- Poble Espanyol Tour
- Casa Milá Tour
- Camp Nou Tour
- Barcelona Zoo
- Casa Batlló
- Park Güell Tour
- Sagrada Familia Tour
- L’Aquarium Barcelona
- Gaudí Experiència 4D
- 10+ Museums/Landmarks
- Free Guidebook
- And More!
Ticket Prices
These are full retail prices.
Often discounts are available on their website.
- 2-Day Pass: €109/Adults | €77/Children
- Price per Day: €54.50/Adults | €38.50/Children
- 3-Day Pass: €135/Adults | €93/Children
- Price per Day: €45/Adults | €31/Children
- 4-Day Pass: €141/Adults | €99/Children
- Price per Day: €35.25/Adults | €24.75/Children
- 5-Day Pass: €156/Adults | €109/Children
- Price per Day: €31.20/Adults | €21.80/Children
Click here to purchase the Go City Barcelona Pass.
Is a Go City All-Inclusive Barcelona pass worth it?
If you are going to visit most of the popular attractions on your visit to Barcelona, a Go City All-Inclusive Barcelona Pass is worth it. It will save you time and money on the most popular attractions in Barcelona city.
One of the nice things about this service is that they have a Go City app that you can use as your pass, which means you won’t have to carry around a card or voucher, just your smartphone!
Much like their competitors, this service provides free admission to certain locations and discounts at other most popular destinations.
They offer 28 free attractions with some notable differences to compare/contrast with the competition.
Most of these locations are science museums, but there are a few tours and other activities thrown in as well.
Unlike the Go City All-Inclusive Barcelona Pass, the Turbo Pass actually includes a free transport card in addition to a hop-on-hop-off bus tour.
Although this is a much more affordable option, you should make sure that the activities included are of interest before purchasing the pass.
NOTE: As of Jan 2023, this pass is not available by mail order, but it is still being offered for collection on-site.
Included Attractions
- Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour
- Sagrada Familia
- Casa de les Punxes
- Gothic Walking Tour
- Botanical Garden
- Mirador de Colom
- Original Harbour Tour
- Casa Milá
- Poble Espanyol
- Museu Picasso
- 20 Museums/Exhibition Centres
- And More!
Additional Discounts
Here is a list of just a few attractions where you can enjoy a discount on your Turbo Pass.
- Barcelona Zoo
- Barcelona Aquarium
- Barcelona Bike Rental
- Palau de la Música
- Casa Vicens
- Casa Amatller
- Casa Batllo
- And More!
Ticket Prices
These are full retail prices. Often discounts are available on their website.
2-Day Pass:
- €109.90/Adults | €89.90/Teens | €59.90/Kids (11-12) | €39.90/Kids (4-10)
- Price per Day: €54.95/Adults | €44.95/Teens | €29.95/Kids (11-12) | €19.95.Kids (4-10)
3-Day Pass:
- €119.90/Adults | €99.90/Teens | €64.90/Kids (11-12) | €44.90/Kids (4-10)
- Price per Day: €39.96/Adults | €33.30/Teens | €21.63/Kids (11-12) | €14.96/Kids (4-10)
4-Day Pass:
- €129.90/Adults | €109.90/Teens | €74.90/Kids (11-12) | €54.90/Kids (4-10)
- Price per Day: €32.48/Adults | €27.48/Teens | €18.73/Kids (11-12) | €13.73/Kids (4-10)
5-Day Pass:
- €139.
90/Adults | €119.90/Teens | €79.90/Kids (11-12) | €59.90/Kids (4-10)
- Price per Day: €27.98/Adults | €23.98/Teens | €15.98/Kids (11-12) | €11.98/Kids (4-10)
90/Adults | €119.90/Teens | €79.90/Kids (11-12) | €59.90/Kids (4-10)
Click here to purchase the Turbo Pass Barcelona.
Is the Barcelona Turbo pass worth it?
With unlimited travel options, the Barcelona City Card, the Barcelona tour bus, and the visit to Sagrada all make the Barcelona Turbo pass worth it for those who want to do a lot of sightseeing.
Barcelona Sightseeing Pass
Unlike the other all-inclusive passes, this service is focused primarily on museums.
That being said, it also includes a travel pass and additional discounts on various attractions.
