Top Tips On Visiting Barcelona with Babies

Barcelona Like a Local

Having lived in Barcelona for 5+ years I have nothing but positive things to say about the city. It is definitely one of the best cities in the world.

Barcelona is one of the most popular cities in Europe and it is on the top for many reasons. Its enchanting culture, incredible architecture, food, weather and beaches do not disappoint. As soon as you leave the airport and drive into the city you can see and feel its vibrant energy. Barcelona is definitely addictive.

The Weather

Any time except for Oct/Nov is a great time to visit Barcelona. Although you will not be able to go to the beach during the winter months, the chances are that it will still be sunny and you will be able to walk around the city and have a Paealla on the beach.
The temperatures in the winter range in between 5-15 degrees.
The best months to visit Barcelona are in between April – September. Although in August it can get extremely hot and humid and most of the locals will be off on holidays for the entire month so some bars, restaurants or shops might not be open during that time.
Generally the beach months are in between the end of May & September.

Transportation/ Getting Around

The public transportation (tube system) is really good. It goes until 12am during the week and is 24 hours on Friday and Saturdays.
The taxis´ are quite cheap as well. Just to give you an idea, it is roughly around 30€ from the airport into the city and should only be in between 10-15€ if going from Plaza Catalunya to the Barceloneta beach for example.
There is a regular Bus that goes from the Airport to Plaza Catalunya.
If you are traveling from the old airport (mostly Easyjet flights) then there is a train that goes to Passeig de Gracia as well.
I highly recommend walking through Barcelona and its very easy to find you way around. You can also easily walk from Diagonal down to the beach in 1 hour.
When traveling with Babies I recommend bringing your travel stroller and/or baby carrier.

Baby Products & Baby Essentials

El Corte Ingles is a large department store located in Plaza Catalunya and there is a supermarket at the bottom of the Department store where you should be able to find anything you need.
Alternatively you should be able to find nappies, wipes, formula, paracetamol,sunscreen etc. in local pharmacies. Hero and Aptamil are the formula brands widely sold in Spain.
The tap water quality is really bad and when living there I always bought bottled water so I would highly suggest doing the same.
Other supermarkets in the centre are Carrefour on las Ramblas, Mercadona on Calle Consell de Cent

Babysitting Services

It is not always easy to trust a babysitter to watch your child, even the city you live in, let alone while traveling. However, if you are the type of parents who enjoy a night out while traveling I can highly recommend using Barcelona Babysitter.
A few of my close friends who live in Barcelona recommended this company. We used them as well during our last trip.

Breastfeeding

Barcelona is a very liberal city, you will notice that it is very acceptable to breastfeed in public. I would be very surprised if anyone says anything especially since it is normal to be topless on the beach in Spain.
Do note that since the maternity leave in Spain is only 16 weeks, it is hard for women to exclusively breastfeed while working full time, therefore you will not see too many women breastfeeding babies over 6 months old.

Baby Friendly Restaurants

Barcelona is generally a very baby friendly city and you should be able to go into any restaurant.
Most restaurants might not have a high chair or baby change table. Therefore having a travel stroller is key.
We took our daughter to Barcelona when she was 7 months old and had the mountain buggy nano, which we specifically bought for all of our travels within Europe.
Rambla de Catalunya (just north of Plaza Catalunya) is an excellent street to grab breakfast or lunch. It isn´t over priced unlike Las Ramblas. Rambla de Catalunya is normally where all the locals eat during the week during their lunch breaks.
Alternatively, the Hard Rock Cafe in Plaza Catalunya, El Nacional on Pg de Gràcia & El Jardi Terrace & Tapas on Carrer de l´Hospital are very baby & kid friendly.
In the Barrio Gotico and Eixample areas you will also find quite a few cute restaurants and tapas bars. Restaurants in these areas are also reasonably priced.
CLICK HERE to see a list of our Favourite Baby Friendly Restaurants in Barcelona

Accommodation

Barcelona is generally quite safe, however like every city there are a few areas I would stay clear from with or without babies. One of those areas would be to the right of las Ramblas (el raval). Ladies if going out with your bags or purses wear a bag that goes across your body and watch out on las Ramblas as there are loads of pick pocketer targeting tourists. You will see when there all locals have bags with straps that goes across their bodies.
I would not recommend booking a Hotel or Air bnb on las Ramblas as it gets very loud at night. The Barceloneta area is also quite noisy during the summer in the evenings.
The best areas to stay are north of Plaza Catalunya, like all of Eixample, Vila de Gracia or Ciutat Vella are safe and quite residential.
The last two times we were there we stayed at the Olivia Balmes Hotel & the El Avenida Palace for the pool as our daughter loves swimming. It is in a very safe part of town, walking distance to the centre, with a variety of restaurants and shops on every corner.
Other hotels we stayed at were Eurostar Grand Marina, Petit Palace Barcelona, Grand Hotel Central

The usual tourist spots

La Sagrada Familia. One of the most famous Roman Catholic churches in the world. Designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. You will see while walking through Barcelona the buildings & streets (Passeig de Garcia) was constructed & designed by Gaudí.
Barcelona Aquarium. The aquarium is always a great idea. Especially when traveling with a baby. It is an even better idea than the Zoo if they are younger than 1 year old. See my blog on baby activities on the go.
Montjuïc Magical Fountain. Every Wednesday to Sunday during the summer they have a magic fountain show in Plaça España. See here for the schedule.
Park Güell. Always a good idea. Gaudi´s art and Barcelona City views. See here for details & photos. You need to book your spot online beforehand as it gets really busy. If you just show up you will most likely not get into the main area.
Festival de Gracia. If you go in August make sure to go around the time when they have the festival de Gracia. All the streets in the Gracia quarter will be decorated and the best part is the music, as they have live bands playing into the night for free.
La Mercé was one of my favourite things to go to when living in Barcelona. It is when the entire city transforms into a concert and you can watch live bands play a variety of music all across the city showcasing local or international talent.
Tibidabo Amusement Park. You will have probably read about this in the city travel guides. It is the highest point of the city with great views and has an amusement park for kids, but I would not say it is a place worth going to if you are traveling with a baby.
Casa Mila- La Pedrera (the stone quarry). Another one of Gaudí’s architectural masterpieces. Between June-Sept they have Jazz nights on the Roof terrace. Click here to see the program & purchase tickets.
The Beaches. Babies are allowed at any beach. You generally would not see them on the Bogatell Beach as that is where most of the young & trendy party goers are.

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Day Trips Outside of Barcelona

Sitges. If you are there in the winter time try to go to Sitges for the day, especially when it is sunny its a nice day trip. It is cute & small city approx 35km southwest of Barcelona and takes approx 30-40 min via train from Passeig de Gracia. Sitges is known as the mini Ibiza or Saint-Tropez of Spain for its beautiful architecture.
Costa Brava. The Catalan coastline is the perfect destination for a short getaway from Barcelona. It is particularly known for costal landscapes, coves of paradise, beaches (Tossa de Mar & Cadaqués) and charming villages. Most locals go there for a day or weekend trip during the summer. It is a great idea if you are in Barcelona for 5-6 days.

I know this was quite a bit longer than some of my other Baby City Guides, but since I lived there for quite a long time I have more insider knowledge compared to other cities we would have visited. In any case I am sure there are always more things I can add and people will have questions so if you do please feel free to email us at hello@jetlifebaby.com

besitos xoxo

Happy Baby Happy Travels.

Barcelona with Babies