Many tourists and locals enjoying on famous beach in Barcelona, Spain on August 13, 2015. Barcelona is a very popular summer destination for tourists.
Photograph: Shutterstock
Photograph: Shutterstock

The best free things to do in Barcelona

The very best concerts, exhibitions, workshops and more in the city – all without spending a penny

María José Gómez
Translated by: Ella Doyle
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Like everywhere else on earth, Barcelona is getting more and more expensive. But if you know where to look, it’s easy to experience all that is great about this city on the tiniest of budgets – a large part of what makes Barcelona great is the sheer volume of stuff going on on any given day. Find beautiful parks, museums with no entry fee, free outdoor gigs and a whole lot more on this guide to doing Barcelona for free. 

➡️ READ MORE: The best things to do in Barcelona

How we curate our lists 

Headed up by editor Maria Jose Gomez, the team over at Time Out Barcelona spend their days sampling the best things to do on offer in this marvellous city, from brand-new restaurants to cutting-edge exhibitions and all-time attractions. These guides are translated into English for our global audience. Everything on this list has been reviewed and selected for a reason: we’ve been there (sometimes twice), we think it’s great and we’d genuinely recommend it. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

🍴 Everything you need to know about Time Out Market Barcelona
🏨 The very best hotels to book in Barcelona

Time Out Market Barcelona

Time Out Market Barcelona is our restaurant list come to life. Everything you’ll eat (and drink) here is curated by our local editors, who’ve scoured the city for the very best chefs, bars, dishes and more to bring you a true taste of Catalan food, from Darvaza’s flame-grilled steak to Xuba’s five-star tacos. 

You’ll find the Market at Port Vell, on the terrace-viewpoint of Maremagnum. And if the food wasn’t enough, you’ll probably be tempted by the Market’s terrace, home to one of the city’s best viewpoints  and one of its best bars, Monk, serving up cocktails all day and all night. There’s a whole 14 food spots and four bars to try, so you better get moving.

Free things to do in Barcelona

  • Attractions
  • Sants - Montjuïc

Montjuïc’s Magic Fountain is both a beauty spot and a party venue, closely tied to some of the city’s biggest celebrations. For that reason alone, catching one of its water, light and music shows is pretty much essential if you’re in town – especially if you time it with the pyromusical that closes Barcelona’s main festival, La Mercè, or the New Year’s Eve celebrations. It runs Thursday-Saturday nights in winter, and Wednesday- Sunday nights in summer, typically around 8pm with another show around 9pm. 

➡️ Discover more great attractions in Barcelona

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3. Have a beach day on Sant Sebastià

This is one of the oldest and most traditional beaches in Spain, and one of the largest near Barcelona. The best bit? It’s incredibly easy to reach from the city centre – just take the D20, 47, 59, V15, or V19 bus or metro L4 (Barceloneta) and L3 (La Rambla - Drassanes) from central Barcelona. The southwestern end, at the foot of the W Hotel, offers a perfect view of the entire Barcelona coastline, and there’s also an unofficial nudist beach and LGBTQ+ area. 

➡️ Discover more of the best beaches in Barcelona

4. Get lost in the maze of Parque del Laberinto de Horta

This is our top park in all of Barcelona, with enough sculptures, fountains, beautiful buildings and flowers to keep you occupied for an entire slow afternoon. It was first opened in 1794 by Joan Antoni Desvalls Marquès de Llupià i d’Alfarràs, and has since been given a romantic garden with flower beds, huge trees and a waterfall. It’s been open to the public since 1971, and is completely free to visit.

➡️ Discover more of the best parks in Barcelona

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5. Admire free art at Galeria Senda

Senda opened back in 1991 and moved to its current home on Trafalgar Street in 2015. The space, run by Carlos Duran and Chus Roig, stands out for its eclecticism; they support emerging artists but also established national and international names. They say they steer clear of one-way thinking and instead champion all kinds of artistic languages – 2026 exhibitions include one by German contemporary artist Anselm Reyle.  

➡️ Discover more of our favourite art galleries in Barcelona

6. See Wet Leg for free at Primavera’s opening night

You already know about Primavera Sound, but the festival has now also announced its line up for the big opening day at Parc del Fòrum – which is completely free and open to everyone – on Wednesday, June 3. Wet Leg will be headlining, as well as some Spniah singers and dancers too. 

Discover more essentials and insider tips for Barcelona

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