Is the Barcelona Card worth it? Barcelona isn’t the cheapest city in Spain and visiting museums, art galleries, and other tourist attractions soon gobbles up any vacation budget.
Investing in a Barcelona Tourist Card can help you save money if you’re spending a couple of days in the city. Then again, it might not be worth it if you’re only planning a short trip or only intend on seeing one or two sites covered by the pass.
But what is included in the Barcelona Card, how much does it cost, and how does it work? This guide covers everything you need to know and details all the Barcelona Card perks.
Already done the research? Here’s a link to purchase the Barcelona Tourist Card online.
What is the Barcelona Card?
Known interchangeably as the Barcelona Card and Barcelona Tourist Card, this is a pass that covers free or reduced admission to over 25 attractions. These include a decent number of the top things to do in Barcelona.
The card also covers free, unlimited travel on public transport. Services covered by the pass include: buses, metro, the tramway, TMB day buses, FGC railway urban lines, and Renfe Rodalies services within zone 1.
Essentially, these are all the transit services you’ll need for getting around Barcelona during the day.
The card does not include the night buses or the Aerobus. Nor does the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, which is a different type of card.
The cost of the Barcelona Card depends on the number of days you purchase.
It must be used on consecutive days.
Get a 20% discount to visit the Tibidabo Amusement Park, located right next to the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, two birds with one stone!
How much does the Barcelona Tourist Card cost?
The price of the Barcelona Card is:
- 3 days – €55 / $58 / £46
- 4 days – €65 / $68 / £54
- 5 days – €77 / $80 / £ 64
As for where to buy the Barcelona Card, it’s easiest to purchase the pass online ahead of your trip.
Further details on the purchase experience are detailed at the end of this guide.
Barcelona Card v Hola Barcelona Travel Card
Before diving in and answering the question, is the Barcelona card worth it, in depth let’s quickly cover the Hola Travel Card. This is another type of Barcelona tourist card but with a major difference.
The Hola Barcelona Travel Card is exclusively a public transport pass. It only covers travel and doesn’t give you any discounts, free admission, or skip-the-line perks.
As with the Barcelona Tourist Card, the Hola Card is available in timed segments. These are 48, 72, 96, or 120 hours; the card is activated from the first time it’s used to pay for a journey.
You can purchase the Hola Barcelona Public Transport Travel Card online. This will issue a voucher which you’ll need to exchange at a Tourist Information Office in exchange for the card.
Upon collection, the card will be activated the first time you use it to pay for a journey.
Get a discount on many of the Gaudi Museums around Barcelona with the tourist card.
What is included in the Barcelona Card?
The main Barcelona Card perks are free admission to popular tourist attractions.
Refer to the following list and use this as a starting point to decide is the Barcelona Card worth it.
Art Museums
- Picasso Museum
- MOCO Museum
- National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)*
- Antoni Tàpies Foundation*
- Frederic Marès Museum
- Design Museum of Barcelona
- Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)*
Natural History and Science Museums
- CosmoCaixa Science Museum
- Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona (Museu Blau, the Blue Museum)
History, Archaeology and Ethnology Museums
- Museum of the History of Barcelona (MUHBA)**
- Egyptian Museum of Barcelona
- Ethnological Museum of Barcelona (Parc de Montjuïc)
- Ethnological Museum of Barcelona (Montcada)
Cultural Centers
- Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB)*
- El Born Cultural and Memorial Center
- CaixaForum
Other Attractions
- Joan Miró Foundation
- Montjuïc Castle
- Botanical Garden of Barcelona
- Music Museum of Barcelona*
- Chocolate Museum*
- Olympic and Sports Museum Joan Antonio Samaranch*
- The Royal Monastery of St Mary of Pedralbes
*Also include skip the line admission.
**This covers admission to Refugi 307 (Air-raid shelter), Via Sepulcral Romana (Roman funeral way), El Call (Jewish district), and Plaça del Rei.
The Barcelona Tourist Card includes discounted entrance to Casa Mila.
Additional Barcelona Card perks
Besides free entry and skip-the-line admission (in some cases), the Barcelona Tourist Card also grants a discount to additional attractions and activities.
These are where your card will apply a discount.
