Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, and Spain’s second city, is a hugely popular holiday destination that you definitely need to add to your bucket list! You’ll spend your time in Barcelona sipping on Sangria, climbing in the beautiful hills, relaxing on the beach or embracing Catalonia’s culture in the countless museums.
Like many cities, Barcelona can be expensive, but with a few easy tricks, you can cut your costs. Visiting Barcelona on a budget can be achieved, and I’m here to show you how to do it! This guide will take you through everything you need to know about travelling to Barcelona on a budget, including how to get there, what to do and where to eat. You’ll also find some savvy tips to help you even more.
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How to Get to Barcelona on a Budget
The first step to visiting Barcelona on a budget is getting there! Barcelona has a very well connected airport, meaning it’s fairly easy to find cheap flights, especially if you follow my tips.
Of course, there are land options as well. Long distance buses are best if you’re looking for a really cheap option, but there are fairly good train links as well.
Barcelona Budget Airlines
Barcelona’s El Prat Airport has two terminals, and terminal two is almost exclusively serviced by low-cost, European airlines. The most common is Ryanair, but some other airlines that serve the Barcelona airport are Vueling, Wizzair and Easyjet.
Websites like Skyscanner are great for booking cheap flights, as you can compare different airline offerings for each day.
Be Flexible When Planning Your Trip Dates
My last point about flight comparison brings me to my first top tip: be flexible with your travel dates when booking your trip. Of course, this isn’t possible for everyone and every instance, but you’ll often find cheaper flights if you can move your dates around a little.
Skyscanner, the website mentioned above, has a feature where you can search flight prices by a whole month! Instead of a specific date, you can choose to view flight options for a chosen month. This way, you can easily see when the cheapest days of the month to fly are, and you might be able to save some good money.
Other Ways to Get to Barcelona on a Budget
If you’re not too far from Barcelona, you might want to travel by land instead of air. Renfe trains connect most of Spain by rail and even a small amount of France. You can get a direct train from Barcelona to Lyon, for example.
Flixbus can get you to Barcelona by bus, but often the journey times and prices aren’t worth it, and you’d be better off flying. It’s still worth a look though, as you might find a good deal!
Barcelona Airport Transfer Budget Travel Hack
Barcelona’s airport is pretty close to the city and has plenty of transport connections. The direct airport bus costs just €6, which is a good deal as airport transfers go, but would you believe me if I told you that you can get all the way from Barcelona airport to the centre of the city for just over one euro?!
Skip the metro, bus or private transfer, and take the local Renfe train to the city. This train takes the same amount of time as the other transport options but costs a fraction of the price, as you can purchase a carnet of 10 transport tickets that works out to just over a euro per ticket. These can be used across Barcelona’s transport network so you’ll definitely make use of the tickets, and it ends up being fantastic value. You’ll find more information about the T-casual ticket in the public transport section of this guide.
To find the train station, follow the signs in Terminal 2 for the metro/train. You’ll pass over the car park on a bridge and end up in the station for both the metro and the Renfe train. There isn’t a Renfe station in Terminal 1, so you’ll need to take the free shuttle bus from T1-T2. Once at the station, you can buy your T-casual ticket for €11,35 (September 2020 Price).
The only train that serves the airport is the R2 Nord Renfe. It stops at Barcelona Sants (east of the city) and Passeig de Gràcia (central). The Passeig de Gràcia station is linked to the metro, so you can carry on your journey to get to your accommodation.
Barcelona on a Budget Travel Tips
There are many different things that go into planning a budget travel trip, and sometimes you need to be savvy with some good tips.
Plan your Itinerary Ahead of Time
Deciding on your bucket list activities before your trip can save you a lot of money. Research Barcelona and make a list of things you’d like to do, and you’ll be able to decide which activities are affordable and which activities you’ll need to stretch your budget for.
You will often find discounts for booking activities in advance or on certain days. Even if there aren’t any discounts, online prices will tend to be cheaper than showing up and booking on the day.
Save money by booking your Barcelona activities in advance!
