The 30 best things to do with kids in Barcelona

The Museum of Natural Sciences in the Parc del Fòrum is an open and dynamic space. All 9,000 square metres of it are spread over two floors. At the main entrance you're welcomed by the skeleton of a whale that beached itself on Catalan shores in 1862. The museum is made up of installations and spaces that include 'Planet Life,' an exhibition that takes you through the history of life and its co-evolution with Earth; the media library; and the Science Nest, where children up to age six can explore and play with natural materials.

Adventure playground by the sea Bosc Urbà (Urban Jungle) offers a mélange of activities, sports and, yes, adventures, for you and the kids to put your adrenaline to the test, and all within the city limits. Zip lines, rope swings, bungee jumping, log rolls and so much more your head will spin before you even decide which to tackle. Try out some of the 50-plus attractions, with various levels for adults and children.

The largest indoor activity park in the entire city opened in February 2023. Jump Yard spans 3,500 square meters with various installations designed for play, fun and having a great time. If you've always wanted to know what it feels like to fly, to do trampoline jumps, or to walk on walls, this place is made for you. 

A space-store with a thoughtful selection of unique books, handmade toys, crafts, and DIY kits, along with prints from local and international illustrators. There's also courses, talks, and workshops on everything from literature and illustration to art cinema, and music, catering to both children and families. All of this is made possible with the support of a network of organizations and collaborators from these various fields.

This hilltop fairground, dating from 1889, has invested millions in getting itself bang up to date, with the terrifying freefall Pendulum and a hot-air-balloon–style ride for smaller children. Adrenalin freaks are delighted with the 80km-per-hour rollercoaster, and the many other attractions include a house of horrors, bumper cars and the emblematic Avió, the world's first popular flight simulator when it was built in 1928. Don't miss the antique mechanical puppets and contraptions at the Museu d'Autòmats, and there are hourly puppet shows at the Marionetàrium (from 1pm). At the weekends, there are circus parades at the end of the day and, in summer, correfocs (fire runs – parades where participants let off fireworks) and street theatre. The opening hours are fiendishly complex and vary from week to week. Check the website. 

A chocolate-smeared mouth is a classic image of childhood. What kid could resist an entire museum dedicated to chocolate? Barcelona has its very own, run by the provincial guild of cake makers, telling the story of chocolate from its earliest origins to its arrival in Europe and its current status as the ultimate feel-good treat. But let’s be honest: no chocolate-themed attraction would be complete without a chance to get your hands on the stuff and taste it. Check the extensive range of workshops available on their website.

The Castell de l’Oreneta park is a huge forest area that connects the city to Collserola. It opened to the public in 1978, and the original Mediterranean vegetation and species characteristic of the region are conserved and looked after. The two main attractions of this park are riding on a miniature railway and for the children riding a pony. Castell de l'Oreneta’s rideable miniature railway is one of the best scale railroads in Europe.

Barcelona’s Aquarium is home to more than 11,000 animals representing 450 species, and you’d expect nothing less from the world’s largest Mediterranean-themed marine attraction. There are fish of shapes and colours that are frankly mind-boggling, and an 80m-long underwater tunnel with sharks and rays swimming overhead. Check the website for details of activities – which include swimming with sharks, and the chance to spend the night in the tunnel – and become an expert marine biologist.

This enormous artifical lake is the private oasis for the locals in Nou Barris. The sport complex has more than 15,000 square metres, including the biggest swimming pool in Barcelona with a nice big grassy area where you can sunbathe, read, play and just generally relax.

The bookstore Al·lots, located near to Letamendi Square, has become a go-to place for young readers. You'll find a great selection of classics and new releases for budding readers, and you can ask the booksellers for recommendations. They also do very cute ‘mini’ book clubs with baby books for kids three years old and under.

El Restaurante La Nena es un pequeño restaurante con cocina tradicional casera, italomediterránea, muy sana y con mucha variedad. Trabaja con productos de temporada escogidos por su alta calidad y por su frescura. Ofrece precios asequibles a cualquier bolsillo. En el restaurante La Nena podrás desgustar sus exquisitos menús diarios, desayunos, aperitivos, cenas y originales cockteles. El servicio del staff es impecable. La Nena se caracteriza por su ambiente distendido, cómodo y muy acogedor. La búsqueda de la máxima satisfacción de sus clientes les obliga a innovar día tras día en la elaboración de sus platos y en la modernización de su local dependiendo de la temporada.

