Finding fun, free things to do is a high priority when traveling to a new city. Want to immerse yourself into a culture without paying a dime? Count me in. There are plenty of things you have to pay for when traveling, so free is great.
I found many things to do in Barcelona without having to spend money.
So here are a few things you can add to your itinerary!
Make friends with locals. I cannot stress enough how much I love Airbnb. It proved to be such a great tool to find great accommodations throughout Europe. (Here are some tips to find the best one!) Our host while in Barcelona was Iain. It was a match made in heaven. He showed us all of the local spots and gave us great tips! We’ve developed a life long friendship him (It’s already established, Iain!) & are so grateful that we booked his listing.
This is Iain’s little buddy, Rascal. Barcelona is SO dog friendly. You can just sit at one of the patios and just see all of the dogs walk by.
You can also find some free entertainment. Grant it, if you feel engaged to tip, of course, do. But pretty much every patio you sit at you can find some type of performer. ^^This guy^^ did a really great job.
Walking around is something you can definitely do for free. You just need to know where to walk, huh? The Gothic Quarter is a sight to be seen. It’s located in old town Barcelona where you can find buildings that date back to Medieval and even Roman times. Sad we didn’t see this bridge! Next time.
Pictured ^^here^^ is the Cathedral of Barcelona. This gothic cathedral is a great place to start your walk around the Gothic Quarter. Plaça Sant Jaume & Placa Reial are two other squares that are absolutely goregous and a great launching point to find a meal or wine. (A tip from Iain: Placa Reial is THE place to eat and drink!)
We also enjoyed going to the beach. We watched a volleyball game, laid out in the sun, & people watched. Of course free activities can become cheap activities if you’d like. We also partook in some beach mojitos sold by some vendors.
Parc del Montjuic provides great views of the city. We’d spend hours walking throughout that area. After traveling for so long, it’s nice to do normal things like walk the dogs in a gigantic park. Highlights in that area include:
Hotel Miramar – a beautiful hotel you can simply look at, like we did, or book if you’d like!
Jadin de Miro – A sculpture garden.
& fun activities throughout the park!
And then there’s The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc in the Plaza España (a pretty popular square for travelers, so I’m sure it will be easy for you find). This 86 year old fountain is a “spectacular display of color, light, motion, music and water acrobatics” all for free! So pack yourself some snacks and enjoy the show! You can find directions and show times here.
I’m sure there are a ton more things to do for free in Barcelona but these five definitely provide variety. You don’t want to just visit museums when you travel! Meet locals, do activities you’d do at home & throw in a magic fountain. 😉
Have you been to Barcelona? Any other activities I haven’t mentioned? I’d love to hear from you!
– Christina
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