Family Travel Guide

Good deals

Check Barcelona Turisme for the Barcelona Card which offers discounts on attractions and free access to public transport and the Articket which gives entrance to seven museums in Barcelona including La Pedrera, Museu Picasso and Fundacio Miro for €25. Children under 16 are free at museums.

Dining

Tapas bars are all around the city and a great option for families as you can wander in without booking and just order a bunch of small plates to share. There are many choices that appeal to children from the Tortilla Espanola (Spanish omelet of egg and potato) to all manners of hams and seafood.

Just off Passeg de Gracia is the small but very delicious Tapas 24.  If that is too busy walk a few blocks to Cuidad Condal which is also very good and a larger restaurant. For something more substantial head to Port Vell on the beach and try the paella (traditional rice and seafood dish) at La Gavina.

Accommodations

Barcelona is a compact city with all the major sites listed above within a five mile radius. For families, if you are headed in a warm weather month, the best area to stay is by the beach as you are near all the action of the ports and walking distance to the zoo and aquarium.

Hotel Arts is located on the beach right next to the lively Port Olympic. The hotel is one of the two tallest towers in Barcelona and the lobby, gardens and some of the restaurants offer breathtaking views of the Frank Gehry’s fish sculpture which was built for the 1992 Olympics. The rooms offer city or sea views, which are particularly amazing if you choose to stay in a Club Level room as they begin on the 32nd floor.

The hotel is operated by Ritz Carlton, and the Ritz Club amenity is fabulous for kids as they offer food service four times a day which is fresh and delicious, with a full spread for breakfast including amazing Spanish hams and cheeses, plus lunch, cocktails and heavy hors d’ouevres, as well as a dessert service. The Spanish eat late, so the Club is great if you want to feed the kids earlier. A one-bedroom suite, with two full size beds , a sitting area and one and a half baths on the Club Floor starts at €825 per night, the same room starts at €475 per night on the lower floors with no Club access. There are also restaurants by Michelin starred chefs on the property. We tried, ENOTECA, was just voted best new restaurant in Barcelona by Time Out magazine.

Pullman Barcelona Skipper offers great value for luxury and is just a half block from the Hotel Arts. Though primarily a convention hotel, the five-star Pullman is filled with leisure guests on weekends and school holidays. What’s great for families―the hotel has several choices of connecting rooms and suites and kids stay and eat free (with paying adults). Accommodations are sleek and spacious (around 340 square feet for a Superior room) and offer sea or city views, equipped with Nespresso coffee makers, large bathrooms with separate tubs and showers, robes and comfy linens and duvets. Best part: two pools. The pool on the ground floor is open during summer and a heated rooftop pool with two Jacuzzis overlooking the sea is open year round! Two connecting Superior and Standard rooms, start at €440 per night for both rooms including full breakfast buffet.

For a city experience, the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is nestled between the luxury shops on the Passeg de Gracia, across from Gaudi’s Casa Battlò, walking distance to Las Ramblas and Barri Gotic. Opened in 2009, this former bank building has been transformed into an airy, modern hotel by award-winning Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola.

While the décor is calming and elegant, the staff welcomes to the noise and excitement of children with a fantastic “Family Package.” Kids are given a toy at check-in (a Lego set for my 5 year old son and Hannah Montana activity pack for 7 year old daughter) which was a delight, but even better was entering the room which was tricked-out with a stuffed animal for each kid on the beds, a special welcome beverage to mix their own juice cocktail with three different ingredients, freshly baked cookies, a selection of candy, coloring pencils and books, not to mention adorable kid’s size robes and slippers. The hotel has a 40 foot indoor pool in the spa and a shallow dipping pool on the roof that is perfect for toddlers (outdoor pool is only open in summer). The “Family Package” starts at €870 per night for two connecting Deluxe Boulevard rooms including full breakfast, two-hours of complimentary babysitting and discounts on local attractions and the hotel spa.

If you’re traveling on more of a budget, apartment rentals are a great option. Try Apartment Barcelona or Oh-Barcelona where you can find luxury apartments either on the beach or in the city that sleep four (or more) comfortably, plus you have the convenience of having a kitchen. Some are in complexes with pools and offer complimentary cribs and high chairs.

Text and Photos by Emily Goldfischer for PeterGreenberg.com. Emily Goldfischer is a former luxury hotel executive, and is now a London-based food and travel writer. Follow her at www.twitter.com/em_goldfischer.

Is Barcelona family friendly? Share your European family holidays with Emily and Peter in the comments…

For more information about Barcelona and family travel, check out:

• Emily’s Five for Families article on Family Travel Ideas in Paris Plus Kid-Friendly Hotels
• Emily ‘s Five for Families article on Five Travel in Berlin Plus Kid Friendly Hotels
• For local spots, consider the Off the Brochure Travel Guide to Barcelona, Spain
• For more on Gaudi, see the Barcelona Art and Architecture Guide