Ten things you can do for free in Barcelona

Everyone knows that Barcelona is considered to be one of the most expensive cities, which always poses a difficult dilemma when it comes to spending your money on a place to go out; will you just go to one of the clubs in Barcelona, or equally end up at home because you don’t have another alternative? YouBarcelona lays out here for you 10 magnificent plans just for spending a good day with your family, friends or with your girlfriend for FREE! If you don’t mind paying, here we have another post with 10 things that you can do - paying - in Barcelona (under construction). 

Free clubs to party

Did you know that you can have free or discounted access to the best clubs in town joining Lista Isaac? Whether you are into dancing hip hop, reggaeton or electronic music, with YouBarcelona you will find a wide list of clubs where to go for free.  

Open doors of the Hospital de Sant Pau

The new modernist joy of Barcelona, recuperated and restored over 4 years by master builders, you can visit for free till the 16th of March, when you can enter the fully functioning building for an entrance fee of 8euros. Until then, the monumental and impressive legacy of Domènech and Montaner, situated a few steps away from the Sagrada Familia, exhibits its rehabilitated pavillons and its extraordinary mosaics without having to pay out to the ticket office. From 16th of March onwards, the visit will be paying, although the open area will offer seven business days of open doors a year.

• Address: Carrer de Sant Quintí, 89, 08026 Barcelona
• Tel:  93 291 90 00
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 11:00h to 21:00h

"Impressive and hardly-known Modernist Architecture"

 

 Magnficent recuperation of recent history, even stay for this.  Although I didn’t upgrade to the tour guide experience, I’m sure it would be worth the money. Totally essential and recommendable."

 

Parque del Laberint d'Horta

Situated in the old estate of the Desvalls family, the Parque del Laberinto de Horta includes a neoclassical garden from the Eighteenth Century and a romantic garden from the Fourteenth Century, and in the labyrinths main strategy you can see one of the scenes from «El perfume». The water, together with the vegetation, is the grand protagonist of this park, which you can access for free on Wednesdays and Sundays. The number of visitors is limited to a maximum of 750 people at the same time.

• Address: Passeig dels Castanyers, 1, 08035 Barcelona. 
• Tel: 93 256 44 30
• Opening hours: Everyday from 11:00h to 21:00h

" A very pretty place for visiting and walking around in serenity. Very recommendable to go with children or family."

 

 "It’s a pretty place, not spectacular. You can walk around for an hour or an hour and a half. But if you bring something to eat maybe you could stay a bit longer. The labyrinth is small and you’ll complete it in 15 mins maximum."

 

"Charming space in Barcelona and ideal for couples. Peaceful and clean, it’s one of the best parks of the city in my opinion."

Batería antiaérea del Parc de la Rovira

The best views of the city are here, at the top of the Turó de la Rovira; a patrimonial space that conserves the rest of the antiaircraft battery constructed in 1938 to protect the city from bombings, and since 2011 it has been converted into an open-air museum space. With an impressive panoramic 360 degree view of the city, the Turó de la Rovira combines the memory of past military with the history of this neighborhood, where barracks were installed in the same space during the last 60 years, making good use of the structures of the bunkers.

• Address: 08032, Carrer de Marià Lavèrnia, 30, 08032 Barcelona
• Tel: 93 256 21 22
• Opening hours: Everyday except Mondays, from 14.00h to 19.00h

"It’s true that it’s one of the best museums that Barcelona has, and here you can enjoy all types of Catalan art.  I recommend that you go prepared, as it’s a super-big museum and you’ll surely spend more than 4 hours walking around there.."

 

"Impressive collection of mural paintings of romantic art, and very interesting chambers of Gothic Catalan art. The view from the Terrace is also worth it. You can see BCN in 360º.  A visit is obligatory for art lovers."

 

"An essential place to visit if you go to Barcelona. Gorgeous and some nice views of the Tibidabo."

 

"The best museum that I’ve visited in Barcelona."

Mirador del CCCB

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, El Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) has organised many ceremonies, amongst which are the opening, the first Sunday of every month, of the Mirador, which is situated on the 5fth floor in the centre, a window into Barcelona from where you can contemplate the city, the sea, the Gothic Quarter, Montjuïc, the Tibidabo and the tower Collserola. The opening hours are monthly and are from 11:00h to 20:00h.

• Address: Montalegre, 5 - 08001 Barcelona
• Tel: (+34) 933 064 100
• Opening hours: Everyday except Mondays, from 11:00h to 20:00h

"Nice views and exhibitions. Decent viewing. To spend a day doing something different I recommend it."

