Bustling dog-friendly Barcelona

Barcelona is an amazing place to visit with you dog and offers a little bit of everything. From amazing architecture, to a beautiful, gothic historical area and amazing beaches there is something for everyone - and their best bud! We also loved the variety of fresh food and wine and how inexpensive it was to eat out compared to other cities. The warm climate also makes it an idea travel destination when other parts of Europe are shivering their way through winter.

THINGS TO DO

Gothic Quarter - Historic Area

The Gothic Quarter spans several blocks around the Cathedral of Barcelona. It’s super easy to just start wandering and then get lost in the pretty streets and alleys as they seem to go every direction, but that’s part of the fun. Within the Gothic Quarter are several squares and these make good points of reference when you get lost again! It also helps that the busy little plazas are where you’ll find lots of bars and restaurants so you can always do some day drinking while you figure out where to head next. Some of our favourite squares included, Place Real which was surrounded by pretty buildings with palm trees in its centre, and Plaza del Pi which had some cute tapas restaurants and plenty of outdoor seating.

Also make sure you see Palau de la Musica - this beautiful building is located on Career de Sant Pere Men Alt - and the outside of the building is striking.. You can also take tours of the inside, but will have to leave your dog at your accommodation for this. There is also a small plaza next to it that has an interesting ‘face’ sculpture by Jaume Plensa and the surrounding area is full of cute shops and eateries.

Cathedral of Barcelona and Plaça Nova

Barcelona Cathedral is a huge gothic building located in Plaça Nova - which means lots of space to get photos. The square itself is a popular meeting spot and has a number of souvenir type shops as well as plenty of cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating. The square often hosts different events and markets which can be interesting to walk through, and as they are outdoors, they are dog-friendly. However the Cathedral is a vey popular tourist location so plan to get there early if you want to beat the crowds and hawkers

Once you’ve visited the Cathedral take the street to the left (Career del Bisbe) to see the beautiful Post del Bisbe Bridge overhead.

Continue down this street and you’ll reach Sant Juame Square which is surrounded by beautiful buildings.

Alternatively, from the Cathedral in Plaça Nova, turn 90 degrees and go down to the end of Career dels Capellans to see ‘The World Begins with Every Kiss’ mural - which is quite famous and always seems to have people waiting to take photos at it. The mural is a mosaic that is made up of thousands of small tiles with their own images on them.

Explore Barcelona City - Shopping District

Barcelona City is a great place to walk around, it’s always busy and lively and there are so many interesting buildings to see as you explore the different streets. If you’re into shopping then make sure you head to Passeig de Gracia, a wide street that has all the big brands. Audi’s Casa Batlio and Casa Mila are only a few mins walk apart on this street and as you walk between them you’ll come across some cool looking mosaic and wrought iron outdoor seating.

Pretty mosaic and wrought iron seats in the city

At the bottom of this street is the large square, La Place de Catalunya which is an open area with a fountain and a million pigeons - but the metro runs from underneath it, so a good point of reference if you’re catching it. The large department store, El Corte Ingles is across the street and is dog-friendly (except for the supermarket on level -1). In the opposite direction, Passeig de Gracia turns into Avinguda del Portal De' L’Angel which also has a number of less name brand shops but is a wide, pedestrian only area and leads down to the Cathedral.

Gaudi Architecture

Gaudi is a world renown architect and some of his most well known creations are located in Barcelona. Best of all you can see them all with your dog!

Gaudi’s Casa Batlló (dog friendly) and Casa Mila

Casa Batlló and Casa Mila are only a few mins walk apart in central Barcelona on Passeig de Gracia. Right next to Casa Batlló is the stunning Casa Amatiler designed by Josep Puig. While Casa Mila is a private residential building, you can visit Casa Batlló with your dog! For info on their dog policy click here

The gorgeous Casas of Batlló and Amatiler

Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia

The most famous Gaudi of them all, this absolutely stunning building towers over Barcelona and is yet to be completed. While dogs aren’t allowed to go inside, as it sits on an entire block you can easily walk around the entire building for breathtaking views and plenty of photo ops. There is a park on each side of La Sagrada - and while the park in front gives the more traditional view, Plaza de Gaudi at the back, provides a clearer view of the entire structure.

