- What if the Good Life Requires Giving Up Some Freedom? - September 15, 2026
- What Climbing Grouse Mountain Taught Me About Financial Freedom - August 18, 2026
- My Apartment Gave Me Something That Money Can’t Buy - August 4, 2026
Some places you love so much you can’t wait to go back.
Barcelona was not one of those places. From the hotel manager who screamed at us for daring to ask about our room bill, to the restaurant owner who charged us 30% extra to sit outside, to the shopkeeper who shortchanged us and refused to correct their mistake, it was obvious the locals loathed tourists back in 2009, when we visited it for the first time, and nearly made me swear off Spain forever.
Luckily, the warm and kindness of Andalucians in Seville and Malaga changed my mind and we’ve been returning to Spain ever since.
That said, I was apprehensive about coming back to Barcelona and staying for a whole month this time. The original plan was to go to Valencia, but due to flooding, we had to change our plans last minute and will forever be grateful that HomeExchange found us a 3 bedroom in Barcelona as an alternative.
Little did I know, visiting Barcelona as a couple compared to visiting Barcelona as a family is a completely different experience.
So different, in fact, that the city skyrocketed from my shit list to a place that I would gladly move to, even though it’s hella expensive.
Why?
Well, when you travel as a family versus as a couple, you need to do things differently. With a toddler, you don’t get to do a lot of adventurous and/or touristy stuff. Sagrada Familia? Las Ramablas? Casa Batillo? All those attractions that makes Barcelona famous is no longer fun with a tiny Tasmanian devil in tow, who needs 2 naps a day and runs around destroying everything in his path.
Also, Barcelonians are not a fan of tourists. With massive crowds jostling for that perfect Gaudi Instagram photo and displacing locals with their Airbnb ghost hotel reservations, graffiti that say “tourists, go home!” and “this is not a goddamn hotel!” are common.
So, I get why they’re not a fan of travellers. What I didn’t know, was that, they are, however, a huge fan of kids.
Everywhere we went, even the most stone-faced local, would immediately light up as soon as Little Matchstick gave them a smile or a wave, which he did often, because he loves people and attention.
At one point, an entire subway train full of riders stopped what they were doing to giggle and make funny faces at him. The fact that our Spanish was terrible didn’t matter. Having a bubbly, smiley toddler ensured instant friendships.
Mind you, having a cute, extroverted toddler generally helps you make friends in most places, but in major metropolitan cities like Toronto and New York, LMS didn’t get nearly as much of a reaction as he did in Barcelona.
I also felt less tired in Barcelona, because the city is designed to make parents’ lives easier.
Here’s how:
Transportation
Not only are their sidewalks wide, flat, and easy to use for strollers (unlike most of Europe, where you need to worry about cobblestone sidewalks destroying your stroller wheels), their public transportation is (mostly) stroller-friendly and accessible. The trick is to stand at the section of the subway platform marked with the accessibility label. Once we figured that out, getting around with our luggage and stroller was a breeze. I’m so happy we didn’t bother bringing a car seat (which is a must have in North America) because it wouldn’t have been used at all.
Walkability
One of my favourite things about Europe is the prioritization of pedestrians and cyclists over cars. And Barcelona was no different. Because of HomeExchange, we stayed in a local area called “Barceloneta” , which was within walking distance to the beach, the impressive Ciutadella Park, multiple playgrounds, and amazing local restaurants.
Can Solé
Age-Appropriate Playgrounds
One of my biggest pet peeves is that North American playgrounds are designed with a ‘one size fits all’ idea in mind. Most have labels that say “recommended for ages 3 and up”. This makes it super tiring as a parent because you have to constantly watch your 1-2 year old, who is too old to be held, but too young to play on the structures on their own.
This was not the case in Barcelona, in that I found many playgrounds cleverly designed low to the ground with lots of variety, making it safe for the infants/toddlers, but also interesting and fun for older kids. In some cases, they even had different structures on the same playground, separated by age category. This alleviated the need for me to constantly hover over LMS to prevent falls, and I could just sit on the nearby bench and watch, without worrying.
Vicinity of Playgrounds
Playgrounds in Barcelona are as ubiquitous as stop signs in North America. They are everywhere.
Heading to the beach? There’s a playground on it. Going to the bar? Playground right outside. Going grocery shopping at the giant supermarket? Two playgrounds the size of two sprawling parking lots right outside the door. Going up to some obscure labyrinth on top of a hill? One of the best playgrounds right at the entrance.
I never had to worry about keeping LMS occupied, no matter what I was doing, because there was always somewhere nearby for him to run off some energy. And even if it rained (which it rarely did), the local library had an entire separate building dedicated to “Les Infantil”. This was inside a park that had not one, not two, but 3 different playgrounds already!