The transport pass will give you access to a free Barcelona airport transfer shuttle.
Sadly, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour is not included with this tourist pass. You can choose between a 3, 4, or 5-day pass.
Included Attractions
- Sagrada Familia
- CaixaForum
- Poble Espanyol
- CosmoCaixa
- Casa Mila
- Egyptian Museum
- Olympic Museum
- Music Museum
- Xocolata Museum
- Picasso Museum
- Frederic Mares Museum
- Ethnological Museum
- And More!
Tickets
- 3-Day Pass: €96/Adults | €39/Children
- 4-Day Pass: €107/Adults | €46/Children
- 5-Day Pass: €118/Adults | €52/Children
Click here to purchase the Barcelona Sightseeing Pass
NOTE: This pass is not currently available as of Jan 2023, but we will provide an update when it is accessible once again.
Is the Barcelona Sightseeing pass worth it?
If you are not determined to visit many attractions, the Barcelona Sightseeing Pass might not be the best choice.
However, this pass is totally worth it if you are ambitious enough to visit the most popular attractions in Barcelona in a limited time frame.
iVenture Unlimited Pass
This tourist pass is very similar to other all-inclusive options with one major difference: the iVenture Card is active for just one day.
As a result, this is also one of the least expensive all-inclusive pass on our list.
The iVenture Unlimited Pass includes free admission to 35 different locations in Barcelona.
While their competition tends to focus on museums, this option offers access to more tours and entertainment attractions.
Much like their competitors, you can expect a free hop-on, hop-off bus tour.
Unfortunately, a travel pass is not included and there are no additional discounts.
Included Attractions
- Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour
- Sagrada Familia
- Park Güell Tour
- Isla Fantasia Water Park
- City Hall Flamenco
- Golondrias Boat Tour
- Escape Hunt Game
- Barcelona Wax Museum
- Mirador Torre Glòries
- Museu Il-lusions
- And More!
Tickets
- €59/Adults | €39/Children
- Purchase this pass or learn more.
Is the iVenture pass worth it?
Being one of the least expensive passes, iVenture Pass is worth purchasing to visit Barcelona’s most popular attractions and make more fun out of a single day without worrying so much about the price.
Build Your Own Pass
The build-your-own pass allows you to select a specific number of locations to visit.
These passes are available in increments of at least 3 to 5 different attractions.
Although you won’t save as much money with this option, it will allow you to pick out the places you want to visit and avoid paying for services you don’t intend to use.
iVenture Flexi Pass
In addition to their unlimited option, there is also an iVenture Flexi Pass.
Pick either 3 or 5 different attractions to visit for one low price and save money on all of them.
You can choose any of the activities they offer through the unlimited pass and save up to 40% on all of them.
Although a hop-on-hop-off bus tour is not included, you can select one as part of your Flexi Pass.
Included Attractions
- Port Aventura (Amusement Park)
- Isla Fantasia Water Park
- Camp Nou Tour
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Egyptian Museum
- Opera Samfaina
- Goleta Karya Schooner Cruise
- Montserrat Morning Tour
- Mirador de Colón
- Casino Barcelona
- Cooltra Scooter Rental
- Gaudí Experiència
- And More!
Tickets
- 3-Attraction Pass: €85/Adults | €65/Children (age 4-13) | Children under 4 free
- Price per Attraction: €28. 33/Adults | €21.66/Children (age 4-13)
- Price per Attraction: €28.
- 5-Attraction Pass: €135/Adults | €90/Children (age 4-13) | Children under 4 free
- Price per Attraction: €27/Adults | €18/Children (age 4-13)
33/Adults | €21.66/Children (age 4-13)Savings
Here is an example of how much you can save using this build-your-own pass. This sample will use the 3-Attraction Pass.
Buying a pass rather than paying for each attraction separately will save you 35% on cost!
Cost for 3-Attraction Pass: €85
Regular prices for three attractions: €130
Examples:
- Montserrat Morning Tour €55
- Port Aventura Skip-the-Queues Ticket €47
- Isla Fantasia Water Park €28
Savings: €45 (35% off)
Go City Barcelona Explorer Pass
In addition to their all-inclusive pass, the Go City Barcelona company also offers the option to build your own pass.
You can choose between 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 top attractions in the city.