Be Prepared With Barcelona Essentials
The last thing you want is to get caught out without some Barcelona essentials. You’ll end up having to pay through the nose for these items once you arrive, and that’s definitely not ideal if you’re trying to visit Barcelona on a budget.
My number one essential, mainly because I always forget mine, is a European plug adapter. Of course, this is only necessary if you’re travelling from somewhere that uses a different plug to the typical European 2-pin one. I like the plug adapters with USB sockets, as it makes it much easier and saves space. You could also purchase a multifunctional travel adapter, that has different pin options for countless different sockets across the world.
It also helps to be prepared with your cosmetics and toiletries. If you’re travelling to Barcelona on a budget, you probably don’t want to fork out for a hold suitcase on your flight. With that in mind, you’ll need to take toiletries under 100ml in your cabin luggage.
Discover more budget travel tips with this handy guide!
Book Accommodation with a Kitchen
Although I’ll take you through where to stay in Barcelona on a budget later in this guide, this is an important, money-saving travel tip. Food in Barcelona can be expensive. Even if you stick to cheap eats, the costs add up if you have to eat out for three meals a day.
Wherever possible, I recommend finding accommodation that has kitchen facilities, however basic. You’ll save a lot of money by grabbing some food at the supermarket and cooking dinner yourself once or twice. You’ll also be able to pack lunches and breakfast from the supermarket.
Top Tip: Even if your accommodation doesn’t have kitchen facilities, you could still pick up some breakfast/lunch snacks from the supermarket that don’t need any preparation or cooking.
Consider a Barcelona Travel Card
I wouldn’t normally recommend a travel card when you’re trying to plan a budget trip as they can be a little pricey, but if you want to cram in a lot of activities during your stay, it might be worth it in the long run.
The Barcelona Card costs around £45 for a 72-hour ticket. It gives you free access to public transport (including airport transfer) and around 25 attractions and museums. There are also discounts for many more popular attractions.
There are plenty of cheap and free things to do in Barcelona that are much more suited to someone visiting Barcelona on a budget, so it’s worth checking out the full list of discounts to see if the Barcelona card would work for you.
Travel in Barcelona’s Shoulder Season
It’s always best to avoid high season as it pushes up accommodation and transport costs. Budget aside, it’s busy and hot during the height of summer in Barcelona, and generally not the most pleasant.
Barcelona’s low season runs from roughly late September-May. Of course, most people visit Barcelona for the nice weather and beaches, so you don’t want to visit during the height of winter. Try planning your trip during the shoulder season of April-May or late September-October. You’ll get the best of both worlds – cheaper prices and pretty nice weather.
Things to Do in Barcelona on a Budget
Barcelona is a hub of attractions and activities. Being such a popular tourist destination, some attractions will cost an arm and a leg. Luckily for the budget travellers among us, there are still a huge number of things to do in Barcelona on a budget, or for free.
Plaça del Sol
Make like the locals and head to Plaça del Sol in Barcelona’s Gràcia Neighbourhood. In the evenings the square becomes a lively hub, where everyone enjoys a drink, either chilling on the ground or at one of the surrounding bars. You can grab a cheap beer (or soft drink) from the supermarket or grab a seat at a bar and enjoy the atmosphere. This is one of my favourite things to do in Barcelona on a budget to really embrace the Barcelona lifestyle.
Montjuïc Castle
An old military fortress with amazing views over Barcelona, Montjuïc castle is the perfect place if you want to learn about some Catalonian history.
Entry to the castle costs just €5, making it one of the cheapest museums to visit. If you’re spending a weekend in Barcelona, you can actually enter for free on Sundays after 3pm!
Take a Walking Tour
Walking Tours are amazing ways to explore a city on the cheap, especially if you’re looking for things to do in Barcelona on a budget. In Barcelona, you can take a 2.5-hour walking tour that’s tips based, meaning you can pay depending on your budget.
The tours are available in English and Spanish, and you’ll learn all about Barcelona’s history and culture whilst discovering some major landmarks in a new way.
