15 things you must know when travelling with children to Barcelona
Because family vacations to Barcelona are fun!
It does involve more planning as the children become the centre of the experience. Everything is done at their pace, eating times are according to their schedule and activites should be entertaining for them. But who says, it is not fun for the parents?! Travelling with a small child enriches learning and is no reason to become a hassle, regardless of the children’s age.
Barcelona Flats has put together some tips & suggestions for your stay in Barcelona to become a “best example” experience.
- Coming from overseas? Visit your doctor at least two months prior to the journey. Find out everything about vaccinations and medical papers you need to carry with you. Remember! Small people need visas and passports too and although kids, the prices are the same as for adults.
- Important when planning is to check the weather conditions. Barcelona in the summer can get hot and also humid, so prepare for these conditions.
- Allergies? It is better to print an Allergy Card in Spanish with Do´s and Dont´s for your kid to wear in their pockets at all times. Allergy UK website gives you the opportunity to buy 3 cards in Spanish for the price of £15. Visit www.allergyuk.org for more info. An alternative is to write it and print it yourself. If you choose so, cover it in plastic for longer-lasting.
- Barcelona is a crowded city, especially the hot spots for tourists. Make a bracelet for your kids with their names, your phone number and address (home and your rental apartment – Barcelona Flats makes sure you have all the necessary info to make all arrangements prior to your travel). Technology today even gives you the chance to use a child monitor or a tracking device so look into it.
- Get the kids interested! Barcelona is wonderful and full of history. Give your kids books about the city, make them research what they are about to explore. A list with places to see is also interesting and you can turn it into a quest.
- Plane travel? It is exhausting for us adults, so imagine it for children. Keep them entertained with movies, games and cell phones.
- Airport arrival. There are two airports around Barcelona : Girona and Reus. Barcelona Prat is the main Barcelona airport and the closest to the city. To ease your journey we recommend flights to this airport. From the airport to your apartment take a taxi or the airport bus. Do not take the train then metro! It is simply exhausting to travel with luggage and kids up and down those stairs.
- The apartment needs to be child-friendly and our team knows that children safety is a priority. Our vacation apartment in Borne, for example, is perfect for children. A two bedroom apartment with WiFi and air conditioning. The area is quiet, there is a park nearby, the Chocolate Museum, and the Picasso Musem. It is a perfect distance from the beach, avoiding at the same time the crowded and loud area that surrounds the beach. There are tapas bars around it but also sit-down restaurants. This is not our only child friendly flat, we have a whole list for you to pick! Bear in mind that Spanish flats and apartments do not usually have carpets on the floor.
- Tap water is safe!
- Where to eat? Restaurants are child-friendly in Barcelona and Catalan cuisine is tasty for people of all ages. Check out our list of best places to eat in Barcelona.
- Breast feeding can be done in public places. The Catalan culture is open to this natural behaviour.
- If your child has special needs it is better to talk to parents that have visited Barcelona already. Try www.disabledfriendly.com or www.yourable.com If you are coming from the UK remember that Barcelona and even Spain is not as well-prepared as the UK when it comes to this topic.
- Road safety: always double check before crossing the street, even with the green-man showing at the traffic lights.
- When planning your activities do it from the child perspective. Do not rush from A to B, allow time for exploring. Barcelona is full of details and the young eye of a child will catch them faster than us, adults. They can actually teach us something, hence another reason to travel at a slow pace. The beach is also popular and Barcelona has a few. Check them out in our guide.
- Pharmacies: some are open 24 hours and there is usually one person that speaks English. Each pharmacy has a programme on their window that notes the ones open 24 hr. As it doesn’t hurt to be well-prepared, here’s our list of useful Spanish words:
- Bandage: vendage
- Plaster: yeso
- Headache/Please give me something for my headache: Dolor de cabeza/ Por favor dame algo para el dolor de cabeza
- Tummy ache: dolor de estomago/ Por favor dame algo para el dolor de estomago
- Allergies: alergias
- Antiseptic cream: crema antiseptica
- Sun cream: crema solar
- Thank you and goodbye: Gracias, adios!
This concludes our list, and remember that Barcelona Flats is always ready to answer your inquiries. The only thing left now is to come to Barcelona! Follow the link to our website that has all the info you need. Hasta luego!
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