Free excursions in Barcelona
It is better to get acquainted with the sights of Barcelona in the company of a local guide. A budget option is free excursions, where you determine the amount of remuneration to the guide yourself at the end of the tour. On such excursions you will have to walk, and the guide’s stories will be in English or Spanish.
Free guided tours of Barcelona:
- Free Tour of Barcelona. In 2.5 hours you will learn the history and interesting facts about the main sights of the old city. The group meets at Plaza Catalunya every day at 11:00. It is better to book seats (no more than 8) for the tour in advance on the website.
- Generation Tours Barcelona offers a free tour of the works of the legendary Antoni Gaudi, including the Sagrada Familia. The tour lasts 2.5 hours from Friday through Sunday at 15:00. Registration (up to 6 people) on site is required.
Parks of Barcelona
There are very few large well-maintained parks in Barcelona, mostly squares and small squares with benches and vegetation around the perimeter. There are often homeless people sitting or lying on the benches, so it is unlikely that you will be able to take a break in comfort. Another thing — large fenced park complexes, entrance to which is usually paid, but there are exceptions. Here you can spend a few hours hiding from the summer heat, studying interesting species of animals and vegetation and taking lots of cool photos.
Parc del Laberint d’Horta (Parc del Laberint d’Horta)
I recommend taking a break from the bustle of the city on the outskirts of Barcelona, in a garden of the XVIII century with fountains and pavilions, rare trees and flowers, statues and a living labyrinth of cypresses.
The park became especially famous after the filming of scenes for the movie «Perfume». It is forbidden to ride bicycles and rollerblades on the territory, to organize picnics. Maximum 750 people are allowed into the park (during the COVID-19 pandemic the number was reduced to 250), but it is not the most popular attraction in Barcelona, so you are unlikely to see a queue of tourists at the entrance.
The park is divided into two parts: a neoclassical garden with pergolas, a large maze of cypresses and a romantic garden with flower beds and a waterfall.
- Admission (cash payment only): 2,23 € adult, children under 14 years old — 1,42 €, children under 5 years old — free of charge.
- Free: weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays through Sept. 24.
- Mode of operation: April-October from 10:00 to 20:00, November-March from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Orta’s Labyrinth Park website.
Barcelona Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanico de Barcelona)
This garden was founded in 1999 on Mount Manjuic. Here, over 1.5 thousand species of plants from the Mediterranean and similar climatic regions of our planet are collected on the territory of 14 hectares.
The garden is divided into several parts with species native to the regions of South Africa, California, Chile, Australia and the Mediterranean coast. Each plant has a plaque with its name. The botanical garden hosts temporary thematic exhibitions and is open all year round.
- Admission is from 5 €.
- Free on February 12 and 13, May 18 and September 24, and on Sundays: the first of the month all day, the rest after 3 p.m.
- Website of the Botanical Garden of Barcelona.
Parc de la Ciutadella (Citadel Park)
This 18-hectare park is called the «green lungs» of the city. It was built on the site of a military citadel in the second half of the 19th century. The park is located in the city center, so there are always many visitors.
There is the Barcelona Zoo and a former military arsenal building built in the 18th century, which is now the Parliament of Catalonia. The centerpiece of the park is the Monumental Cascade fountain with a statue of Venus and a small lake where you can go boating. Don’t forget to take a picture with the mammoth sculpture in real scale (height 3.5 m) and watch the parrots that live in the trees. The park is well-maintained, with few benches, but plenty of green lawns where locals relax.
- Admission is free.
- Mode of work: every day from 10.00 to 22.30.
- The Citadel Park website.
Barcelona Museums
Some of Barcelona’s 55 museums are privately owned and you can’t get into them for free. The state museums are another matter: some of them let visitors in free of charge during certain hours.
National Museum of Art of Catalonia (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya)
It’s #1 among the city’s museums according to TripAdvisor. Housed in the chic National Palace, built for the World’s Fair in the late 1920s, it houses exhibits from the 10th century to modern Catalan art. For example, a large collection of Romanesque frescoes, wood paintings and wooden sculptures from the 10th-12th centuries, paintings by Rubens, El Greco, Velázquez and Goya.
- The entrance fee is 12 €.
- Free: every Saturday from 3:00—6:00 p.m. in the winter and 8:00 p.m. in the summer, and all day on the first Sunday of the month.
- Website of the Museu Nacional de Arte de Catalunya.
Museo Picasso (Picasso Museum)
The museum’s exposition is dedicated to the works of the famous Spanish artist. The basis of the permanent collection is 4251 works by Pablo Picasso. The museum opened its doors in 1963 and occupies five medieval houses in Gothic and Renaissance style.
- Admission is 12 €.
- Free: February 12, May 18 and September 24, Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., all day on the first Sunday of the month.
- The website of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.
Barcelona Maritime Museum (Museu Marítim de Barcelona)
Barcelona is a port city and its formation and prosperity has been greatly influenced by the sea. This part of Barcelona’s history is told in the Maritime Museum. Here, in the building of medieval royal shipyards, navigational charts and instruments, drawings and photographs, ship models and the museum’s pride — a life-size replica of a 16th century galley.
- Admission is 10 €.
- Free: every Sunday from 15:00 to 20:00.
- Website of the Barcelona Maritime Museum.
