Barcelona’s Best: Seven-Day Family Vacation

As cheesy as it may sound and look, Barcelona’s hop-on-hop-off bus is a great way to get around such a big city as a family. It will be much more comfortable than the metro when you have a stroller and has the advantage of stopping directly outside the key points of interest. In a city with so many distinct neighborhoods, a single-family bus ticket means that you can explore without having to walk too far. Best of all, most of the highlights will be visible directly from the open-air top deck, so even without hopping off, you will get a glimpse of different treasures.

This day will be left free, and you can plot a route that suits your interests. One essential afternoon stop is Park Guell. Peculiar chimneys hold up bridges here, and artistic serpents and surreal figurines dot the open spaces. Standing high above the city, this park was designed by Gaudi, and it is where local families go to relax in the late afternoon after most of the tourists have left. You will wander Gaudi’s art nouveau pathways and find glorious spots for watching the sun come down behind the city. Although Park Guell is located upon an incredibly steep hill, there are outdoor escalators that take you up from the main street.

Javelins of colorful light will shoot in through the stained glass, and immense twisted pillars will rise around the nave. It will be easy to get lost in the details, and you will not be the only visitor to be frozen, in awe, of what is still being constructed. You will visit with a local guide this morning, which is the best way to understand the cathedral’s architecture and history. Mornings are better as they are quieter, so it will be easier to seek out some of the cathedral’s secrets. The guide will accompany you to a local lunch spot after the tour where the tapas menu will be both Catalan and international.

You will then travel further north, first by road, and later on a cool funicular tram. Chuntering skywards, you will reach an amusement park with an old-world charm. Families have been coming here for over a century, and it is entirely different from American-style theme parks. It will be a funfair of carousels, spinning rides, cotton candy, and vintage designs that will transport you into the set from a late 19th-century movie. Tibidabo will also offer stunning views over Barcelona. Most children will not want to leave, and it is the city’s number one family attraction. Even up here while riding a statuesque horse, there will always be a keen sense of Catalonia’s distinctive culture.

Trophies will shimmer behind the glass as the maroon and blue striped shirts are hung up in the dressing room: Messi, Suarez, and Dembele. You will then walk down the tunnel and out towards the hallowed turf where you will be surrounded by 100,000 seats. FC Barcelona is one of the world’s most famous soccer teams. A tour of the stadium will help take in the history along with a sense of what it is like to be playing for the club. There will be an interactive element to the tour as well where you will learn about past legends and playing virtual soccer against a famous old goalkeeper.

Barcelona is famous for its art nouveau architecture. Unfortunately, wandering around old buildings is not always the most engaging experience for children, especially when you are not allowed to touch them. The majority of this Catalan architecture is located in Eixample, which is a neighborhood that still rolls with a glamor of a century ago. There is also Casa Batllo with its dazzling staircase and Casa Mila with the peculiar rooftop chimneys. Others dot the area, but a local guide will show you around three of these houses, so you can also compare Gaudi with his teacher, Montaner.

There is also something for kids here. Torre de les Aigues was first built to provide fresh water to all these upmarket townhouses. It has recently been converted into a swimming pool and park and is now an oasis of art nouveau bliss that provides relief from Barcelona’s heat. So, you can stay immersed in the iconic architectural style while splashing and paddling the rest of the afternoon away. After a busy day, you will return to the beachside hotel and continue to find new lanes and restaurants to try.

Ascending a spiral ramp, you will enter Europe’s largest science museum, which is an interactive space that transports you across the world. You can explore the Flooded Forest, which is an Amazon replica that is complete with humid stickiness or follow the geological wall, touching and learning about different types of rock. You will continue through a floor that is dedicated to matter, with various hands-on features to try. CosmoCaixa is not usually very busy on weekdays, so you will not need to wait for any of the exhibits. You will be transferred here privately and can plan a visit once inside, depending on how much the kids are enjoying it.

History will serenade you through the afternoon when a local guide leads you on a walking tour of Barri Gotic and the oldest parts of the city. Guitarists will play on the street as you stroll down Las Ramblas, and strange fruits will excite your palate when you explore the colorful stalls of La Boqueria, which is a delightful city market. Heading deeper into Barri Gotic, you will hear tales of Roman rulers and ghostly heritage, and then you will dip into a Gothic church before having refreshments on an elegant and hidden plaza. Barcelona has a history that will speak to you, and this tour is all about making it come alive, so you will be able to sense how this city was many centuries ago. If all goes well, there will be time and energy to stop in the Picasso Museum as well.

Architectural curiosity and historic charm will be the ambiance in Poble Espanyol. This open-air museum will bring together buildings and tales from all across Spain, including visions of Catalonia from through the ages. The best way to explore is on a family treasure hunt that is known as a gymkhana, which is when you will seek out hidden clues while piecing together this historical jigsaw. You will learn about the history of Spain along the way while hunting for clues that are hidden behind pottery, deep in gardens, or in the Fran Daurel art museum. After the treasure hunt, you can also consider one of the various workshops that take place here, which are great if you have very artistic kids.

All those tales of the Moors and the conquistadors will be followed by the one Barcelona museum that all children love. They will be smearing chocolate around faces and dipping their fingers in gloopy concoctions while you tour the Chocolate Museum, tasting nearly everything as you proceed. It will be just as wonderful as the children imagined it. This stop does mean a lot of sugar, so it will be good to be back by the beach in the late afternoon, running on the flat sand and splashing about in the shallows. It will be your final night in Barcelona, and by now you probably have a favorite restaurant along the promenade in Port Olimpic.

For any long flight, it is best the children board when already a little weary. So, Barcelona Bosc Urba will be the place to be today, which is an urban adventure park that is packed with rope swings, aerial walkways, climbing walls, zip lines, and activities for all ages and sizes. Backdropped by city apartments, this giant park has over 50 attractions and can keep you entertained all day. It will certainly have enough for using up most of your energy before a late-afternoon transfer to the airport and your international flight.