There are over 30 different activities to choose from and the pass is available either on your mobile phone or as a print-out.
The Go City Barcelona Explorer Pass is valid for a total of 60 days once it has been activated.
Before the pass is activated, it will be valid for up to 2 years, giving you plenty of time to pick the right date for your vacation.
Included Attractions
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Barcelona City Cruise
- Camp Nou Stadium Tour
- L’Aquàrium de Barcelona
- Palacio del Flamenco
- Sagrada Familia Tour
- Park Güell Tour
- Barcelona Zoo
- La Pedrera
- And more!
Tickets
- 2 Choice Pass: €59/Adults | €39/Children
- Price per Choice: €29.50/Adults | €19.50/Children
- 3 Choice Pass: €79/Adults | €59/Children
- Price per Choice: €26. 33/Adults | €19.66/Children
- Price per Choice: €26.
- 4 Choice Pass: €99/Adults | €79/Children
- Price per Choice: €24.75/Adults | €19.75/Children
- 5 Choice Pass: €114/Adults | €84/Children
- Price per Choice: €22.80/Adults | €16.80/Children
- 6 Choice Pass: €123/Adults | €99/Children
- Price per Choice: €20.50/Adults | €16.50/Children
- 7 Choice Pass: €129/Adults | €109/Children
- Price per Choice: €18.43/Adults | €15.57/Children
33/Adults | €19.66/Children Purchase the Go City Barcelona Explorer Pass or learn more.
Savings
This might actually be one of the lowest-priced tourist passes in Barcelona.
Considering that you can pay less than €17 per attraction with the Go City Barcelona Explorer Pass, it’s pretty easy to see how you could save a lot of money.
While this would be a great deal for some of the included attractions, it is worth noting that there are several activities you could choose from that would not be worth it.
Here is a sample itinerary to show you how you could save money with a 5-Choice tourist pass:
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tour | €30
- Camp Nou Stadium Tour | €28
- L’Aquàrium de Barcelona | €24
- Sagrada Familia Tour | €49
- Park Güell Tour | €26
Total Value: €157
Total Cost: €114
Total Savings: €43 (27% off)
Although most people will be lucky to save 27% if they pick and choose their attractions carefully, it is nice that you don’t have to pay as much for this tourist pass as you do for many others.
Is the Explorer pass worth it?
If you don’t want to be in a rush and lose the chance to visit some of the most popular attractions in Barcelona, Explorer Pass is one of the best options, as it works for 30 days after its activation.
Preset Package Pass
This tourist pass has a lot in common with the all-inclusive options.
The main difference to note is that there are far fewer attractions included with a preset package.
These passes typically include a hop-on, hop-off bus tour and may also offer additional discounts at popular sites.
This preset package includes free admission to both Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
In addition, you can also choose between either a 24-hour or 48-hour hop-on, hop-off bus tour.
Audio guides, mostly through the audio guide app for Barcelona and Park Guell are also included with this package, as is a 10% discount at several popular attractions in Barcelona.
Unlike the build-your-own and all-inclusive options, this attraction pass does not have a time limit and you can use it at your own pace.
Included Attractions (10% Discount)
- Camp Nou Tour
- L’Aquarium Barcelona
- Wax Museum of Barcelona
- Dali Museum
- Picasso Museum
- Barcelona Zoo
- Hola Transport Card
- Isla Fantasia Water Park
- Poble Espanyol
- Port Aventura (Amusement Park)
- Montserrat & Gaudi’s Crypt
- Las Golondrinas Cruise
- Flamenco Dancing
- Helicopter Tour
- Segway Tour
- Bike Tour
- And More!
Ticket Prices
- €86. 50/Adults (30+)
- €83.50/Youth (13-29)
- €69.50/Senior (65+)
- €65.50/Children (11-12)
- €27.50/Children (7-10)
- €17.50/Children (4-6)
- Children 3 and under free
50/Adults (30+)Click here to purchase the Barcelona City Pass.
Is the Barcelona city pass worth it?
Including hop-on-hop-of bus tours, Barcelona City Pass is worth buying as it lets you explore most Barcelona tourist attractions at an amazingly low price.
Gaudi Pass
This is one of the most affordable preset packages offered in Barcelona.
Much like the Barcelona City Pass, you will receive a 24-hour hop-on-hop-off bus tour and admission to Sagrada Familia.