Find a Free Activity
The activities above are all fantastic cheap things to do in Barcelona on a budget. Although these will only set you back a handful of euros each, it’s possible to make your trip even cheaper, as there are loads of free activities to do in Barcelona. Here’s my list of 26 completely free things to do in Barcelona, where the activities range from free museums and the best beaches to some amazing sunset views over Barcelona and some real hidden gems in the city.
Where to Eat in Barcelona on a Budget
Eating out is one of the most expensive parts of any trip. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in deceivingly expensive restaurants will make a huge dent in your budget, especially over several days. In the travel tips section of this post, I mentioned how you should try and book accommodation with a kitchen. This is a great way to keep costs down, as you can plan some meals with supermarket food.
Let’s not forget that trying food is an important part of your experience of a city. Often the cuisine of a city plays a huge role in its culture and identity, so you don’t want to miss out. Eating in Barcelona on a budget involves finding a balance between eating in and eating out and, of course, finding the best value cheap eats in the city. Where to eat in Barcelona on a budget doesn’t have to be a mystery, so let me share my recommendations.
Cheap Eats in Barcelona
Trust me: There’s nothing worse than sitting down at a restaurant in an unfamiliar city, taking one glance at the menu and realising that it’s far too expensive for your budget. Your stomach sinks, and you start frantically searching for the cheapest thing on the menu. Soon enough, your waiter will bring you a plate of chips for your meal that still costs more than you’d like to pay!
Finding where to eat in Barcelona on a budget can be difficult if you don’t know where to look. It can be overwhelming trying to find the best quality, authentic food for the best price. I’ve made a list of my favourite cheap eats in Barcelona to make it easier for you! No more worrying about where you’re going and how much it will cost. Just great quality food and budget-friendly prices.
The Best Cheap Eats in Barcelona
Travel Tip: Avoid La Rambla!
The Golden Rule of where to eat in Barcelona on a budget is to avoid eating at La Rambla at all costs. La Rambla is Barcelona’s main street, that runs from Plaça de Catalunya to the coast, and it’s an absolute must for tourists in Barcelona. The iconic street is great to walk down and experience (despite the crowds) but you definitely don’t want to stop and eat at the restaurants lining the street.
These restaurants are tourist traps, serving average food for inflated prices as they have a convenient location. You definitely want to avoid these restaurants if you’re looking for where to eat in Barcelona on a budget. You’ll be able to find the same food for much less, or high quality food for the same prices, if you venture out and do some research.
How to Get Around in Barcelona on a Budget (Barcelona Metro Ticket Hack)
Barcelona is a big city. Normally I try to walk around cities as much as possible to save money on transport costs, but sometimes you need to rely on the metro to avoid exhausting yourself.
Barcelona has two main public transport systems in the city – bus and metro. I recommend the metro as it’s usually quicker, well designed and easy to navigate. You can check out the metro map and more information here.
To get the most out of your money, which is especially important when considering how to get around in Barcelona on a budget, I recommend purchasing the T-Casual public transport ticket. This ticket will get you ten journeys for just €11,35 (September 2020 price). A single ticket on the metro costs more than €2, so unless you’ll only make four journeys on the metro, this ticket will save you loads of money.
You can purchase the T-Casual ticket at any metro station machine, where information is available in several languages. The machines are really easy to use.
Where to Stay in Barcelona on a Budget
If you’re staying in Barcelona in the low or shoulder season, it shouldn’t be too hard to find accommodation for a good, budget price.
Any type of accommodation, be it hotel, hostel or apartment, can be budget-friendly if you find the right spot.
Airbnb is a great way to search for apartments, private rooms or hotels. The handy widget below will help you search, and if you input your trip dates you’ll be able to see the most affordable prices.
Another option for where to stay in Barcelona on a budget is finding a good hostel. Check out Hostelworld for some top hostels. Prices can be as little as €10 for a shared room, which is just about as cheap as you can get!
With all of these travel tips, you’re now more than ready to take on Barcelona on a budget. This beautiful city deserves to be explored by everyone and hopefully, you now know that visiting Barcelona doesn’t have to be expensive. There are options for all budgets, so even if you have some money to splurge, you can still use this guide to see where you can cut unnecessary costs.
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