You are sitting at breakfast on the terrace of your holiday home on the Costa Brava. The children have finished playing in the pool, the mountains have been explored and they fancy a change. “Can we go to Barcelona?” The good news: Barcelona is less than an hour's drive away. The bad news: there is so much to do that it is impossible to fit everything into one day. But with the right selection, it will be a day that no one will forget.
The drive: fifty minutes and you are there
From Tordera, you drive via the AP-7 or the C-32 towards Barcelona. The drive takes about fifty minutes, depending on the traffic. It is best to leave early, before nine o'clock, so that you beat the morning rush hour in Barcelona. The best place to park is in one of the underground car parks near Passeig de Gràcia or by the harbour (Port Vell). Expect to pay around 20 to 30 euros for a full day.
An alternative: drive to the station of Blanes or Malgrat de Mar and take the train (Rodalies, line R1). The children often find the train at least as much fun as the destination itself.
Morning: La Sagrada Família (and why you need to pre-book)
You can't go to Barcelona without seeing the Sagrada Família. Even children who normally have zero interest in architecture stand here with their mouths open. The light falling through the stained glass windows, the tree-like pillars, the colours dancing through the space. It is overwhelming, in the most beautiful way.
Book your tickets online well in advance. The queue at the ticket office is endless and you don't want to stand there with children. Choose the earliest time slot available. It's quieter and cooler in the morning.
Dorien van Nieukerken, founder of Mas Corazón, calls the Sagrada Família “a prayer in stone.” She has been going there for years and continues to be amazed. “Gaudí did not build with his head but with his heart. You can feel that in every arch, every pillar. It is a place that touches children and adults in precisely the same way: with wonder.”
Top tip: Discover Barcelona by bike with a Dutch-speaking guide
Honestly, this is the cleverest way to do Barcelona with kids. Instead of endless walking (and the whining that goes with it), you hop on a bike and in three hours you ride past the Sagrada Família, the harbour, Casa Batlló, Ciutadella Park, the Arc de Triomf and the Passeig del Born. You see more in one morning than most tourists do in two days, and the kids love it because they're being nicely active instead of trudging along behind you.
What makes it extra nice: the guides speak Dutch. That makes a huge difference when you have children who are asking questions (and they do, non-stop). The whole tour is tailored to families, you cycle at a leisurely pace, and along the way there are plenty of stops for photos and explanations. Child seats and children's bikes are available for smaller kids, so it works out great even with a mix of ages.
The route goes largely along cycle paths and through parks, so you don't need to worry about heavy traffic. And the great thing is: afterwards you immediately have a good impression of the city and know exactly which places you want to visit on your own later in the afternoon.
The bike tour is provided by Baja Bikes, a Dutch company that has been doing this in Barcelona for years. Handy: you can cancel or change for free, and you only pay on the spot. Not unimportant when you are travelling with children and plans sometimes change.
Late morning: Park Güell
From the Sagrada Família, Park Güell is about twenty minutes by taxi (or the metro, line L4 to Alfons X and then walking). This colourful park by Gaudí is a playground for the imagination. The mosaic benches, the undulating shapes, the dragon at the entrance. Children run around here as if they have ended up in a fairy tale.
The same applies here: buy your tickets in advance for the monumental zone (the part with the famous mosaic bench and the columns). The surrounding park is free to enter and there is plenty to discover there too.
Tip: bring water and fruit. There are few shady spots and it can get hot there.
Lunch: La Boqueria or the harbour
For lunch, you have two fantastic options. The first is Mercat de la Boqueria, the famous covered market on La Rambla. Here, you will eat your way through a world of fresh fruit juices, Spanish ham, olives, seafood and creative tapas. Children love walking past the stalls and choosing what they want to try for themselves.
The second option is the port, Port Vell. Here you will find various restaurants with terraces by the water, and the children can look at the boats after dinner. Furthermore, the next item on the itinerary is just around the corner.
Lunch option 1: L’Aquàrium de Barcelona
By the harbour is the largest aquarium in Europe on the Mediterranean. The eighty-metre-long glass tunnel, where sharks and rays swim overhead, is a highlight for children (and frankly for adults too). There are interactive zones for younger children and regular feeding sessions that are well worth seeing.
Allow an hour and a half to two hours for a visit. Enough to keep the children entertained, not so long that they get fed up.
Lunch option 2: Barceloneta beach
Sometimes the simplest thing is best. After a morning full of impressions, an hour on the Barceloneta city beach can be exactly what everyone needs. The children build sandcastles, the parents stretch their legs, and you enjoy the unique feeling of being on the beach in the middle of a cosmopolitan city. Grab an ice cream from one of the pavement cafés along the promenade.
Late afternoon: a walk through the Gothic Quarter
If the children still have energy (and somehow they always do), stroll through the Barri Gòtic. This is the oldest part of Barcelona, a maze of narrow streets, small squares with musicians, ice cream shops and hidden courtyards. Children find it exciting to walk through the dark alleyways and suddenly emerge onto a sunny square.
At the Plaça del Rei you can see the foundations of the old Roman city. And Barcelona Cathedral, with its Gothic spires and the courtyard full of geese, is free to visit (except via the tourist entrance).
Return journey: tired and satisfied
Around five or six o'clock is a good time to drive back. The children will probably fall asleep in the back seat. Fifty minutes later you will be back at the estate, where the silence of the Catalan hills forms the perfect contrast to the energy of Barcelona.
“That is what I love so much about this location,” says Dorien. “You have the best of both worlds. The peace and quiet and nature on the estate, and one of Europe’s most beautiful cities an hour’s drive away. You don’t have to choose, you can have both.”
Practical summary
A day out in Barcelona with children from your holiday home on the Costa Brava is quite doable. Set off early, book tickets for the Sagrada Família and Park Güell in advance, have lunch at the market or by the harbour, choose between the aquarium and the beach in the afternoon, and stroll back through the old town. By six o'clock you'll be back by the pool.
And should Barcelona feel just a little too far away one day? The charming city of Girona is a forty-minute drive away and is just as worthwhile, but in a more compact, child-friendly format. More on that another time.
Are you staying at More HeartAsk Dorien or the team for their personal Barcelona tips. They know the city inside out.
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