Itinerary
3 days in Barcelona with kids
Three days, one area per day, with the hard thing in the morning and the easy thing after lunch. It is built for a family with a child under 8 and can be stretched for older kids.
Day 1
The waterfront
- Morning
- Be at the aquarium for 10:00 opening and give it two hours, finishing in the children's area. Eat before you leave or straight after, since there is no re-entry.
- Afternoon
- Walk along the quay for the 60-minute Las Golondrinas boat. Then go on to Parc de la Ciutadella for a rowing boat and a run on the paths. With older kids, swap the park for the zoo next door and make it a full afternoon.
- Break
- The boat is the rest. A toddler in a stroller will often sleep through it, and the park afterwards has shade for a longer nap.
Day 2
Gaudí day
- Morning
- Take a 9:30 slot at Park Güell and ride the included Bus Güell shuttle from Alfons X metro. Follow the 50-minute architectural route and stop there if legs are short.
- Afternoon
- After lunch and a rest, go to the Sagrada Família with a basic ticket and keep it to an hour. With under-5s, see the outside and move on. Add the towers only if everyone is 6 or older.
- Break
- Go back to your accommodation between the two. The gap between a morning slot at the park and an afternoon slot at the basilica is the nap.
Day 3
Science and a ride
- Morning
- Take the FGC L7 to Av. Tibidabo for CosmoCaixa at 10:00. Give it two to three hours, including the flooded forest and any workshop you booked. The cafeteria inside opens at 9:00.
- Afternoon
- Cross town to Paral·lel, ride the funicular and take the cable car up to the castle stop. Let the kids run in the gardens at the top before riding down. It is a long hop across the city. If Tibidabo is open that day, going up there after CosmoCaixa is the closer alternative.
- Break
- CosmoCaixa is air-conditioned to 21ºC and has a restaurant, so lunch there doubles as the rest. A stroller nap works on the metro ride across town.