Additionally, the Gaudi Pass also provides fast-track admission and an audio tour of La Pedrera.
The last two activities included with this pass are wine tasting and access to the top of the Columbus Monument.
Unfortunately, there are two big differences between this attraction pass and others on the market:
There is no child ticket option and there are no additional discounts included.
Keep these factors in mind before making your decision.
Ticket Prices
- 24-Hour Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour
- Sagrada Familia
- La Pedrera + Audio Tour
- Columbus Monument
- Wine Tasting
- €83 per person
Click here to purchase a Gaudi Pass.
Barcelona Night Card
Although this isn’t your typical tourist pass or even the average preset package, it could be very useful if you’re interested in experiencing the nightlife of Barcelona.
This card will give you free entry to 20 nightclubs in the city for a total of either 2 or 7 days.
Move from one club to the next and party the night away with the help of a map that will show you where to find your next destination.
Unfortunately, unlimited travel is not included with this service, so you may want to consider getting another attraction pass to go with this one.
You must be 21 years of age to enter all of the clubs on this list.
Nightclubs Included
- Catwalk
- Shoko
- Soho
- Bikini
- Sutton
- The Room
- Les Enfants
- Moog
- Gattopardo
- Arena
- Oak
- Aire
- City Hall
- And More!
Ticket Prices
- 2-Night Card: €10 per person – Click here to purchase.
- 7-Night Card: €20 per person – Click here to purchase.
TIP: You can get 30% off the Barcelona Night Card with the purchase of the Barcelona City Card.
NOTE: This discount card is currently not available as of Jan 2023.
BARCELONA MUSEUM PASSES
These tourist passes focus primarily on museums.
Although they don’t include as many attractions, some museum passes provide free unlimited travel and/or a hop-on-hop-off tour bus tour.
If you’re particularly interested in learning about the culture of Barcelona, either of these passes will be an excellent option.
This museum pass provides free admission to 29 museums and cultural centers in Barcelona.
You will also receive discounts on more than 50 additional attractions, tours, and services – including 30% off the Barcelona Night Card.
In addition, the Barcelona City Card also comes with a free transport pass.
Even if you want to do more than see science museums, the deals you can enjoy with this pass can make it comparable to some of the all-inclusive options.
Included Museums & Cultural Centres
- Picasso Museum
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- Frederic Marès
- Music Museum
- Egyptian Museum
- Olympic Museum
- National Art Museum of Catalonia
- Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món – Parc de Montjuïc
- CaixaForum
- CosmoCaixa
- And More!
Included Discount Attractions
- Casa de les Punxes
- Casa Vicens
- Liceu Opera
- Museu de L’Erotica
- Museu del Perfum
- Mirador de Colom
- Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour
- Las Golondrinas Cruise
- Isla Fantasia
- L’Aquarium de Barcelona
- Barcelona Zoo
- And More!
Ticket Prices
- 72-Hour Pass: €48/Adults | €26/Children
- 96-Hour Pass: €58/Adults | €35/Children
- 120-Hour Pass: €63/Adults | €40/Children
Click here to purchase the Barcelona Card.
Is the Barcelona card worth it?
If you love visiting museums, zoos, and other similar attractions and don’t want to waste money on each separately, Barcelona City Card saves you money. So, it’s worth it for science and nature lovers.
Barcelona Museum Pass
Unlike their competition, this pass provides free admission to only 6 of the most popular museums in Barcelona.
But the pass is valid for 3 months! This is ideal if you like to take your time in museums.
Note: Because the entrance to many of Barcelona’s museums is free for children 15 and under, the pass is only available to adults aged 16 and older.
Included Museums
- Picasso Museum
- National Art Museum of Catalonia
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- The Foundation of Joan Miro
- The Foundation of Antoni Tapies
- Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre
Ticket Prices
- €35 per person (ages 16 and up)
- Pass is valid for three months from its first use
Click here to purchase the Barcelona Museum Pass.
Is the Barcelona Museum pass worth it?
With its 3 months validity, the Barcelona Museum pass is worth it if you like spending time in the museum and feeding your literary juices.
Transport Passes
Whether or not you’re interested in a tourist pass, you may want to consider getting an unlimited travel card.
