Where to stay in Barcelona family with children?

Where to stay in Barcelona family with children

Where should a family stay in Barcelona? Tips, maps and family friendly places for kids. 


Updated May 2019

Family with children - Map best areas to stay Barcelona

Are you coming on a family break to Barcelona and want to know which neighbourhoods are best for families with children?

There are 4 central Barcelona areas which are most popular and considered the best places to stay in Barcelona for first time tourists on their first visit.

These areas are around central square Plaça de Catalunya, in the Eixample district, in the medieval Ciutat Vella district and in the Sant Marti district

For families with children all these areas are fine to stay in, but each has different qualities which we describe below with some family-friendly hotels and apartment tips.

For families of 4 and above and especially older children, we recommend family apartments or apart-hotels. They are generally better value for families and more convenient. You get more space and there are big savings on services, snacks and meals. Make sure the WiFi works if you have teenagers!

Before you look for places to stay for your family, maybe you want to have a look at Barcelona's top attractions for kids inside the city. They are the Barcelona Aquarium, FC Barcelona Camp Nou stadium, Barcelona Zoo, Tibidabo fairground, Montjuic Magic Fountain, Montjuic castle, riding cable cars, Barcelona boat tours, Ciutadella park and the beaches in the summer (May to Sep).


1st choice familes with children

Plaça de Catalunya area


> Barcelona's downtown central city square
> Located between 19th century area and medieval area 
> Best place to stay for central access to everything.
> Staying 2 or 3 blocks from on or on Plaza Catalunya is great for families with kids because of the central location.
> Good for familes with children of all ages

Why is Plaça de Catalunya area good for families?
From here you can walk to a number of Barcelona's top sights including Casa Mila and Casa Batlló by Gaudí, the gothic area, Barcelona cathedral and more. You will be close to all metro connections. The yellow metro line L4 takes you directly to Barcelona's own beaches but you can also take a coast train and be on amazing beaches north and south of the city in 1 hour or less. You will be close to hop-on-hop-off buses and the airport shuttle bus and the T2A bus to Barcelona's vintage amusement park Tibidabo at top of Tibidabo hill. You will be close to regional train connections, so you can travel outside Barcelona to theme parks like PortAventura World, Ferrariland and to beaches outside Barcelona and sights/areas outside Barcelona.

You can be on very nice quiet beaches north and south of the city in 1 hour or less. There is also a supermarket open til 10pm at department store Corte Ingles, if you are staying in an apartment. I you have teenagers who want brand name stores and Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts etc then all the brand stores are close by. Important safety tip: The metro and trains are very safe (but be aware of pickpockets) and children love riding trains. 

What's the cost? Staying in the downtown central area of Barcelona is of course a little more costly and the area is quite touristy and more noisy. But you save on convenience and travel time and most kids love the bustle of being in the center of a city.


Tips for family friendly stays near Plaza Catalunya

Best reviewed Apartments Pl Catalunya
PG3 Ático en Paseo de Gracia - Rated EXCEPTIONAL
St Anthony Market Nextdoor 
Centre Apartments Barcelona - Rated VERY GOOD
DestinationBCN Universitat  - Rated EXCEPTIONAL
Central Suites Barcelona  - Rated WONDERFUL
You Stylish City Centre Apartments - Rated EXCELLENT
Serennia Apartamentos Ramblas - Rated EXCELLENT
Aspasios Rambla Catalunya Suites - Rated SUPERB
Family apartments Barcelona
Hotels near Plaça de Catalunya


2nd choice family with children

Ciutat Vella district


> Medieval city area
> Narrow streets and old architecture. 
> Best place to stay for history and charm
> Good for familes with children of all ages

Why is Ciutat Vella area good for families?

The medieval parts of Barcelona are very charming and fun for kids. So if you want to give your children some history and culture then the medieval part of Barcelona has plenty of it. This is also where you will find the famous La Rambla street, Barcelona Cathedral, Roman walls and Palau Guell house by Gaudi. The Ciutat Vella ( it means "Old City") is one of the largest medievel city areas in Europe and includes the five oldest neighbourhoods of the city which are called La Raval, Barri Gotic, La Ribera / El Born and Barceloneta. For families with children under 18 we recommend the Gothic neighbourhood and El Born neighbourhood. These are the oldest and have the most history and charm. Here you can visit three gothic churches, wander around the narrow streets and find shops, cafes and restaurants are great.

