Barcelona is an increasingly popular city among travelers. There is so much to see and do that it certainly cannot be missing from your list of European destinations. However, this popularity has also increased its prices and despite being located in Spain, one of the most affordable countries on the old continent, Barcelona is not exactly cheap.
A 5-day route in Barcelona visiting its main paid attractions, such as the Sagrada Familia or La Pedrera, will cost you 526 euros per person, 625 USD or 12 thousand MXN. This is a trip where you do 7 paid activities, travel by public transportation and travel with another person with whom you will share a room in a hotel in the city center.
👉 If you want to start your visit to Barcelona with a free tour, register here.
How much does a hotel night cost in Barcelona?
If Barcelona has a reputation for being expensive, it is partly due to its accommodation; hotels and hostels have increased their costs greatly in recent years.
A 4-star hotel in the city center costs between 59 and 200 euros per night. On my last trip I stayed at the Praktik Vinoteca hotel and paid 360 euros for 5 nights. The room had capacity for two people and was located a few minutes walk from Plaza Cataluña, considered the center of the city. More details and reservation here.
If you are looking for more options for areas to stay in Barcelona, ​​here are accommodations and What is the best area to stay.
How much does a hostel cost in Barcelona?
If you are a backpacker you may prefer a hostel, and the cost is between 14 and 38 USD in a shared room per night. If you want to know which are the best hostels in Barcelona and Europe click here to see the recommendations.
For 5 nights in a well-rated hostel in the center I would recommend setting aside 90 euros.
👉 Do you need insurance for your trip? Insurance is an essential requirement to enter Europe and is available from 17 euros (less than 400 Mexican pesos) for stays of up to 90 days. If you use the code you get a 20% discount. Quote your insurance here.
How much do Barcelona attractions cost?
Another reason why Barcelona is expensive is because of the price of its attractions, here are the prices of the main ones (2021 prices):
- Sagrada Familia (single entry): 26 euros. If you prefer a skip-the-line guided tour in Spanish, the cost is 59 euros and you can book it here.
- Picasso Museum: 12 euros
- Casa BatllĂł: 35 euros
- La Pedrera: 24 euros online / 28 euros at the box office. You can buy it here.
- Park GĂĽell: 10 euros. If you prefer a guided tour, it costs 28.50 euros and you will avoid waiting in lines. You can hire it here.
- Barcelona Cathedral (with access to the roof and choir): 9 euros
- Camp Nou (entrance to Museum and stadium): 26 euros
- Cable car single trip: 12.70 euros
Therefore, if you wanted to do all these activities we would talk about: 144.75 euros.
👉 If you prefer a pass to avoid lines, you can find the Go Barcelona Explorer Pass tourist pass from 44 euros. More details here.
However, don’t be discouraged by these prices. One of the advantages of Barcelona is that many of its attractions are free and you can also find free tours where the only requirement is to register.
Furthermore, if you are looking for special times or days, you can enter free of charge to other important places such as the Cathedral, the Basilica of Santa MarĂa del Mar, Montjuic Castle or the Picasso Museum.
What to do for free in Barcelona?
Touring Barcelona, ​​in addition to being free, is quite an experience. The city is full of squares and famous parks such as the Citadel, as well as emblematic streets such as Las Ramblas. For beach lovers you can also visit Barceloneta with its promenade. For three years I have lived in Barcelona, ​​so if you want to know my Complete list of free things to do in the city click here.
How much does a getaway from Barcelona cost?
Less than 2 hours from Barcelona you will find many alternatives to complete your trip. Among the most popular:
- Excursion to Montserrat: One of the most important monasteries on the outskirts of Barcelona. You can do it on a full-day tour from Barcelona, ​​with guide and food included for 80 euros. You can hire it here. If you prefer, you can go on your own taking the rack and train for 15.10 euros. Details here.
- Excursion to Girona and Figueres: due to their proximity, a visit to these two destinations is usually combined. It costs 80 euros and you can purchase it here.
- Excursion to Girona and Sitges: two of the most popular coastal cities in Barcelona, ​​on a tour from Barcelona and in a single day. It costs 86 euros and you can purchase it here.
- Game of Thrones Girona: getaway specialized in visiting the sites where Game of Thrones was filmed, departing from Barcelona for 55 euros. You can hire it here.
- Figueres: the birthplace of Salvador DalĂ. You can go by train for 40 euros (round trip). Once at your destination you can take a free tour available here.
For this budget we will add 80 euros so that you can make a getaway with a guide or maybe two on your own.
How much does it cost to eat in Barcelona?
As for food, the costs are quite affordable, as in any big city you can find everything from the most basic fast food options with 5 euro menus, to luxurious restaurants.
One of the best ways to optimize your budget is to look for restaurants that offer a menu, this is a good way to be able to eat well and have a fixed budget. The menus normally range from 10 to 25 euros, but for 13 euros you will easily have a very good meal.
It remains to add breakfasts and dinners. In case you are looking for something light, 5 euros may be enough for each one. But if you are looking to dine Spanish style, the cost per dinner will normally start at 20 euros.
If you are looking to save more, prepared supermarket food will be much cheaper or even cooking if you have access. In my case, considering that I don’t have dinner, 20 euros is enough for me per day, so to eat for 5 days we will add 100 euros.
Basic information
Tours in Barcelona
Where do I stay in Barcelona
Transfers in Barcelona
Tips for visiting Barcelona like a local
How much does it cost to go from Barcelona to the airport?
- A private transfer with a driver waiting for you at the airport will cost 37.50 euros and you can hire it here
- Taxi from the airport to the city center: 31.91 – 42.55 euros
- Aerobus from the airport to the city center (round trip): 10.20 euros
- Metro from the airport to the city (round trip): 10.30 euros
And if your budget is very limited you can pay for a public bus trip to go between the airport and the city, only the trip will be longer than on the aerobus. It is the R2N route.
How much does transportation cost in Barcelona?
Nothing like walking to get to know Barcelona, ​​but being a big city at some point you will use transportation, so here are the costs
- One public transport trip: 2.40 euros
- Day Card (T-DĂa) with unlimited trips for one day for a single user
- Casual Card (T-Casual) with 10 single-person trips: 11.35 euros
- Usual Card (T-Usual) unlimited trips for one month for 40 euros.
Important. These costs are for an area, so they will serve you for most attractions in the city, but if you want to go outside you will need to buy another card. They also do not include trips to the airport.
TIP . If you are going to use transport on more than one occasion, buy a T-Casual, a single-person card valid for 10 integrated journeys (bus, metro, tram, train). This way the trip is 50% cheaper than if you buy it individually.
For a tourist trip, a T Casual will be enough, so you only have to add 11.35 euros.
And then… How much does it cost to travel to Barcelona?
- Hotel accommodation per person: 180 euros
- Airport – hotel transportation (round trip by airbus): 10.20 euros
- Transportation card: 11.35 euros
- Attractions: 144.75 euros.
- Getaways to the outskirts of the city: 80 euros
- Meals: 100 euros
Total: 526 euros per person, 625 USD or 12 thousand MXN.
If you stay in a hostel you would save 90 euros, while if you don’t do all the attractions or leave the city you could save another 150 euros. Your budget would be 286 euros per person or 340 USD.
⚠️It is mandatory to travel with insurance
Insurance is an essential requirement to travel to many countries in the world such as those in the Schengen Area. You can get it from 20 USD and if you use my code you receive 20% discount. Get an insurance quote here.