Each travel pass is very similar in price and some of them even include discounts at a variety of locations around the city.
This pass will allow you to use public transport such as the metro and bus in Barcelona.
If you only intend on traveling around the city center, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour could be an excellent alternative.
This pass will allow you to travel around Barcelona using the tram, bus, or metro.
This service also provides free Barcelona airport train transfers.
It is available in increments of 48, 72, 96, or 120 hours.
The Hola Barcelona Pass can be easily combined with the all-inclusive Go City All-Inclusive Barcelona Pass to make your trip even easier.
Ticket Prices (as of 2023)
- 48-Hour Pass: €16.40 per person
- 72-Hour Pass: €23.80 per person
- 96-Hour Pass: €31.00 per person
- 120-Hour Pass: €38.20 per person
Click here to purchase the Hola Barcelona Pass.
Is the Hola Barcelona pass worth it?
Hola Barcelona Pass is worth it as it provides unlimited bus, tram, and metro travel. When combined with the Go City All-Inclusive Barcelona Pass, it gives you even more by making your trip easier.
Barcelona Card Express
This is the less extensive version of the Barcelona Card.
The express option does not include free admission to any attractions, but it will allow you to travel freely around the city using the metro system.
In addition to acting as a travel pass, the Barcelona Card Express also includes discounts on over 90 different activities.
Unlike the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, this card can only be used for 48 hours.
Discounted Attractions Included
- Camp Nou Tour
- Mirador de Colom
- Liceu Opera
- Las Golondrinas Cruise
- eBike Tour
- Isla Fantasia
- PortAventura
- L’Aquarium de Barcelona
- Barcelona Zoo
- Barcelona Night Card
- Hard Rock Cafe
- And More!
Ticket Prices (as of 2023)
- 48-Hour Pass: €22.50 per person
Click here to purchase the Barcelona Card Express.
Is the Barcelona travel card worth it?
Barcelona travel card or Barcelona Card Express provides unlimited travel in Barcelona. So, even without free admission to any tourist attractions, Barcelona Travel Card is worth it just to make it easier to get around.
RELATED POSTS:
- Things to Do in Barcelona
- Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tours
- Take a Free Walking Tour
Stephen Pickhardt
Stephen is the CEO of Free Tours by Foot and has overseen the transformation of a local walking tour company into a global tour community and traveler’s advice platform.
He has personally led thousands of group tours in the US and Europe, and is an expert in trip planning and sightseeing, with a focus on budget travelers.
Stephen has been published and featured in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Yahoo, Washington.org, and more.
Updated: April 25th, 2023
Tourist Information/Guide for Barcelona, Spain 2023
All the necessary information about Barcelona to organize your trip is on this site. We have tried to answer your most important questions about transportation, entertainment, attractions and accommodation.
We have 15,000 pages of up-to-date travel information covering every aspect of planning your visit to Barcelona.
|
Sagrada Familia, Barceloneta, Camp Nou |
In addition to basic Barcelona tourist information, you’ll also find dozens of time and money saving tips from locals – information that’s hard to find anywhere else.
These special tips will make your stay in Barcelona even more special.
|
Palace of Catalan Music, Montserrat mountains, amusement park |
To help you find the answers you need as quickly as possible, Barcelona tourist information is grouped into 2 main categories:
1) If you have already made up your mind to come to Barcelona, then I recommend that you search for Barcelona tourist information using our menu of categories and subcategories on the left. If you cannot find what you are looking for in the menu bar, we recommend that you click on the name of the category you are interested in to be taken to the category index page. The category titles are the titles that appear below each separator line in white bold on the menu bar.
Please be aware that we have thousands of pages that we cannot link to in the left menu, so we recommend that you click on a category name to see all related topics.
On each page you visit, you will also see a navigation menu above the page title, which will allow you to find other pages related to your topic.
2) If you need help deciding if Barcelona is right for you, we encourage you to visit our Barcelona map, which shows over 50 important Barcelona sights with camera icons. Each camera icon leads to a guide to the attraction or site, where you’ll find practical information and photos – almost as if you were walking around the place yourself.
|
Montjuïc cable car, flamenco show, La Pedrera and Park Güell. |
This Barcelona travel and tourism information is updated daily with money and time saving tips from people living in Barcelona, so check back often for valuable updates.
