Things to Do in Barcelona With Family: Six Picks by Age

A good family day in Barcelona has one big stop, one long break and no rush to see everything.

Each pick below names the age it suits, the child price from the official page and how long to plan. Most picks are tickets you use on your own, and that is fine with kids, because you set the pace. A tour only pays off when you want a guide to keep children busy, and the one guided pick here is the Park Güell kids tour. If you would rather have a guide keep the kids busy, look through the forever Barcelona tours and pick by age.

1. Barcelona Aquarium: best for ages 3 to 10 and rainy days

The Aquarium suits children from about 3 years old and works in any weather, because it is indoors. The Aquàrium's own price list shows €30 for ages 11 and over, €23 for ages 5 to 10 and €15 for ages 3 and 4. Children aged 0 to 2 get in free. The Aquarium says it is open 365 days a year from 10 am.

Plan two to three hours, which is our suggestion and not an official figure. The Barcelona Aquarium page on this site has more on tickets. If you want to book ahead, the Aquarium entry ticket is from €30 a person on GetYourGuide, has 4.4 stars from 19,970 reviews and has free cancellation. That is the same as the official adult price, so book where you prefer. You do not need a tour here, because you walk through at your own pace.

2. Park Güell: best for ages 5 to 12

Park Güell suits children from about 5 years old, who can walk the paths and spot the mosaic lizard. Park Güell's price page lists €18 for adults, €13.50 for ages 7 to 12 and free entry for ages 0 to 6. Every visitor needs a ticket, including children with free entry. Once you leave, you cannot go back in. Park Güell is a crowded, popular site, so hold small hands on the steps and keep bags closed.

The park's website says work on drainage and irrigation is affecting visits, so read its notice before you go. For a first visit, the Park Güell kids and family tour lasts 75 minutes and is made for children aged 5 to 10. It is from €30 a person, has a map and stickers, and runs in groups of up to 15. It has free cancellation. The rating is 4.9 stars, but that rests on only 9 reviews, so treat it as a promising pick and not a proven one. The group meets at Ctra. del Carmel 23, the operator is GoforaJourney, and hotel pickup and tips are not included. The tour price includes the park ticket. On your own, the official page shows €18 for an adult and €13.50 for a child aged 7 to 12, so the tour costs more. It pays off when you want a guide to keep a child of 5 to 10 busy. Wear comfortable shoes. If your children are younger than 5, a self-guided visit with the free entry is the simpler choice. The Aquarium, Poble Espanyol and PortAventura tickets need no meeting point, and none of them includes hotel pickup.

3. Poble Espanyol on Montjuïc: best for ages 3 to 12

Poble Espanyol is a good half day for small children, because the whole site is walkable and has family activities. Poble Espanyol's rate page lists €14.40 for adults and €9 for ages 4 to 12 when you buy online in advance. A pack for 2 adults and 2 children is €42. Children aged 0 to 3 get in free.

The Poble Espanyol entry ticket is from €14.40 a person, has 4.1 stars from 3,841 reviews and has free cancellation. GetYourGuide lists a children's area with giant slides in the ticket. The site is not a public playground, but the city also runs 941 play areas, and its council page does not list their ages. Poble Espanyol sits on Montjuïc, so you can stay for the evening and watch the Montjuic fountain. Show days change by season, so check the schedule before you plan the night around it.

4. Sagrada Família: best for ages 8 and up

Sagrada Família suits older children best, but under 11s enter free. The basilica's price page lists €26 for an adult ticket and €0 for under 11s,. Bags are checked at the door, and trousers and skirts must reach at least mid-thigh.

Plan about an hour, our suggestion for children who like buildings. Younger children often tire of standing and looking, so keep this stop short. Book your slot ahead. The Sagrada Família tickets page on this site explains the ticket types.

5. Tibidabo: best for rides and a view

Tibidabo is the amusement park on the hill above the city, and it suits children who like rides and shows. The park's website lists rides, shows and a panoramic viewpoint. Its rates and opening days change by date, and its page did not show them, so check both before you go.

Allow a full afternoon. The park has a funicular, and the getting around Barcelona guide shows how the city's metro, bus and tram fit together. Pack snacks and water for the day.

6. PortAventura: best for older children and teens

PortAventura is the theme-park day trip for older children and teens, and it takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes by train. PortAventura's travel page says the park has its own stop on the R17 and RT2 lines and that, with your ticket, the round-trip train ticket is free for travellers from a Catalonia station. The page does not say whether a ticket bought from a reseller qualifies, so ask before you rely on it.

The PortAventura and Ferrari Land ticket is from €52.50 a person for 1, 2 or 3 days, has 4.3 stars from 2,748 reviews and includes skip-the-line entry to the park. Food and transfers are extra. Read our day trips from Barcelona guide first if you are weighing a long day against a second day in the city.

Pro Tip Book Park Güell and Sagrada Família as timed slots first, because both sell out, and then fit the Aquarium and Poble Espanyol around them.

How to choose things to do in Barcelona with family

Choose by your youngest child, because free ages and prices change with age. For under 4s, pick the Aquarium or Poble Espanyol. For ages 5 to 10, add Park Güell. For teens, add PortAventura. Sagrada Família is free for under 11s, so it costs nothing extra if your children can wait. The only tour here, at Park Güell, lasts 75 minutes, runs in groups of up to 15 and meets at Ctra. del Carmel 23. Hotel pickup and tips are not included.

Key Takeaway For a family with a 4-year-old, Poble Espanyol is free for the child and the Aquarium costs €15, while Park Güell is free up to 6 and Sagrada Família up to 10.

Where to stay in Barcelona with kids

A flat or aparthotel with a kitchen is the easiest base for a family, and the middle of the city saves the most walking. No official page names one best district for families, so this is our view. Pick Eixample or the old town if you want to walk to sights and the metro, and pick Gràcia if you want a quieter street at night. The three stays below cover all three. Ramblas Apartments has a full kitchen in the old town. Aparthotel Silver in Gràcia has kitchenettes and a garden terrace. In summer, the H10 Casanova has an outdoor pool and sits a 10-minute walk from Plaça de Catalunya.

The where to stay page compares the districts, and the Barcelona neighborhoods guide describes each one. Costs add up with children, so check the Barcelona cost page before you book. Many sights are outdoors and uphill, so with a toddler a stroller or a carrier helps on Montjuïc and at Park Güell. For safety, the UK government says to be alert to street crime in Spain, so keep bags closed and children close in crowds.

Things to Do in Barcelona counted 528 GetYourGuide listings for Barcelona and nearby towns on 26 October 2026, and 10 of them have kids, family, aquarium or PortAventura in the title. That is a small share, which is why the list above leans on official tickets and free ages.