What Free Things Can You Do in Barcelona in 2019?

Barcelona is the perfect city to enjoy different kinds of activities, and some of them cost money, while others are completely free of charge.

Exhibitions, sports activities, gastronomy, museums… All you have to do is decide on what you want to do, and then check if you can do that somewhere in the city without spending a single penny.

Barcelona has many ways to spend your leisure time on a low – or no – budget, so stop making excuses and get out of your apartment.

Today, this article by ShBarcelona will share free activities in Barcelona with you. Don’t miss any of them!

Table of Contents

Enjoy free activities in Barcelona

Visit many museums for free every first Sunday of the month

Photo via Pixabay

Besides free entrance on the first Sunday of each month, you can also enter many of the Catalan capital’s museums free of charge every Sunday, starting at 15:00.

If money is tight, but you still want to explore Barcelona’s cultural scene, you now know what days you will be able to visit the following museums for free:

El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria (Born Cultural Centre)
Castell de Montjuïc (Castle of Montjuïc)
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB or Centre for Contemporary Arts and Culture)
Museu de Cultures del Món (Museum of World Cultures)
Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Design Museum)
Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA or Museum of History)
Museu Etnològic de Barcelona (Ethnology Museum)
Museu Frederic Marès
Museu Marítim de Barcelona (Maritime Museum)
Museu de la Música (Music Museum)
Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Museum of Natural Sciences)
Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes (Royal Monastery)
La Virreina Centre de la Imatge (Contemporary Art and Learning Centre inside Virreina Palace)

Visit Sagrada Familia for free during Saturday and Sunday mass

On Saturdays and Sundays (check the website’s calendar of activities for extra dates) you can attend an international mass in Sagrada Familia, and it is free of charge. Seats are limited though! Times:

Every Saturday at 20:00
Every Sunday at 9:00

Mass is available in multiple languages and access will be through the Sagrada Familia’s Nativity façade at Carrer de la Marina. Doors open at 8:30 for morning mass and 19:30 in case you are attending evening mass.

Related article: 18 Free Things to Do in Barcelona

Visit Hospital de Sant Pau for free every first Sunday of the month

Photo via Pixabay

The Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau is one of the most representative examples of Modernist architecture in Barcelona.

It is designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who is also responsible for the Palau de la Música. Both buildings are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Your visit starts in the exhibition hall called Pabellón de Sant Salvador, and here the history of Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is explained. When the tour continues, you will visit the gardens, and these served as therapeutic gardens within the city.

After observing the spectacular outdoor terrain of Hospital de Sant Pau, Pabellón de Sant Rafael will take you on a journey back in time with a recreation of a sick bay from the beginning of the 20^th century.

The visit then continues through a section of the tunnels leading to Pabellón de Administración and ends at one of the most colourful and ornamented halls of the entire complex. The museum is located in the neighbourhood of Guinardó.

Visit the Picasso Museum for free on Thursday evenings

Pablo Picasso had deep roots in Barcelona, and a part of his art is showcased in his museum.

The Picasso Museum was created in the 1960s after the artist himself and his friend Jaime Sabartés took the initiative for this. The museum is currently home to more than 4,000 works by Picasso, and it contains the most complete collection of art works from his early years.

You can visit the museum for free every Thursday, from 18:00 to 21:30.

Is there another fun and free activity you can add to this list?