Exploring Barcelona: Is The Barcelona Card Worth The Money

Let’s get one thing straight: Barcelona is an expensive city. Sure it isn’t as pricey as some European cities like Paris, London, or pretty much any place in Switzerland, but it is more than the rest of Spain for sure. One of my favorite things to get when I really want to explore a city is their Tourist Card. Before Barcelona I was in Granada and their Tourist card was fantastic for exploring the city. You can read my article Should You Get The Granada Card to learn more.

So, is the Barcelona Card worth it?

Well, there are a few factors in which to consider. After all, what may be right for one type of tourist will not be right for another.

I’ll first say that the Barcelona Card does not actually include that many free passes. For example, with the Firenze Card in Florence, you get access to 72 museums, in 72 hours, for 72 Euros. The Barcelona Card only give access to 23 different attractions. That isn’t inherently bad, as the card starts at at just €18 for the two day (48 hour) pass if you order online (10% discount). You can order the Barcelona Card online here.

The price list for the Barcelona Card is as follows:

48 hours: €18
72 hours: €41.40
96 hours: €50.40
120 hours: €54.90

All of the Barcelona Card varieties include free transport on all the metro systems including the Airport, so that is a nice addition, but as you can buy an unlimited metro pass anyways, it doesn’t add too much value to the card in my opinion.

Some of the free entries in the Barclona card include the Picasso Museum, normally €12 Euro. The Catalan Museum of Art, also a €12 entry cost, and the Botanical Gardens which is normally €3.50.

However if you thought the card included any of the Gaudi stuff, you’d be out of luck. Most of the Gaudi stuff is owned by his foundation, or private owners, so you’ll still have to pay the €25 to enter Casa Batlo.

Another thing the card does NOT include is access to The Sagrada Familia, which is the number one thing to visit in Barcelona.

You can get the Barcelona Card Combo which does include the Sagrada Familia as well as Park Guell and a few other things, but that card starts at €109 with the discount, so it is already quite expensive.

You can read my Guide To Gaudi In Barcelona for more details, locations, and prices of all the Gaudi exhibits in Barcelona.

For this reason I’m going to say the Barcelona Card is not worth it, unless you plan on seeing EVERYTHING included in it.

Disclaimer: As we were only in Barcelona for 6 days we got the 72 hour metro pass for €22 a person which also includes airport transfers and I DO think that is worth it. It allowed us to travel all over the city, and we just paid separately for all the stuff that isn’t even on the Barcelona Card anyways.