4. Fundacio Joan Miro. With his bright colors and bold shapes, Joan Miro’s work is very appealing to children and this museum established by Miro himself is an incredible collection of more than 225 paintings, 150 sculptures and loads of drawings. The museum is located just above the city on Montjuic (literally Jewish mountain), which offers lovely parks, botanical gardens and the spectacular Font Magica de Montjuic, a fab show of water sprays timed to lights and music. A great way to get to or from Montjuic is via a cable car that starts at the port and offers breathtaking city and sea views―not for those afraid of heights. Save 10 percent by booking ahead.

5. Beaches! And the aquarium and zoo…Barcelona has nearly 3 miles of wide sandy beachfront divided into seven beaches, rated “best urban beaches” in the world by National Geographic. The beaches are connected by a promenade, in the midst are a few ports with restaurants and bars, and dotted throughout are play areas and jungle gyms for kids. On Port Vell is L’Aquarium, one of Europe’s largest with more than 400 species of marine life. The highlight is a glass tunnel that allows you to walk through shark tanks! Nearby is the Parc Zoologic, which is clean, well laid out, and has an impressive collection of monkeys and a lively dolphin show.

Play alert: There’s fantastic adventure playground with two zip lines inside the zoo!

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