Ludotecas (“Toy Libraries”)
I discovered a Ludoteca, which are basically indoor playgrounds attached to coffee shops, within a 5 min walk from my HomeExchange on a rainy day and it did not disappoint.
The idea of a co-working spaces that are also childcare centers isn’t new (they exist in Toronto as well) but in North America, they sure don’t cost only 12 euro for the whole day and aren’t open from 8am-7pm. The ones I’ve been to in North America cost nearly that much per hour and the opening times aren’t nearly as flexible or as long.
If the weather is bad outside or you simply want to get some work done, Ludoteca’s have got you covered (for little to nothing).
Local Attitudes
Everywhere we went, LMS was welcomed with open arms, even in bars with tables so close and rooms so narrow you can reach out and touch both walls. The lack of space would’ve been extremely uncomfortable with a kid in downtown Toronto, but here in Barcelona, no need to worry, because—you guessed it—there’s a playground right outside.
No one batted an eye when LMS got fussy during mealtimes or when he crawled over to complete strangers in a park and started playing with their toes. They kept saying “it’s fine, you’re fine. Tranquillo, tranquillo.” whenever I felt bad about him causing problems—a habit I developed from being in Canada and the US, where parents are judged within an inch of their lives while given little to cope with the stress of parenting.
In Barcelona, kids are part of the social fabric and very much celebrated. Everywhere I went, whether it was sightseeing, grocery shopping, or even tapas bar hopping, there was always a playground a stone’s throw away. Even in Sagrada Familia, the most touristy site of all, I counted 3 playgrounds right outside!
So, after a blissful month hanging out with friends, eating mouth-watering tapas, and discovering that Barcelona has somehow (annoyingly) gone from one of my least favourite places to one of my most favourite, I guess I’ll have to consider moving to Spain in the future. Especially since all that delicious Iberico jamon isn’t going to eat itself.
Also, LMS made all these adorable animal friends at the Ciutadella Park Zoo, and he’ll want to see them again:
Here’s how much we spent in Barcelona:
Category | Cost in USD for a family of 3 per day | Cost in CAD for a family of 3 per day | Notes |
Accommodations | $0 | $0 | Because we used Home Exchange for a free stay, the only cost is the rent back home of $53/day. |
Food | $37 | $52.69 ($30.71 eating out; $21.98 groceries) | We ate out at tapas bars and local restaurants mostly and avoided the tourist traps. We also cooked a lot with our friends and saved a ton of money by using the “TooGoodToGo” app which consistently gave us sandwiches and pastries that fed 4 adults and 1 toddler for multiple days for only 2.99 Euro. Also groceries in Barcelona are way cheaper than in Canada and the US. |
Transportation | $1.72 | $2.44 | We only used the subway a handful of times to get to farther attractions or to get from the cruise port to the Home Exchange. As a result, the cost of transportation is super low. We also didn’t include the cost of getting to Barcelona, because that’s via a cruise, which will be discussed in another travel post. |
Entertainment | $3.71 | $5.27 | Over our 26 day stay, we only went to 3 paid attractions: Sagrada Familia (26 Euros), Casa de Música (23 Euros), and the Zoo (21.50 Euros each). For the first two, only one of us went at a time to avoid LMS melting down and ruining the experience. Other than that, there were a lot of free attractions (beach, Ciudella park, labyrinth, history museum, etc). We’d also already done a lof of the touristy stuff back in 2009 so didn’t feel the need to do it again. |
Misc | $5.51 | $7.83 | The only other costs are diapers, toiletries, the ludoteca, and data. My Home Exchange host even left me a full bag of diapers, wipes, etc so I barely even had to buy baby stuff. |
Total | $48.05 (would’ve been $128.45 if we didn’t use Home Exchange and paid for rent) | $68.23 (would’ve been $182.40 if we didn’t use Home Exchange and paid for rent) | The cost in Barcelona seems way too low for a city that’s supposed to be expensive, and this is because, unlike back in 2009, we spent the month living like locals, cooking and getting TooGoodToGo. Also, as a result of LMS, we didn’t up going to a lot of touristy stuff and mostly hung out in playgrounds, parks, libraries and the beach, which were all free. |
What do you think? Have you ever been to Barcelona? If so, what did you think of it?
Hi there. Thanks for stopping by. We use affiliate links to keep this site free, so if you believe in what we're trying to do here, consider supporting us by clicking! Thx ;)
Multi-currency Travel Card: Get a multi-currency debit card when travelling to minimize forex fees! Read our review here, or Click here to get started!