If you have any questions about your trip, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, which contains hundreds of popular questions that have already been answered, it will help you quickly find answers to your questions.
Barcelona life hacks, or 7 “useful things” for tourists. Spain in Russian
There are many guides to Barcelona with descriptions, addresses, phone numbers and opening hours of all the possible sights in the city. One publication offers wonderful hiking trails, the other has a great story about cycling. And this is all very interesting, but in practice it is sometimes more important to learn how to go to a museum for free, get to the airport at night, choose a tastier restaurant and not get into trouble.
We ourselves are not local…
Catalans and Spaniards are very friendly people, open in their desire to help a lost tourist. In addition, leisurely locals (15 minutes is not late) almost always have time to help.
Do not be surprised if in response to the question “Where is the metro?” you will be taken by the hand and literally brought to the entrance to the nearest station. On the way, they will tell you about the weather, complain about the traffic light and scold the sloppy driver at the pedestrian crossing. And yes, it will all be in Spanish, so just smile and in no case think that something bad is being said about you.
In addition to the usual passers-by who will direct you to the right place, in Barcelona, as well as in any city and some villages, there are special information centers for tourists “Información turística” , which are usually denoted by the Latin letter “i”. Here you will be answered in good English or even Russian to all questions, they will tell you what you can see in the city today, which museums are worth visiting. And finally, they will be awarded a free map of the city and several prospectuses about the sights of Barcelona.
Free entry
Few tourists and residents of Barcelona know that some museums sometimes do not charge entrance fees. Most often it is Saturday or Sunday after 15:00 or certain days of the year: September 11 and 24 and May 18.
CosmoCaixa Science Museum combines permanent and temporary exhibitions. The motto of the museum is “Touch everything!”, so children love this museum, where you can have fun and learn new things at the same time. Entrance free:
- adolescents under 16;
- clients of La Caixa bank.
For more contemporary art lovers, Design Museum (Museo del diseño de Barcelona) , entrance to which is free:
- first Sunday of the month;
- on Sundays after 15:00;
- February 12, 13, 14, September 24;
- for teenagers under 16 years old.
Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes – Gothic monastery built in 1327. The three-story patio is amazing. There are usually few visitors, so you can safely enjoy the peace and tranquility. Admission is free on Sundays after 15:00.
In addition to the museums in Barcelona, there are observation decks that deserve a visit and are absolutely free. Also in the city center you can often see performances by street musicians or artists. And you can arrange your own tour of freak bars in Barcelona.
Not far from the Glòries metro station is one of the oldest markets in all of Europe – Mercado Encants Vells de Barcelona ( Mercado Encants Vells de Barcelona), which can be translated as “the charm of old Barcelona.” Its history began in the 14th century when it was a simple medieval fair. Now the Mercado Encants-Wels is a mixture of a flea market and individual shops. There is something to see, and you can choose a souvenir for memory.
National holidays are celebrated on a grand scale in Barcelona. You can see the holiday schedule in more detail on the official page of the Barcelona City Hall. Since 1872, the most important holiday in Barcelona is La Mercè (La Mercè) . This holiday honors Our Lady (Mare de Déu de la Mercè) as the patroness of the city. It lasts for several days, during which there are more than 600 different events, including processions of giant puppets, open-air concerts, casteller performances, devil dances and fire shows in the streets of Barcelona. The holiday program can be obtained at the tourist information center or downloaded from the official website.
Do not forget about the “most national” holiday – Day of Catalonia , which is celebrated on September 11th. Usually on this day, supporters of the independence of Catalonia organize large-scale processions and flash mobs. For example, in 2013, 1.6 million Catalans formed a 400-kilometer line from France to Valencia.
Starvation will not work
If you want to taste local cuisine, it is better to be guided by several principles for choosing a place.
First, move away from tourist routes. The restaurant opposite the Sagrada Familia is designed for tourists who have come and gone. But the bar in the courtyard on a lost street in the quarter at the foot of Montjuic is likely to be regularly visited by locals, so you will be offered the same as their regular customers. The reverse side of the coin is that the menu in Russian or English is not always guaranteed, stock up on a dictionary or hope for your luck.
