Family Activities

Catalan Style

Going out to eat or sipping a beer on a terrace at the end of the summer evening doesn’t have to mean leaving children with babysitters. Locals take their children out all the time and don’t worry about keeping them up late. To make the most of your visit, try adjusting your child’s sleeping habits to ‘Spanish time’ early or else you’ll miss a lot of Barcelona. Also, be prepared to look for things ‘outside the box’: the childlike creativity of Picasso and Miró (give your children paper and pencils and take them around the museums), the Harry-Potter-Meets-Tolkien Fantasy of Park Güell and La Pedrera, and the wild costumes, the building of human castles and street food at festivals.

Babysitting

Most midrange and top-of-the-line hotels in Barcelona can organize babysitting services. Otherwise, please contact Tender Loving Canguros (https://tlcanguros.wordpress.com) or 5 Serveis (+93 412 56 76; www.5serveis.com; Carrer de Pelai 50; Metro - Catalunya).

Eating with Children

Barcelona is very friendly when it comes to eating with babies. Spanish children tend to eat Mediterranean dishes enjoyed by their parents, but some restaurants have children’s menus that serve burgers, pizzas, tomato sauce and the like. Good local foods commonly found on tapas menus include tortillas de patatas (potato omelettes) or croquetas de jamón (ham croquettes).

Family-Friendly Meals

Fantastic for chocolate and all sorts of sweet things, La Nena has a play area and toys and books in the corner. The Bar del Convent is a great all-weather option, with a safe, traffic-free terrace to play in, and a raft of games and toys indoors.

• Sit outside Filferro (+93 221 98 36; Carrer de Sant Carles 29; tapas €5-8, mains €7-12; h 10am-1am; mBarceloneta), tapas and snack bar, and enjoy the Mediterranean wind while the kinds are having fun in the nearby playground.

• At Granja M Viader, no child will be left unimpressed – and without a buzz! – a thick, hot chocolate.

• Pepa Tomate (+93 210 46 98; www.pepatomategrup.com; Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1868 17; sharing plates €7-17; h 8pm-midnight Mon, 9 am Tue-Fri, 10 am Sat, 11 am Sun; Metro Fontana) is a winner with pencils and a small playground near the side tables.

• Along the streets famous for its chocolate bars, Granja La Pallaresa (percentage 93 302 20 36; www.lapallaresa.com; Carrer del Petritxol 11; h9am-1pm & 4-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 5-9pm Sun; W; Metro - Liceu) is a top spot for crispy churros dipped in steaming chocolate.