La Sagrada Familia - good views from Plaza de Gaudi

Gaudi’s Parc Güell

Parc Güell is a large Park that you’ll likely need to take public transport to reach (it's over an hour walk from the main centre or about 30 mins by public transport.). At the main entrance are some of the most beautiful and interesting buildings you’ll ever see.

And most of the park is dog friendly! The areas within the park that do not allow dogs are Nature Square, Hipostyle Room, the Dragon Stairway, the Austria Gardens and the Laundry Room Portico. This sounds like a lot - but they only cover a small part of the park and you can either see these from other angles, or take turns to visit them.

Once you’re out of the main entrance area you’ll find lots of different paths and trails covering the rest of the park, which is extensive and you can spend a long time exploring the different areas. If you venture to the top you’ll be rewarded with some pretty amazing views on a clear day. While the incline isn’t too steep for the most part, there are also lots of places to stop and rest, but also make sure you take plenty of water.

This park gets busy with a capital B, so you’ll need to make a reservation in advance to visit. Here is a link to the park rules with a dog here

Stunning buildings at dog-friendly Parc Güell

Ciuladella Park

This amazing park is located next to the La Ribera area, or at the end of the central promenade of the Passeig de Louis Companys. It’s a great place to walk through as has lots of gardens and wide, paved paths to explore and there seemed to be no parts that were off limits to dogs. There are different sculptures / art works within the park as well as plenty of grassy areas that would make the perfect picnic spot on a sunny day. The key attraction in the park however, has to be the amazing Gaudi fountain which is completely over the top (but totally amazing) and sits within a huge pond. You can get some great photos in front of this, as well as take the stairs up the side of it for different views.

Arc de Triomf

At the top end of Passeig de Louis Companys you’ll find the huge Arc de Triomf which is another must see. The Arc sits within the central promenade, a large pedestrian area that is mostly paved, but has plenty of seating and trees on the sides. Barcelona is also full of noisy, but beautiful green parrots, and you have a good chance of seeing them flying around this area.

La Rambla

One of the most famous streets to see in Barcelona, La Rambla is a one mile, pedestrian friendly boulevard that is popular for its variety of street stalls. Personally we weren’t sure it lived up to the hype, but it was a nice area to walk through with a dog. Again it does get crowded and you do have to watch for pickpockets, but it’s a good place to explore and do some people watching. There are also some interesting buildings here, including Casa Bruno Quadros and Gran Teatre del Liceu. If you walk all the way down to the waterfront you’ll come across the 60 metre tall Columbus Monument which sits in the middle of a large roundabout. Across the road from this is the interesting Admiral Historic Authority Building. You can then head around the back of this to explore the waterfront and marina area.

Waterfront Area / Port Vell (loop walk)

The waterfront area of Barcelona is much less popular than the historic parts, but it’s a great option to explore with your dog. You can do the loop walk from either direction, but we’ll start from the La Rambla area. Cross into the marina over the Rambla del Mar bridge and pier for good views of the floating sculpture, ‘Miraestels’ in the harbour and the cable car. There is also a shopping district on the wharf that has a number of outdoor eateries. From here you can keep walking around and you’ll come across a large grassed area which doubles as a dog park (this is area of Barcelona is where we saw the greatest number of dogs!) and there are often a number of superyachts parked up here too. You’ll also spot an old pirate-looking ship as you walk back to the main promenade. There are also a couple of big artworks on the main promenade to check out, including the pop art colourful ‘Barcelona’s Head’ and the giant prawn like creature, ‘La Gamba’. Across the road in Place de Pau Vila you’ll find more beautiful historic buildings.

Don’t forget to explore the Barcelona waterfront

La Barceloneta

You can walk through here from the Port Vell area - past the superyacht marina and a row of fancy looking restaurants before you get to the heart of this district. This area is quintessential Barcelona, full of old buildings with colourful washing lines across balconies and small stores at street level. It was a really interesting part of the city to walk through on our way to laya de la Barceloneta beach, plus also offered shade!

