How To Save Money In Barcelona (9 Ways To Visit Barcelona On A Budget!)

It is not easy to visit Barcelona on a budget. At first glance, Barcelona seems like quite an expensive city… and don’t get me wrong, it is. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few ways to save money Barcelona and not go totally broke while visiting this beautiful city.

One of the best ways to save money in Barcelona is to plan your vacation in advance. Most of the deals are specific to a certain day, so you’ll want to book your tickets accordingly. Otherwise, most of the time you can save a few Euros here and there just by booking your tickets online. 

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

How To Save Money In Barcelona?

1. Plan Your Trip In Advance!

The key to visiting Barcelona on a budget is to plan your trip as much in advance as possible. Most of these ways to save money in Barcelona is about buying tickets online and in advance.

Barcelona tourism attractions often offers limited ticket discount based on certain days of the week or even times throughout the day. It’s important to research this beforehand so you can plan your vacation accordingly.

The easiest way to stay organized and on budget is with a travel planner. My travel planner is digital or you can print it out to plan your Barcelona trip. It comes with 27 pages and everything you need to make the most out of your time in Barcelona.

2. Save Money When Visiting The Sagrada Familia

Barcelona’s pride and glory is Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia that’s taking over 100 years to build.

Ticket prices for the Sagrada Familia range from €17 to €32 depending on what kind of package you want.  Now I know the proceeds go to the construction for the church, but come on, it’s freaking expensive to go inside.

If you can get it for a cheaper price it’s a no brainer to go inside to see it, and I have a way for you to potentially get it for as low as €12. So how do you save money at the Sagrada Familia?

The main way the Sagrada scams you is by charging €8 for either an audio guide or a guided tour. If you get a ticket without either those for €17 you can download the app for €4 to still get all the information.

The downside is that those tickets are only available for entry after 5 P.M.. Now, that’s fine during the summertime when the sun stays out longer, but in the winter and fall, it can be a bit risky. You want the sun to be out to light up the see the stain glass windows inside.

Another way to save money at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is if you’re under 30. You can get a 50% discount if you plan your visit accordingly. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday they offer 50% off the guided tour if you’re under 30! Voila! 

Don’t forget to book your tickets in advance for the Sagrada Familia. They tend to sell out quickly, especially during high season.

3. How To Get Park Güell Free Entry

Park Güell is one of the top three Gaudí attractions to see in Barcelona. Unlike the other two (Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllò)… it’s actually reasonably priced to see.

Park Güell is divided into three areas: the monumental, restricted, and forested zones. The part that you’re interested in is the restricted zone, and that’ll cost you €10.

You have a few options to see the restricted area for free. You can simply see it for free from the parts of the Monumental Zone, but you won’t be able to access it. I will want to be able to go inside to fully appreciate this Barcelona attraction.

But my Barcelona money-saving hack is to for Park Güell free entry! Yup! You can go inside 100% free of charge. Only catch? You have to get there either before it opens or after it closes.

You see, they don’t lock, or even close the gates to the park. So after hours you can literally walk right in… for free. They also won’t actually kick you out when they do set up the gates. So you can stay there as long as you like!

This is such an easy way to save money in Barcelona, especially during low-season when the park only opens at 8:30. You don’t even have to wake up that early and you can even make it in time to see sunrise!

During the mid to high season though, it becomes a bit more of a hassle because they open earlier at 8:00 and 7:30 A.M. respectively. You can also opt to go after hours, but you’d rather go to see the park when it’s light outside.

This is a great Barcelona cheap trick but be aware, you’re not the only one that’s doing this. There are so many people there at this time.

It’s not any more than when it’s open to the public, but everyone is concentrated around the iconic picturesque spot, and they never move…

Everyone stays there watching the sunrise (or sunset), not budging. Long story short, I wasn’t able to break into the crowd to see anything, but my partner was. 

It’s still worth going because you can stay afterwards, and then people will start to leave. This is your time to shine! You’ll have all the space in the world for free!

4. Barcelona Budget Trip Tips For Casa Vicens (Gaudí’s First Home)

Casa Vicens was the first home designed by Gaudí in Barcelona. They offer 2 discounted days where you can buy tickets for around €4 off. So the total comes to around €12 which is half the price of his other homes like Casa Mila and Casa Batllò (check updated prices for Casa Vicens).

And in my mind, Casa Vicens is so much more impressive than the other two interiors. Each room is a masterpiece with the amount of detail that went into the designs.  

Every Monday and the last Sunday of the month. Watch out though, on Mondays they close early at 3:00 P.M., so the last entry is at 1:40 P.M.!

5. How To Get Free Entry To Barcelona Museums?

This is my favourite Barcelona budget trip tip because I feel like it’s so unknown. Barcelona has many museums and a lot of them you can actually visit for free if you know when to go.

