Barcelona - The Ultimate Combination of City and Beach Resort

Barcelona is one of most visited tourist destinations in Europe, and a great city for a fun-filled, relaxing and exciting family vacation. Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage, numerous historical monuments, outstanding food, a wide range of family-friendly activities and a pleasant climate all year around. As if that was not enough, Barcelona also has 4.2 km of Mediterranean coastline and 10 beaches in the middle of the city! It is also considered very safe to visit as a tourist.

The climate is maritime Mediterranean, which means the winters are mild and humid, and the summers are warm to hot. With a daily mean temperature of 26°C (79 °F), August is the warmest month, while January is the coldest month with a daily mean temperature of 12 °C (53 °F). Barcelona is, in other words, enjoyable all year around.

If you are looking for where to stay, what to do and where to eat while in Barcelona with children, look no further. This article is the ultimate guide to a family-friendly vacation in Barcelona – the perfect combination of city and beach resort. 

Where to stay

A holiday apartment is the best choice if you are travelling with children. While an apartment doesn’t offer fancy room service or a restaurant in the lobby, it gives you a better opportunity to live like a local. Barcelona holiday apartments are also much bigger than hotel rooms, which means there is sufficient space for every family member. Another very good reasons to stay in an apartment rather than at a hotel, is the availability of a kitchen. As parents, we know that small children need many small meals throughout the day, and that they can get hungry at any time. With a kitchen in the apartment, it is easy to prepare your child’s favorite food at any time of the day.

At Lugaris.com, you can book luxury vacation apartments for up to 6 people in two venues: Lugaris Beach or La Rambla. The Lugaris Beach apartments are between 53 and 102 square meters large and located merely 200 meters from the beach. The Lugaris Rambla apartments are between 53 and 57 square meters large and located 300 meters from the beach. All family apartments have a fully-equipped kitchen, a spacious living room, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The apartment building at Lugaris Beach also has a swimming pool and solarium, while the apartment building at Lugaris Rambla has a sun terrace. Both apartments buildings have a lift and car parking. Additional services such as cleaning, shopping, and help with buying tickets for events, finding baby-sitters and renting limousines or bicycles are available upon request – everything to make your stay as comfortable and relaxing as possible!

What to do

There are numerous family-friendly activities in Barcelona. Children interested in animals will enjoy a visit at Zoo de Barcelona and at L'Aquàrium. Kids with a surplus of energy can spend it in the playground in Parc de l'Estació del Nord.

Visitors must not miss La Rambla; Barcelona’s famous 1.2 km long walking street. La Rambla is usually crowded until late in the night and full of kiosks that sell everything from newspapers and souvenirs, to flowers and ice cream. The tree-lined promenade is also full of street performers and mime artists that will captivate your children. Why not enjoy a glass of wine, orsangria, in one of the many pavement bars, while your kids are entertained by street performers?

Barcelona is almost synonymous with culture and architecture. While visiting churches may not be your children’s favorite activity, Sagrada Família is almost certainly an exception. Sagrada Família is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church famous for its spectacular design and great complexity. It is one of the most well-known works of the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, and has been described as "the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages". The construction, which began in 1882 and still continues, is currently estimated to be complete in 2026 – 100 years after Gaudí’s death.    

Sightseeing can be tiring for small children. Let the assistants at Lugaris help you find baby-sitting an evening, while you pay a visit to the opera hall Gran Teatre del Liceu, opened in 1847, or to the Catalonia National Symphonic Orchestra.

Where to eat

The food is one of the true highlights of visiting Barcelona. The local cuisine is typically Mediterranean, but with more than 7,000 bars and restaurants, there is literally food from all corners of the world, and for every budget: from Michelin-star restaurants such as ABaC and Moments, to cheap eats such as Bar Casi and Granja Mabel.

For a modern take on traditional tapas in a family-friendly setting, CruiX will not make you disappointed. If your children are sceptical about new food, try Deja Burg – they serve some of the best burgers in town. And for afternoon tea and cake, a visit to Pudding Coffee Shop is highly recommended. With an interior design as from a children’s fairy tale and books, games, chalkboards and iPads to play with, Pudding is the ultimate child-friendly café.