The Cuitat Vella borders the Port Vell marina where you can find the aquarium, harbour boats and bike tours. If you are in the Ribera/Santa Catarina/Born part of the Ciutat Vella then you are also close to the Park Ciutadella. Know that if you book private minivan tours then pick-ups are more difficult. The taxis will usually get you close to your hotel but tour buses and minivans generally prefer to avoid the very narrow streets.

If you can be in the Gothic area but still walking distance of Plaza Catalunya that is perfect. Travel tips for guests staying in Ciutat Vella: Be careful of pickpockets. Don't buy bags, shoes, soda on the street. It's illegal and street goods can also be infected with E.coli bacteria because the street sellers store their drinks in the sewer drains and the street vendors store their goods in unsanitory places. 

Some recommendations for family friendly stay in Ciutat Vella

Portal de Angel Barcelonastuff Rated VERY GOOD
Sweet Inn Apartments - Ramblas Rated WONDERFUL
Barcelona Mercaders Apartments Rated VERY GOOD
Habitat Apartments Art Rated GOOD
Apartments Ramblas108 Rated VERY GOOD
H10 Madison 4* Sup Rated WONDERFUL
Hotels Gothic area


3rd choice family with children:

Sant Marti district 


> Former industrial area
> Now office and residential area near beaches
> Modern architecture and big beach promenade
> Great place to stay for sea and beaches

In the summer months children love being near the sea. The beaches are safe and there are many activities like bike tours, segway tours etc on the beach promenade. For sea activities like jet-ski, SUP paddle visit the marinas Port Olimpic or Port Forum. If you like walking one can walk in 20 minutes to the older city center areas and attractions liek the Zoo are also quite close. The yellow metro line L4 connects you to the city center and there are some tram connections too. 

Habitat Apartments Vista Rated GOOD
Lugaris beach Apartments Rated FABULOUS
Sealona Beach Apartment Rated FABULOUS
Hotel SB Icaria ★★★★ Rated VERY GOOD
Hesperia Barcelona Del Mar ★★★★ Rated VERY GOOD
Diagonal Zero ★★★★ Rated VERY GOOD
Princess hotel ★★★★ Rated VERY GOOD
Hotel Arts Barcelona ★★★★★ Rated EXCELLENT

Map Barcelona beach hotels
Guide hotels near Barcelona beach
Apartments near Barcelona beaches
Guide Best Barcelona beach hotels
Map Barcelona beach hotels


4th choice family with children: 

Eixample district


> Central area with 19th century modernist architecture. 
> Good  for shopping and comfort
> Eixample is a big district with several local neighbourhoods called "barrios"
> Check where you stay before booking to make sure you have easy access to metro

Why is this neighbourhood good for families:
This would be our third choice for families with children.
It's a little more upmarket, but perhaps a little more boring for children and getting to the children's attractions can involve more walking or more transfers on public transport. If you kids are older and enjoy history and architecture, fine dining and trendy cafes, then Eixample is still a good choice, but maybe for younger kids it will seem a little more boring.

Hotel America ★★★★ Rated EXCELLENT
Boutique Hostemplo Sagrada Familia ★★★ Rated WONDERFUL
Hotel Casa Bonay ★★★★ Rated EXCELLENT
Villa Emilia ★★★★ Rated WONDERFUL
The One Barcelona GL ★★★★★ Rated WONDERFUL
Hotels in Eixample area
Hotels near Passeig de Gracia
Apartments near Passeig de Gracia
Hotels near Sagrada Famila church
Apartments near Sagrada Famila
Hotels near Plaza Espanya
Apartments near Plaza Espanya

Where are Barcelona's top attractions


Barcelona's top 10 attractions are spread around the city as you can see from the map below. 

The most central place for all top sights is near Plaça de Catalunya central square, but the city is small, safe and well connected by metro and tram so you can stay almost anywhere.

Best area to stay in Barcelona Spain


Related pages


Attractions children Barcelona
Planning 2 day visit Barcelona
Planning 3 day Barcelona visit.
Guide to Barcelona's top 10 attractions
Barcelona Cruise passenger guides
Barcelona Travel Tips
 
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 May 2019 10:57
 

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