- Casa Amatller
- Casa Batlló
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
- Casa Vicens
- Gaudi’s crypt and Colonia Güell
- Fundació Vila Casas: Museu Can Framis i Espais Volart
- KBR Fundación MAPFRE
- Gaudí Experiència
- Mirador Torre Glòries
- Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya
- Museu d’Història de Catalunya
- Museu de la Cera de Barcelona
- Museu de l’Eròtica
- Museu del Perfum
- Museu Europeau d’Art Modern (MEAM)
- Museu Marítim de Barcelona
- Palau de la Música Catalana Palác Güell (Palau Güell)
- Mies van der Rohe Pavilion (Pavelló Mies van der Rohe)
- Spanish village (Poble Espanyol de Barcelona)
- Sant Pau Recinte Modernista
Discounts are generally between 20% and 30%.
In addition, there is a discount applied to flamenco shows at Tablao Flamenco Cordobés and Tablao Flamenco Patio Andaluz.
The list of free and reduced attractions is subject to change. Before purchasing the card, you should consult the full list of inclusions and make sure the attractions on your itinerary are still covered.
Visit Casa Batllo with a discount.
Considerations of the Barcelona Card
The main downside to the Barcelona Tourist Card is that you cannot book admission in advance. This means you might have to stand in long lines, especially in summer and other busy times.
It’s worth weighing up which means more to you: a free or reduced admission ticket, or having more time. Long lines might end up in making the card redundant if you don’t manage to get around enough of the sites.
If you are visiting outside of July, August, and September, the pass makes more sense. Otherwise, you’ll appreciate the security of pre-booking admission to major landmarks.
Is the Barcelona Card worth it for 2 days?
In summary, the Barcelona Card is worth it in some cases.
Bearing in mind the card starts as a three-day pass, the card is not worth it if you are spending just 24 hours in Barcelona.
The same goes if you are spending 2 days in Barcelona as even with a jam-packed itinerary you probably won’t make a saving with the three-day pass. It’s far better to purchase individual tickets in advance and secure a time slot.
Otherwise, you could consider the Barcelona Express Card.
This is a 2-day card offering unlimited free travel and discounts on over 100 attractions, entertainment activities, and restaurants. Again, it is only valid for two consecutive days.
Food discounts are around 20% while museums can be as much as 60%. As the card is much cheaper, it’s worth it if you plan on using public transport a lot and have more of a flexible travel itinerary.
This card may be purchased online and collected only from Barcelona Airport (Terminal 1) or Plaça de Catalunya.
Click here to view the list of inclusions and to buy the Barcelona Express Card.
While you don’t get to visit the most famous destination in Barcelona for free with the tourist card, you can use it to get discount on tourist buses of hop-on hop-off tickets to get around the city.
Is the Barcelona Card worth it for 3+ days?
If you are spending 3 days in Barcelona, then the three-day tourist card might be worth purchasing. However, you might also want to spend your time doing things that aren’t covered by the pass.
For example, exploring the neighborhoods, catching a football game, hanging out at the beach, taking a cooking class, or going on food tours. These activities are not covered by the pass – and some are even free.
You may also plan on taking a day trip from Barcelona during a three-day stay. In this case, you only have two days to use the pass.
If you are spending four days or more in Barcelona, this is when the card becomes more worthwhile.
This might be a little tedious but the best thing to do is sit down with a calculator and tot up how much you’re looking at spending on tourist attractions.
Make a wish list of activities and check the prices of admission online. You can browse Barcelona experiences and attractions online here and compile a list.
Then, check which ones are covered for free with the Barcelona Card and which ones have a discount. You can also consult the list of places discounted with the Barcelona Express Card.
Remember that there are a number of free things to do in Barcelona.
If you don’t want to invest in the tourist card, you can still explore plenty of Barcelona for free!
Where to buy the Barcelona Card
To save time, you can purchase the Barcelona Tourist Card online.
Upon completion, you will receive a voucher by email. This voucher will be exchanged for the pass at a Tourist Information Office.
As you go through the purchase, you will have the option to select a pick-up location near your hotel. Alternatively, you can collect it from the first attraction on your Barcelona Spain travel itinerary – just type in a few convenient options and select which is best.
As you type in addresses, the matrix will provide an estimation of how far away your closest collection points are. If you aren’t sure where you plan on picking up the card, you can elect to confirm that nearer the time.
This function also works if you are buying the card as a gift for someone; the Barcelona Tourist Card is an awesome idea for a loved one’s Christmas present or birthday! They can decide where to pick up the card nearer the time.
The card is delivered as a credit card-sized pass that slips into your wallet. You will activate the card when you use it at your first attraction.
At the time of purchase, you do need to know the date you intend on using the card from.
If you decide not to get the Barcelona Tourist Card, you might want to invest in the Hola Barcelona Travel Card. This is available as a 48, 72, 96, or 120-hour pass.
You can purchase the Hola Barcelona Public Transport Travel Card online.