Secondly, in almost any restaurant or bar that serves food, there is a menu of the day – “Menu del dia” (Menú del día), which includes a first, second, coffee or dessert of your choice, as well as wine or soft drinks. beverages. Such a menu will cost much less than ordering individual dishes from the menu (“de la carta”).
And, thirdly, choose places where you see more visitors, especially local residents. The queue waiting for a table is the most reliable guarantee that the food here is tasty and cheap.
Public transport
Barcelona metro tickets are not the easiest thing to choose. Often tourists are at a loss as to which ticket to buy.
The metro in Barcelona is not very cheap, the cost of ticket for one trip is 2.15 euros (same as the cost of one bus or tram ride). When traveling by metro to the airport, you will have to pay an additional 2.35 euros, for a total of 4.50 euros.
If you are planning more than one trip, you should pay attention to the special pass T-10 , which is designed for 10 trips, and two trips within 75 minutes are counted as one. A travel card for travel exclusively within the city limits of Barcelona will cost 9.95 euros. However, it will not work on the new L9 line to the airport.
Tourists who stay in Barcelona for more than 1 day should consider purchasing a transport card Hola BCN! for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days. It includes unlimited travel on Barcelona’s public transport, including the metro, funicular and bus to Montjuïc, suburban trains and commuter trains, and the new L9 metro line that goes all the way to Barcelona Airport. The cost of a card for two days is 14 euros, for three – 20.50 euros, for 4 and 5 days – 26.50 and 32 euros, respectively.
By private car
For those who do not like public transport, the way out is to move around the city by car. There are several pitfalls here.
Radars in the city are working properly, and photos of the intruder will very quickly reach the owner of the car (in the case of a rented car, to the lessor). Two of the main arteries of Barcelona (Ronda del Litoral and Ronda de Dalt) have radars that record the car at the entrance and exit from a certain section of the road and calculate the average speed.
Usually the area is several kilometers. Therefore, you should pay attention to speed limit signs and follow the rules in order to avoid a fine.
There are several options for how and where to park your car. When parking on the street, pay attention to the color of the parking space markings. If you are lucky, you will park in the white zone (where parking spaces are marked with white lines): there is no parking fee and there is no time limit.
Blue, green and red zones provide for time payment. Parking lots differ from each other in terms of tariffs and time limits. Some car parks provide free parking from 13:00 to 16:00. If you have not calculated and exceeded the paid parking time, you will have to pay fine in the amount of 5 to 10 euros. In this case, the auditor will put on the windshield a receipt with the number of the car and the size of the fine, as well as an envelope. The fine is paid directly on the spot at the parking meter: you must pay the fine and the parking fee, put the receipt in an envelope and lower it into a special hole in the parking meter itself.
If the car is parked in a paid parking lot without payment (without a check under the windshield), then the fine will be 50-100 euros.
Avoid the temptation to leave your car for even five minutes in an inappropriate place, such as a yellow zone, disabled spaces, or just a roadside without a designated parking space. Barcelona police are on the alert: in case of incorrect parking the car is being evacuated . At the site of the car, the police will leave a sticker on the pavement indicating the phone number and, possibly, the impound lot where your car was taken. In this case, you will have to pay both a fine and the cost of evacuation, which in general will be approximately 200-300 euros. It should be noted that if you pay a fine within a month, there is a 50% discount, but in the future, if you do not pay, small pennies will accumulate. Particularly cunning local residents have found a way to avoid a fine and paying a tow truck: they write a statement to the police that the car was stolen, which means that the thief parked the car in the wrong place – and in general, thanks to the police for finding the loss.
Another parking option – underground parking . The cost of a minute will be higher, but there are no time limits and you can not be afraid of fines. Be careful: you will most likely need some parking aerobatics skills, as parking spaces are very narrow and often surrounded by columns, not to mention the steep spiral descent from floor to floor of the parking lot.
Don’t forget your beach umbrella and swimsuit
Barcelona is a seaside city. You can combine trips to museums with a siesta on the beach. The main beach of the capital of Catalonia is the city beach of Barceloneta. However, at the height of the season there is nowhere for an apple to fall, not like a beach towel, so it is better to go to the east coast of Barcelona behind Port Olimpic to Icària beach. For those who like to bask in the sun, not embarrassing themselves with a swimsuit, it will be useful to know that a 20-minute walk from the Poblenou metro station is Marbella beach for nudists.