Fuente mágica de Montjuïc

Constructed with the motive of universal exhibition from 1929, la Fuente Mágica is the star of the show with its waterfalls and ponds and is the central axis of Mariía Cristina, and a polar tourist attraction frequently visited by hundreds.  After staying closed for maintenance works, the fountain reopened at the start of February to return to its spectacles of music and lights that you can enjoy completely for free. Its opening hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 19:00 to 21:00, although from 30th April, thiese will increase from Thursdays to Sundays and from 21:00h to 23:00h.

• Address: Plaça de Carles Buïgas, 1, 08038 Montjuic, Barcelona
• Opening hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 19.00 to 21.00h

Impressive show.  Music, lights, water...Listen to the song "Barcelona" by Freddy Mercury in the background and a moment like this is unsurpassable.

 

Recomendable show, unmissable..

 

Gorgeous setting.. Serene... Clean... and something rare these days. Free!!!! For me, the best photos of Barcelona."

Virreina Centre de la Imatge

Another architectural interest- treat yourself to one of the best examples of Catalan Civil Baroque.  El Palacio de la Virreina, seated in the department of Cultura del Ayuntamiento of Barcelona, welcomes since 2008 a centre of exhibitions centred in photography and images to which access is free.  Actually, the enclosure collects «at a glance», shows of 500 images of photographs by Joan Colom, Francesc Català-Roca, Xavier Miserachs, Oriol Maspons, Leopoldo Pomés and Colita, amongst others.

• Address: Les Rambles, 99, 08001 Barcelona
• Tel: 93 316 10 00
• Opening hours: Every day from 10:00 to 20:30h

 

"Amongst the best photographic exhibitions that pass through Barcelona. Gorgeous architecture and grand rooms."

 

"One of my favourite museums, situated at the feet of the famous Las Ramblas, in an emblematic building, they usually have exhibitions heavily set with videos and images. Very recommendable and a gift for your senses. I love it!"

El yacimiento del Born Centre Cultural

The new expository space of Barcelona, the crown joy of the celebration of the tercentenary, it requires an economical toll if you want to enjoy the exhibitions or venture in the archaeological deposit, but the entry is free for those who conform to cross the 8.000 square metres of this spectacular enclosure, under the imposing structure of metal created by Fontseré in 1876, or who want to discover the remains of Barcelona in 1700 from the walkways that cross the space.

• Address: Barri de la Ribera (Barcelona) Plaça Comercial, 12, 08003 Barcelona
• Tel: 93 256 68 51
• Opening hours: Everyday from 10:00h to 20:30h

 "Very interesting and well taken care of. You can see how Barcelona was in the Eighteenth Century, its streets, its houses... and the history."

 

"An antique market in the municipal converted into a cultural centre. A visit is obligatory to discover Barcelona, where you can make your visit with a tour guide to know more about the history of the city and what happened in 1714. It's recommended to walk around the surroundings and to discover the Born area which is a joy."

 

Cementerio de Poblenou

Here is the first civil cemetery of the city and its origin dates back to 1775, although burnt after the French War and the Italian Antoni Ginesi redesigned it in 1819 to convert it into a gorgeous example of Neoclassical architecture. Narcís Monturiol, Josep Anselm Clavé, Narcís Oller, Mary Sampere i Cassen, amongst others, are some of the people that are buried in this dreamy space, that offers visitors free guides through the  29 tombs on the first and third Sunday of each month.  The itenary allows you to make a historical tour around the city in the Nineteenth Century.

• Address: Av. Icària, s/n, 08005 Barcelona
• Tel: 93 225 16 61
• Opening hours: Everyday from 8:00h to 18:00h

"To my tastes it's one of the prettiest cemeteries there is in Barcelona, a few times a year there are tour guides and the guides are illustrious people that there are some buried in the same cemetery."

 

"This cemetery is one of the oldest in Europe and is very pretty.."

 

"Nice, for me it's amongst the best in Spain, a walk along its streets is very relaxing."

 

 

Free internet

Barcelona, Capital of the mobile phone industry and headquarters of the Mobile World Congress, can't stay behind in free internet access and offers a total of 441 connection points distributed throughout the municipals, in facilities such as libraries and other spaces situated in the way of the public. The service is offered by the local government, and advertises itself as the biggest red Wifi free for public citizens in the country, and one of the most important in Europe.