Free Activities in Barcelona

In addition to strolling through its parks and squares, visiting its most emblematic spots or enjoying its beaches, Barcelona also offers several other activities free of charge that allow you to discover the city without spending a single euro. Each day of the week you can find free activities for all ages: concerts, projections, theater plays, and even conferences and live storytelling. Though all of these activities can change according to the day, there are other free alternatives to partake in any time of the year, for example:

Free museums

The City Council of Barcelona offers the opportunity to visit the city’s museums without having to pay a cent. The first Sunday of each month, between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., you will find free entrance to various museums, such as the History Museum of Barcelona (Museo de Historia de Barcelona), the Picasso Museum, the Martime Museum, the Pottery Museum, Music Museum or the Natural Science Museum, among several others.

Other museums with free entrance include the Art Museum of Cataluña (Museo de Arte de Cataluña), which can be accessed free of charge on Saturdays after 3 p.m. and the first Sunday of each month. The History Museum of Cataluña (Museo de Historia de Cataluña) allows entrance free of charge the last Thursday of each month.

Free monuments

It is also possible to visit several monuments for free, like the Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón, offering one the best city views from its location on Tibidabo hill, and the Catedral de Barcelona, located in the Gothic neighborhood.

Those wanting to get acquainted with Antoni Gaudí and his relationship with the city, will be please to know that the City Council of Barcelona has created Gaudir+BCN, a cultural record anyone can sign-up on to enjoy the free cultural advantages the city has to offer, like routes through the city, or tickets to Güell Park.

Barcelona will also let you enjoy free shows of such beauty as the one at the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, mixing light, water, and color, or stroll through the Botanical Garden for free the first Sunday of each month, and starting at 3 p.m. on the rest.

Free expos

Aside from granting free access to various museums and monuments, you will also be able to enjoy free temporary expos. This is the case of all the interesting expos organized on La Pedrera’s first floor, a highly recommended visit, both due to the expos themselves and the beautiful interior of the building. The CaixaForum cultural and art enter also offers free expos, located very close by Plaza España. This center will be found in the modernist Fábrica Casaramona, and also hosts free concerts, film projections, conferences, and literary debates.

Free tours in Barcelona

As with any other big city, Barcelona also counts with free tours. These free guided tours allow tourists to visit the best spots in the city and pay in relation to their level of satisfaction. The guides are usually highly prepared, motivated and ultimately nice people who offer some best city tours, meaning most visitors usually enjoy these kinds of tours a great deal. These tours are presented in both English and Spanish and there is no need to hire them, you simply have to check the meeting point at the appropriate hour.

Routes through the cemeteries

Another of the free options you can find in Barcelona is the so-called “Ruta de los Cementerios” (“Cemetery Route”), started in 2004 to promote the touristic appeal of the different city cemeteries. The first and third Sunday of every month you will find a guided tour through the Poblenou Cemetery, full of neoclassic sculptures and tombs belonging to illustrious actors and architects. Montjuic is just another of the most interesting cemeteries, offering guided tours on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Here, you will find works by Josep Puig i Cadafalch or Eusebi Arnau, and the tombs of such renowned people as Joan Miró, Isaac Albeñiz and Francesc Macià.