Travel the World: Get travel insurance for only $45.08 USD/month with SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
Travel for Free with Home Exchange: Read Our Review or Click here to get started. Please use sponsor code kristy-d61e2 to get 250 bonus points (100 on completing home profile + 150 after first stay)!
Beautiful place. On our way to Paris and then Africa for safaris…safe travels eceryone!
Such a timely article, thank you! My family is heading to Barcelona in April and while our kid is 10 and probably less cute than yours, we still hope for a warm reception since he’s with us. I was last there in 2003 before the recent Instagram-driven explosion of tourism, so I remember people being warm and friendly, we’ll see if that’s still the case in 2025 :O
Glad you came back to Spain, it’s awesome and your earlier experience is an exception. Of course it’s always better to stay off the tourist hotspots.
It’s true, kids are seen as part of society and are welcome to play and to run around even in bars and restaurants. Nobody ever raises an eyebrow! It really makes a difference especially when your kids are small.
How are you able to do a home exchange with a rented apartment, do you have ask permission from the landlord (in the contract) or is it like… “friends coming over”? 🙂
This is an excellent post, thank you!
Wow, 3 playgrounds outside Sangrida Familia? Wonderful We saw the gorgeous church in 2016..obviously the locals added more enhancement. In incredible modern interpretation of a church.
In 2005, we arrived at midnight and found out our reserved pensione was no longer available by waving “no” with their arms. Through more hand gestures, they walked us down to another pensione and showed us a room. We could only assume that this will be our room. The next day someone who spoke English finally explained it to us. As you might guess, it was all downhill from there.
We also are now a family of three and would be interested in going back because I did hear they were child friendly.
Gimmesomeoven lived there for a while and even did IVF. Apparently one of the best places to do so. They always touted the family friendliness of the city.
Great to see that you could’ve made it in Barcelona for under $130 a day (including lodging)! That’s really not very bad for Spain’s most expensive and touristy city, well done.
Also nice that you found lots of kid-friendly spots and kind people. Spain’s fertility rate is 1.16, the second lowest in Europe, perhaps that’s why they’re offering more free/affordable activities for kids. Or not, who knows, but it’s good that they’re being inclusive of all people.
Greetings from your friend “Nomadic Superfan”, now 1 year away from going full FIRE!
When my husband’s family visits from Italy they always mention how many parks for kids to play there are everywhere you go, and we live in Bilbao, so it must be a country wide thing 🙂
Glad you enjoyed Spain!
I’m glad you had a good time in Barcelona! I visited in 2022 as they were just starting to open up after the pandemic and found everyone to be so warm and welcoming. I’m looking forward to visiting again in 2025, and also looking forward to hearing about your cruise!
Spain was always kid friendly (speaking as a kid who was there in the 80’s). I was cute and all, but they loooooved me even when I was being a tiny asshole. Of course, we were in the south around Sevilla. I had friends in college who studied abroad in Spain and Barcelona had a bad rep among them. One friend described octopus fingered men and another got rolled.
Financial services play a crucial role in the global economy, offering products and services that help individuals and businesses manage their finances, investments, and risks. From banking to insurance, investment management, and more, these services ensure the smooth functioning of economic activities. One example of a company known for its customer service in the financial sector is Federated Hermes. The federated hermes customer service team is dedicated to offering personalized support, ensuring that clients have access to the necessary tools and guidance to make informed financial decisions.
Barcelona is the kind of city that seems too good to be true. With its stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and world-class cuisine, it’s almost unfair how effortlessly charming it is. Gaudí’s whimsical masterpieces make every street feel like an open-air museum. Nearly perfect year-round. Even mundane things like bath repairs are handled with a level of efficiency that makes other cities envious. It’s the kind of place where even its flaws—like tourist crowds—only add to its character. Whether you’re sipping sangria or strolling down La Rambla, Barcelona’s perfection is, quite frankly, a little annoying.
Do you think if you had first come to Barcelona as a mother, instead of as a young Incredibox tourist, your initial impression of the city would have been completely different?
Royaledle game is pure genius. Royaledle turns Clash Royale trivia into a strategic puzzle game. Every loss teaches you more, and every win feels epic.
What makes Pips NYT stand out is that it never feels repetitive. Each puzzle feels handcrafted, with a unique twist that makes me think differently every day.
Opening a salon requires clear planning and strong customer focus. Location choice branding and service quality shape success. Staff training ensures consistent experiences for every client. Pricing structure supports steady income and fair value. To understand practical steps that support salon success you can view and learn how preparation and care create a profitable beauty business.