6 Places Your Kids Will Love in Barcelona {Guest Post by Tiny Fry}
Just as we were thinking about our 2017 travels (which includes a trip to Spain), Samara from TinyFry.com is here to share her best tips for visiting Barcelona with your favorite tiny traveler.
Originally from New York, Samara has lived in Spain for the last 16 years, and she's given these tips a test run with her own little girl.Read on for 6 fantastic places that your kids are sure to love in Barcelona!
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Heading to Barcelona with your family? You’re in luck! Barcelona, like most of Spain, is extremely child-friendly, so you can expect to see kids at all kinds of places, at all hours. They’re welcome everywhere.
This isn’t that surprising, as Spain is a wonderful country with very warm and friendly people. It’s got stunning architecture, an amazing culinary culture, and history abounds around every corner.
There’s no shortage of things to do in Barcelona, but here I’ve highlighted my top six sights to see with kids, just to give you the inside scoop. I picked these places because, for the most part, they’re fantastically unique, they’re fun to visit, and they could definitely spark some interesting conversations with your children.
1) Park Güell
Get a good dose of culture, architecture, and fresh air by visiting this fairy-tale like park in the city’s Gràcia district. This extremely unique park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, whose distinct style is visible throughout Barcelona and who’s considered to be the leader of the Catalan Modernisme movement. The colors, the tiles, the intricate designs—it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Lounge around on the colorful benches and soak up the sun and the atmosphere. The views are pretty awesome too.
2) La Rambla and La Boqueria
Two places you just can’t miss are right in the center of the city. La Rambla is a main avenue stretching almost a mile long, connecting the Placa de Catalunya and the Christopher Columbus monument. What’s special about this street is all the performance art—people dressed up in incredibly imaginative costumes, standing around for everyone to see—creativity and imagination at its best. Kids will absolutely love it.
And while you’re on La Rambla, don’t forget to pop into La Boqueria, Barcelona’s most famous food market. Take a walk around and marvel at the wide variety of colorful, delicious and different food on display, and if you’re daring enough, try something!
Tibidabo is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, which makes it an attraction in itself. It’s on the smaller side, with just 25 rides, but it’s also spectacularly located on a mountain of the same name, which offers incredible views of the entire city.
The adventure begins with the journey to the park, which involves a tram and a funicular up the side of the mountain, and the old-school attractions include the airplane ride Avió, which has been flying since 1928, and Talaia, an emblematic ride opened in 1951 and which reaches a height of 1,500 feet above sea level.
It’s probably safe to say that your kids have never seen anything like this incredible architectural masterpiece, also by Gaudi. While it’s true that Europe is chock-a-block with cathedrals, this Roman Catholic basilica is one-of-a-kind, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From the spires to the façade to the towers, this is one building that will surely leave an impression, and if you can climb the stairs and make your way to the top, you will be richly rewarded with views of the city. Tell your kids the story behind it—about Gothic architecture, about how construction was put on hold because of the Spanish Civil War, and about how it was consecrated in 2010.
5. Ciutadella Park
This is definitely the city’s greenest park, but it offers a lot more than just a place to escape the bustling streets of Barcelona and take a breather. It has, on its grounds, a tropical greenhouse, a waterfall, a stunning fountain, sculptures, the Catalan Parliament building (where you can take a guided tour), the Modern Art Museum (located inside the Parliament building), the Zoological and Geological Museums, a small lake where you can rent a rowboat, and a winter garden pavilion, just to name a few attractions. Grab some snacks to refuel and have a picnic, or wander around and enjoy the fresh air.
6) Bosc Urbà (Urban Jungle)
This last sight is only for the adventurous types. This is a fantastic adventure park for families with children ages 3 and up. With more than 50 attractions, you can banish boredom by spending some time bungee jumping or on the zip lines, suspension bridges, segways, rope swings or the log rolls. The park is arranged by color-coded circuits, and offers everything from low-key activities for the little ones to high-adrenaline thrills for older kids. There’s plenty to do for the whole family, and the park is covered, so you can still head out here if it’s raining. This is a unique place that’s sure to add a whole lot fun into your mix of vacation activities.
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