Montjuic Fortress (Castillo de Montjuic)
This historic structure, built in 1694 on the top of a hill (170 meters), played a significant role in the military events of the city for two centuries. From the end of the 19th century to 1960 it was a prison, and from 1963 to 2011 the Military Museum worked in the main building of the fortress. Now there is a cultural center, where musical and educational events are organized. I recommend climbing up to the fortress to see the structure itself, the courtyard gardens and spectacular views of the port of Barcelona and the city itself.
- Admission is 5 €.
- Free: all day on the first Sunday of the month, every Sunday from 3:00pm to 8:00pm.
- Monjuic Fortress website.
Churches and cathedrals of Barcelona
There are about 200 religious sites in Barcelona. I will tell you about the most memorable and popular ones, and how to visit them absolutely free of charge.
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia (Basilica of the Holy Family)
The Sagrada Familia is the symbol of Barcelona and the most famous creation of Antoni Gaudi. You won’t see such a miracle anywhere else, so I recommend you to see at least the facades of the long-built cathedral for free. The cost of access inside is 26 €. And if you want to look inside for free, then come to the international mass in advance (about 30—40 minutes in advance) to take a queue of those who want to get in. The entrance to the mass is from the side of the Nativity facade.
- Mass times (free admission): Sunday from 9:00 to 10:00.
- Holy Family Shrine website.
Cathedral (Catedral de Barcelona)
The Cathedral is located in the center of the Gothic Quarter. It is impossible to pass by this chic huge structure with carved spires and expensive interior. And don’t forget to look into the inner courtyard of the cathedral with a fountain, a small garden with 13 white geese. The cathedral is active, so you can see the interior decoration for free during mass.
- Entrance to the cathedral is 9 €.
- Free (Mass): weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday afternoon service is an hour longer.
- Barcelona Cathedral website.
Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar (Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar)
It is a Gothic church, often referred to as Barcelona’s «Sea Cathedral». The Basilica looks simpler than the Cathedral, because it was built by the inhabitants of the prosperous La Ribera neighborhood: artisans, sailors and traders. The facade of stone, which was carried by port movers from Mount Manjuic, is modestly decorated, but the most interesting thing is inside. The church is designed in such a way that it is very spacious and bright. The basilica is active and admission is always free. And don’t let the ticket sales at the entrance confuse you — it’s access to the basilica’s museum and crypt for 5 €.
- Mode of operation: Monday-Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 17:00 to 20:30, Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:30.
- Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar website.
Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Temple del Sagrat Cor de Jesús)
The cathedral is visible from any neighborhood of Barcelona, because it is built on the highest point of the Catalan capital. The cathedral was begun in the early 20th century and completed in 1961. It consists of two parts: the Neo-Romanesque crypt made of sandstone from the Manjuïc mountain and the Neo-Gothic white upper church. At the top of the central tower is an 8-meter-high statue of Christ. From here you can enjoy the best views of the whole of Barcelona.
Entrance is always free, and for 4 € you get access to the second and third terrace and get a better view of the city.
- Mode of operation: daily from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00.
- Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus website.
Free WiFi
There are several hundred points of free WiFi (Barcelona WiFi) installed in the city. What is important to know:
- Free Wi-Fi points are available in large shopping centers. Most often you have to register a little to get in, but the internet speed is very good.
- At subway stations, train stations, airports and even buses (look for the letter W in the blue square at the entrance) no registration is needed, just turn on the WiFi function on your device and it will automatically connect.
- On the street, most of Barcelona WiFi is located in the Old Town area and is marked by a pole with a W Barcelona WiFi icon on a blue background.
- The free internet speed is enough to check your mail, read the news, send messages on social networks. The closer you are to the pole labeled Barcelona WiFi, the better the internet speed.
- The street WiFi hotspot can be overloaded, so be patient or find another one. For example, I was unable to connect to WiFi in the busy Plaza Catalunya, but had no problem with it in Citadel Park.
- Free WiFi in Barcelona is available from 8am to 1am.
Free water in Barcelona
There are fountains on the streets of Barcelona, where you can stock up on drinking water and save up to 2 € per 0.5 liter on buying bottled water.
There is a legendary fountain in Barcelona (Font de Canaletes): according to legend, if you drink from it, you will definitely return to the capital of Catalonia. And also near it traditionally gather jubilant fans of FC Barcelona after the victory of their favorite team. The metal fountain with four lanterns at the top was installed at the end of the XIX century on the famous Rambla, a few steps from Plaza Catalunya.
Free toilets in Barcelona
Public street toilets in Barcelona are only installed along the seafront from the beginning of spring and removed by winter. There is even liquid soap and toilet paper. But in the city you can’t find individual stalls on the street. You can go into a cafe, buy something and use the toilet. In chain cafes, such as Pans&Company or KFC, they give you a code to use the restroom with your receipt, which is valid for a day.
Always and without spending money you can use the restrooms in large shopping centers:
- Maremagnum is near the Columbus statue. The restroom is located on the 2nd floor, you will probably have to wait in line.
- El Corte Ingles in Plaza Catalunya. It is not so easy to find a toilet here. There are no toilets on the first floor, go up higher and look at the signs under the ceiling, sometimes you have to walk around the whole floor to find the coveted sign. For example, there is a toilet on the children’s 4th floor near the departments with accessories for babies.
- Las Arenas near Plaza España and Mount Montjuïc, on the 2nd floor.
Another option is the Sants train station (Estació de Barcelona-Sants) or the French station (Estacio de Franca) near the Citadel Park, where toilets are also free.