Besides books in Spanish and Catalan, you’ll find a wide selection of books in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese. They’ve also got educational toys and unique objects for kids, and the shop boasts an independent space intended for children’s workshops, storytelling and exhibitions as well. It’s a place that acquires good books made with detail and love.

We've found it! A space created with family fun in mind – and that doesn't mean just for kids while the grown-ups stand around checking the clock every two minutes. It's called El Cau, and even though that means something along the lines of 'lair' or 'den' for animals, this is anything but a dark cave – in fact, it's quite the opposite. This space of more than 200m2 is dominanted by white and light wood, and a good time is in store for all. El Cau is doing very well for itself, so we recommend you book yourself a time in advance, especially at the weekend. Loren felt a place like this was missing – a place where you can have fun with your kids, and instead of waiting for someone to come up with the idea, he decided to make some changes to the priorities in his life and head out on this adventure. 'Our motto is “Have a good time, and respect others”,' he says. 'It's a place to spend some time and play with your child.' First things first: leave your shoes at the door. Kids are always playing on the floor, and the little ones have a tendency to put everything in their mouth, so it's best to keep the ground as clean as possible. The big favourite at El Cau is a type of passageway created by a wall put up about 2 metres from the building's wall. The passageway is about 20 metres long, and kids have access via openings at the bottom. Inside is a slide, games, hanging cloths they can climb up, steps, different textures to touch... If your kids are three years old or younger, don'

One of the masterpieces of industrial Modernisme, this former yarn and textile factory was designed by Puig i Cadafalch and celebrated its centenary in 2011. It won the Annual Artistic Buildings Competition prize in 1913, but has unfortunately spent most of the last century in a sorry state, briefly acting as a police barracks before falling into dereliction. Even in ruins, the building was declared a Historic Monument of National Interest in 1976. Fundació La Caixa, the charitable arm of Catalonia's largest savings bank, bought it and set about rebuilding.

The original brick structure was supported, while the ground below was excavated to house a strikingly modern entrance square by Arata Isozaki, a Sol LeWitt mural, an auditorium, a bookshop and a library. In addition to the permanent contemporary art collection, there are three impressive spaces for temporary exhibitions – often among the most interesting shows to be found in the city. The CaixaForum is also home to the neon cloud that Lucio Fontana made for the Triennale di Milano in 1953.

This decently sized zoo has plenty of other animals, all of whom look happy enough in reasonably sized enclosures and the city's comfortable climate. Favourites include giant hippos, the prehistoric-looking rhino, sea lions, elephants, giraffes, lions and tigers. Child-friendly features include a farmyard zoo, pony rides, picnic areas and two excellent playgrounds. If all that walking is too much, there's a zoo 'train'. Bear in mind that on hot days many of the animals are sleeping and out of sight, and when the temperature drops below 13 degrees many are kept inside.

Josep Lluís Sert, who spent the years of the Franco dictatorship as dean of the School of Design at Harvard University, designed one of the greatest museum buildings in the world on his return. Approachable, light and airy, these white walls and arches house a collection of more than 225 paintings, 150 sculptures and all of Miró's graphic work, plus some 5,000 drawings. The building was constructed specifically to house Miró's work and creates a true fusion of art and architecture. The permanent collection, highlighting Miró's trademark use of primary colours and simplified organic forms symbolising stars, the moon, birds and women, occupies the second half of the space. On the way to the sculpture gallery is Alexander Calder's rebuilt Mercury Fountain, originally seen at the Spanish Republic's Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Fair. In other works, Miró is shown as a cubist ('Street in Pedralbes', 1917), naive ('Portrait of a Young Girl', 1919) and surrealist ('Man and Woman in Front of a Pile of Excrement', 1935). In the upper galleries, large, black-outlined paintings from Miró's final period precede a room of works with political themes. The foundation also houses the Joaquim Gomis Archive, which is a collection of 70,000 photos and documents. Gomis is recognised as one of the first Catalan photographers with a modern approach. There are also two to three temporary exhibitions on at all times. These exhibitions are announced and previewed on the Foundation's website.