I really liked Barcelona. But boy oh boy, could I have done it better! We stopped in Barcelona for a few days on the front and back end of our month-long trip to Granada, and while I did have an idea how I wanted the days to go, I just wasn’t as prepared as I usually like to be. Call it widow fog, call it mom brain, whatever it was, I made the mistakes so you don’t have to! Here are the best tips before your visit to Barcelona!
Book Tickets for the Sagrada Família Early
I let this one sneak up on me and missed out our first go-around! Be sure to book your tickets at least 6-8 weeks in advance, or even earlier if you don’t have much flexibility in your schedule. This is one of the top two most visited sites in Spain (it trades the top spot with the Alhambra in Granada every so often), and Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world, so you can imagine this is a disaster for those who don’t book this ticket in time. I totally dropped the ball on this, thinking because we visited in winter, it wouldn’t be a problem. It was a problem! I did get tickets one second time around, though.
More here: Your Guide to the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain
Minors Can’t Take the Fast Lane at Passport Control
As a well-traveled single mom of a toddler, this surprised me. Almost every airport I’ve flown through since my daughter was born has had a “family lane” at customs and passport control. Not Barcelona! There was a fast lane, but we weren’t allowed to take it, “because baby,” but I never got to the root of what that meant. The border agent needed to check the parent’s passport with the baby’s to make sure I’m really her parent? Babies just aren’t allowed to go in the fast lane? No idea.
So, we waited over an hour to get to the border agent, no matter how much I needed to feed Iris or how much I needed to change her diaper. I don’t expect to be entitled to anything when we travel, but this was definitely not the norm across the board, in my experience. If you’re traveling with a baby, be ready for a loooooong wait at customs!
Also helpful: How to Get Your Baby’s First Passport
Take Uber from the Airport and Back
Taxis are about €20 more than Uber from the airport into Barcelona. Yikes! We Ubered from the airport to the Gothic Quarter twice, but on the way to the airport that last morning, the hotel porter offered to get us a taxi, and I just wasn’t up to fighting it and saying I’d get an Uber. I was traveling solo with five pieces of luggage and a baby after a month of traveling. So, I paid way more than I should have. Pick your poison!
More here: The Best Tips for Taking Uber with a Baby
It’s Not Entirely Walkable
Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, which is the old city, is very walkable. Barcelona Cathedral, shops, restaurants, Casa de l’Ardiaca, Parc de la Ciutadella, and the coast are all walkable and easy to get to. But if you also plan to visit the more modern city, which includes the Arc de Triomf, Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and the Monumental Bullring of Barcelona, those are quite far from the Gothic Quarter, and actually quite far from each other as well. You can walk to all these places, but it’ll take a while (and Park Güell is up hill!), so you may want to consider taking a taxi or Uber to these sites.
Read next: What to Know Before You Visit Spain
You Need Tickets to Visit the Park Güell
This was a major disappointment! We got to Park Güell (my friend and I had walked there, since we had the baby with us and nowhere to stash the car seat if we had taken a taxi or Uber), and tickets were sold out! I honestly just dropped the ball on this. I knew there was this famous park designed by Gaudí, but I wasn’t sure of the name, and I just figured we’d be able to just walk in. It’s an outside park, after all. But no, you need tickets. Normally, you’ll be able to get tickets with a few days’ notice, but because we were there on New Year’s Day, lots of other people had the same idea.
So, I tried again at the end of our trip, because we passed through Barcelona for a few days on our way home. I saw that there were tickets available, so I ordered an Uber and decided it was probably okay to have Iris in the carrier with me in the back seat, as long as I was buckled in appropriately. Every Uber and taxi driver I’d had the whole month in Spain seemed so surprised that I wanted to put the baby in a car seat, so I thought it must not be common in Spain if you’re just taking a short drive. But my Uber driver refused to take us. I gave up. I’ll have to plan better and get to Park Güell next time.
Keep reading: How I Planned to Spend a Month Abroad with a Toddler
Don’t Be an Obnoxious Tourist
Spain has been in the news in recent years (along with a few other very popular countries and major cities) due to protests of over tourism. Barcelona has honestly been one of the most notorious in this regard, so just be extra aware of that while you’re here. Air BnBs have made housing costs too high for locals, and taken away housing options for them; sites are crowded; and day-to-day life has become too expensive for many locals as well. Protests include attacking tourists with water guns, blocking hotel entrances, anti-tourist graffiti, and demonstrations around popular tourist attractions.
Basically, just try to blend in, be grateful for any hospitality you receive, and don’t be obnoxious.
Read on: What to Do When There’s No One to Watch Your Baby on Travel
Want more? Check out my dedicated Spain Page!
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Thanks for all this information
You are so welcome! Have the best time!