Playa de la Barceloneta - Beachfront

The beachfront promenade is at street level, large and paved and while it’s a great walk with your dog, be aware that there is no shade. While regulations around dogs on this beach depend on the time of year, we saw a number of dogs walking or swimming outside of the ‘official hours’, so I think it largely depends on how busy the actual beach is. The promenade has lots of spots to sit, but again, not much shade - so take plenty of water. We did see there were public bathrooms down at beach level about half way along, so managed to top up our water bottle.

About half way down the beach (over the road) there is also a good sized park, called Parque de la Barceloneta which has a really cool looking tower in it.

Once you’ve cooled down, continue to the end of the beach where you’ll be rewarded by a large grassy area and palm trees to rest under. This spot also provides fantastic views back along the beachfront, all the way to the imposing ‘W Barcelona hotel’.

Barcelona Beach is a great spot to explore and enjoy with your dog

There are also a number of (tourist priced) restaurants in this area as well as some interesting modern buildings (to see some of these you will need to head back a block from the beach). But from the promenade you can see the impressive Frank Gehry steel fish sculpture called ‘Peix’.

OTHER THINGS TO DO

Montjuic

Montjuic is a large hill close to the city with a castle on top and amazing views across Barcelona and the ocean. There is a cable car that goes to it, however dogs are not allowed on this, (boooo) so you’ll need to walk up…. The hill itself is reasonably steep, so just consider what your dog’s capabilities are, the temperature and pack plenty of water. Once you reach the summit, there is a relatively flat walk around the castle on a dirt pathway with lots of good viewpoints, as well as plenty of grassy areas to rest and enjoy the views.

GETTING AROUND

Dogs are allowed on the metro during non-peak hours (7am to 9.30am and 5pm to 7pm) and must be on lead and have a muzzle. We found that the muzzle was not enforced, but always had one with us. We also caught taxis a couple of times and had no issues with taking Beatle either in a carrier, or on the floor.

We arrived in Barcelona on a RENFE train from Paris and at the time they only allowed dogs under 10kg to travel in a carrier. Beats is slightly over that weight, but fitted in her carrier fine and napped at our feet. However, this policy has recently been updated so that on some lines, dogs up to 40kg can now travel too! For more information about RENFE’s dog policy click here

EAT AND SLEEP

We ate at a variety of different tapas restaurants in the historic district which were obviously more aimed at tourists, and we had a range of experiences in terms of quality of food and price. As the weather was warm our preference was to dine outdoors, but the upside was that Beatle was always welcome to join us (and often bought a bowl of water).

One place I do want to highlight is a small bodega we found on our last night in Barcelona. It was really cute and full of friendly locals. Dogs were welcome inside, the wine was incredibly cheap and every time we ordered a drink it came with yummy complimentary snacks! It was called Vernissage Bodega and was on Carre de Buenaventura Munoz.

Waiting patiently for snacks at Vernissage Bodega

We stayed at the Hotel Barcelona Catedral as it was right in the middle of the Gothic Quarter, just off Plaça Nova - but down a side street so nice and quiet. They offered complimentary wine and cheese every evening and Beats joined us a couple of times (we sat away from the main restaurant area). Their website says small dogs only, so we emailed first to confirm and paid 12 euro per day as a pet fee. There isn’t a lot of greenery in the historic area of town, so Beats liked having a small (mostly dirt) area across the road to pee on rather than just the street…. To see their dog policy click here

IN SUMMARY

We found Barcelona to be exceptionally dog-friendly and Beats had the best time walking and sniffing as much of the streets, parks and attractions as she could. It’s definitely a touristy town and the crowds at the key attractions and prices in old town reflect that so I would recommend travelling in non-peak times and avoiding summer due to the heat. Like other parts of Spain, many stores don’t open until 10am so there aren’t a lot of people out and about earlier, but we found this a great time to get out to explore the streets with Beatle and get lots of photos without crowds.

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