The most popular museums in the city are the Catalan History Museum, the Roman Museum, and the Picasso Museum. And you have the opportunity to see each one of these for free, if that’s not a great way to see Barcelona on a budget I don’t know what is!

The Catalan History Museum is free every Saturday after 3:00 P.M.. Alternatively, the Roman Museum is free every Sunday as of 3:00 P.M., both have no reservation requirements. So you can fill your weekend with free museums!

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15 Fascinating Barcelona Fun Facts You Didn’t Know

The hardest one to get into (and probably the most worthwhile) is the Picasso Museum for free. It’s free every Thursday night from 6:30 to 9:30 P.M..

The catch is that you need to reserve your tickets online and they’re only released 4 days before… So Monday night, be ready to book your tickets to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona because it sells out quickly.

They’re timed tickets, so don’t book your entry too late to ensure you have enough time to see everything.

6. Tour Barcelona Cheap Hack: Go On A Free Walking Tour Of Barcelona

I love going on walking tours in every city I visit (seriously I do, read all about why!). It’s a way for me to get a detailed history, visit the points of interest, and get my bearings. But walking tours can be expensive!

So, I rely on free walking tours to get in my fix without breaking the bank. My favourite free tour company, Sandeman’s, offers several tours in Barcelona, one of them being a free walking tour.

Well, it’s not exactly free, it’s a ‘tip what you want’ kind of deal. That means, if the tour was garbage or it blew you away, you can adjust what you want to give accordingly. You give what you think is fair and can afford!

7. How To Save Money On Food In Barcelona

Obviously, the best way to save money on food in Barcelona is to make your own meals. But that isn’t always an option, so I found some ways to save money in Barcelona when you eat out.

Barcelona actually has some of the cheapest coffee I’ve seen. Even the most expensive coffee shop was about €1 cheaper than I’d seen everywhere else I’d been in Europe.

The best deal for lunch, if you’re on a budget in Barcelona, is at Biocini. It’s a bike-themed café at the edge of Gracià. With a very local and relaxed vibe, you can get a coffee with a slice of cake, or a coffee with a sandwich for no more than €4! (P.S. Looking for more cafés to go to around Barcelona? Here are some of my favourites!)

If you want more traditional Spanish food like Paella, Fideuà, and Tapas, those tend to be on the pricier side. But there are ways around it for some Barcelona cheap eats!

Paella actually isn’t a traditional Catalonian dish, but Fideuà is. Both these dishes are usually served for a minimum of two people because of the size of the pan that they’re made in. The problem is that the price is now doubled, and you can only try one dish – it’s a real bummer.

The solution is to find a Tapas restaurants that also serves Paella and Fideuà. The portion size will be a lot smaller, but it’ll also be a quarter of the price, and now you can try several options. For example, I know they serve both at El Nacional on Passeig de Gracià, and Fideuà at Pepa Tomate in Gracià.

Alternatively, if you go to a market, you might find a Paella stand. They’ll make a HUGE pot and sell you a plate for a lot cheaper than you would find it at a sit down restaurant.

8. Barcelona On A Budget: Stay Outside Of The City Centre In Gracià

The main tourist destination to stay is along Las Ramblas in Barcelona. But that isn’t going to be cheap (or if it is cheap, it won’t be pretty… or safe!). You’re in the heart of Barcelona here, you get what you pay for!

Alternatively, you can stay just outside the Gothic Quarter. You’ll be saving money in Barcelona and get an even more local experience. There are two options for where you can stay on a budget in Barcelona: El Born and Gràcia.

If you still want to be close to the city centre, I’d recommend looking into El Born.  It’s not even a 5-minute walk to the Gothic Quarter  and there are still several Barcelona attractions in the area (like the Picasso Museum and Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar). 

Your second option is Gràcia, this is where we stayed. It is a bit further (about a 20 minute walk along Passieg de Gràcia) but it’s so quaint and local. Read more about why I loved staying in Gràcia.

9. If Possible, Travel During Low Season To Save Money In Barcelona

This is definitely more of an indirect way to save money in Barcelona. Travel expenses (like flights and hotels) will typically be much cheaper when booking outside of the summer months.

P.S. Read my tips for how I save money booking direct flights!

Plus, as an added bonus, Barcelona is 10 times more enjoyable during low season. We visited in December, and would HIGHLY recommend it. Aside from having more moderate temperatures, there are also a lot less tourists to deal with! There will also be some attractions that have a low-season rates that you can take advantage of to save even more money in Barcelona! 

More Barcelona Guides

• Souvenirs To Bring Back From Barcelona
• The Complete Guide To Gaudí’s Work In Barcelona
• The Best Cafés To Visit In Barcelona
• Should You Visit Casa Batlló?
• 15 Fascinating Fun Facts About Barcelona

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