Guide to Barcelona

Visiting Barcelona with children

Thursday, 10 September 2009 15:34

Barcelona with children

There is no doubt that Barcelona is one of the most famous tourist destinations around the world and many come back and visit this wonderful city again and again. For many, Barcelona is an ideal destination for a romantic trip or to visit with friends as the city has a vast range of culture and nightlife, high quality food and exceptional architectural and urban beauty. Does this mean that  Barcelona is unsuited to travelling with children? Well, the answer is a resounding NO. On the contrary, it is our opinion, as locals can testify, that it is a wonderful city to explore with the family, if you know where to go and what to do. We have taken the time to write this text on visiting Barcelona with children as we are also parents of children.

Before recommending specific sites and attractions designed to include children, we first want to mention that our city is fun for children regardless of the attractions. Strolling down "Las Ramblas"  the  children will love the human statues. We recommend that you dedicate a small budget of a few  euros so the kids can drop them in the boxes of the most interesting statues to provoke a reaction. Some are really funny! The animal seller stalls on Las Ramblas is an attraction for children and they  may even touch the pet guinea pigs and rabbits. Then following down Las Ramblas you can browse together  some of the hundreds of postcards of Barcelona at the displays at tobacconists and souvenir shops.

At some point if you may wish to wander from the Ramblas turning left into the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) and explore the wonderful shops that are hidden in alleys. These alleys are ideal for little ones, as there is little movement of cars and are full of ice creams, trinkets, souvenirs, paintings, bars and restaurants and space so they can run from one place to another safely. Watch them so they do not get lost in the crowd, especially on weekends and holidays when the old city is full of people.

Still near Las Ramblas and in the Ciutat Vella, I can recommend taking them to visit the Boqueria market. Kids love this market. It's a very neat and clean market (covered) and with a huge variety of products of all kinds, many very exotic and presented in a very curious and attractive. There you can buy a small salad of fresh fruit for a couple of Euros and fresh juices for vitamins!

If after all that have not yet been exhausted and before stopping for lunch at one of the Fast foods abound, such as McDonald of Las Ramblas in the corner with Calle Ferran, you can walk around the Rambla de Raval, to visit the "Cat" from the famous sculptor Botero. It is an impressive work of art that kids love because they can climb up and throw the cat's whiskers. On Sundays there is a very interesting craft market where you can buy them a hippie shirt or an ecological toy.

If after eating the kids menu at a fast food of these (I do not recommend it and I think any restaurant is better for them) they feel like something  sweet,  you can take the famous "escriba", a chocolates and sweets shop dating from 1903, where you can take a coffee or tea and they can eat the chocolates.

If you do not want to leave the neighborhood, you can take them to the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, which is at the very  end of the Ramblas. Besides the permanent exhibitions there are different echibitions of interest and organized activities for children. For more information on children's activities you can visit the museum website.

Another interesting place where you can bring the kids and pass practically the whole day with them is the Maremagnum shopping centre. Situated at the bottom of Las Ramblas this centre is where you will find the IMAX 3D movie theater, the famous Aquarium of Barcelona, the old port of Barcelona,with plenty of short cruises around the port and further, an official FC Barcelona shop as well as many bars, ice cream stands and restaurants. The Maremagnum also organizing events for the family.

From the Maremagnum you can go walking to visit the Zoo of Barcelona. Since “Copito de Nieve” (Snowflake) , the last white gorilla, passed away a few years ago, the Barcelona's zoo has lost its main attraction on a world scale. However it is still, in my opinion (which is completely not objective) one of the nicest zoos in the world. All you should do is walk along the Paseo Isabel II for 10 minutes until you arrive to the Ciudadela park, cross the park and you are in the zoo entrance.

There is no reason for children to feel bored. Barcelona is also a popular destination for families, because there is enough to do for all ages.

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