Barcelona is a dog-friendly city where it is estimated that there are 170,500 dogs. In this post I present my partner Gazza, a mix of Husky and Podenco, adopted now 7 years ago. Here I am going to explain a lot of activities that you can do with your pet in our city.
Parc Güell
This park is one of the essential visits during your stay in Barcelona.
Although dogs can access the entire park, there are areas that are restricted such as the Nature’s Plaza, the Hypostyle Hall, the Dragon Staircase, the Austrian Gardens and the Laundry Portal.
The second photo is taken from the Plaza de la Naturaleza (Nature’s Plaza) and, although now it is not possible to access it with a dog, it can be seen from a higher location in the park.
Montjuic
Montjuïc is a mountain that has many emblematic spaces in the city, having hosted a large part of the 1992 Olympics. Historically, it has been a strategic place for the defense of the city and that is why there is a castle on its top.
I recommend you climb the mountain part to the castle. Unfortunately, Pets are no admitted, nor can you go up with your pet on the cable car. Other spaces where your dog can access are the Poble Espanyol and the Olympic Ring. You cannot miss the views of the city from the balcony of the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
Find out how to get there and all the details about Montjuic in this blog post.
Casa Batlló
It is a modernist-style house located on Passeig de Gracia between Aragón and Consell de Cent streets, in the Manzana known as Manzana de la Discordia due to the rivalry between its architects and the owners who commissioned them. Casa Batlló was remodeled by Gaudí on an old building by order of Don Josep Batlló i Casanovas, a textile industrialist who owned several factories in Barcelona and a prominent businessman.
It is allowed to visit the house with your pet, always under your supervision and with the approval of Casa Batlló staff.
Sagrada Familia
This is the most visited monument in Barcelona and although pets are not allowed to enter the Basilica, I recommend that you go and see it from the outside. Here you will find information about its facades.
Right in front, whether you access through Marina Street or Sardenya Street, there are two parks where you can walk with your dog.
Suggested itineraries around the center of Barcelona
If you want to get to know the city on foot, being accompanied by your inseparable friend will not be a problem. In my 2-day route I suggest the modified first day itinerary. The route starts at Passeig de Gracia in La Pedrera, Casa Batlló (which, as I have already explained, can be visited with a dog), Casa Amatller, Plaza Catalunya, La Rambla, Font de Canaletas, MACBA, Teatro del Liceo, the Columbus Statue, the Maremagnum, the Ciutadella Park, the Arc de Triomf and, finally, the Barcelona Cathedral. As you can see, I have excluded the Boqueria Market, the Museu d’Història de Catalunya, the Palau de la Música and the Museu Picasso from the tour, because they do not allow pets.
Another itinerary that I suggest to get to know the city is the one that you can consult in the post of the 7-day route. On the first day of this route you will see the Barcelona Cathedral, Plaça Felip Neri, Plaça del Rei, Plaça Sant Jaume, Plaça Reial and you will end up on La Rambla.
Bunkers del Carmel
The Bunkers del Carmel are a viewpoint where you can see some of the best views of the city. It is a free access space located in an area made up of anti-aircraft batteries built by the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. Learn more about them in this post.
In this area your dog will have to be on a leash, but if you go up through the Parque del Guinardó you can do most of the journey with the dog unleashed.
Parks and gardens
It is important to know the ordinance and how the dogs should go according to the space where you walk. In Barcelona there are many urban parks in which the ordinance determines that dogs have to be tied (except in recreation areas for dogs). There are other spaces where they can be unleashed (except for breeds considered potentially dangerous): areas for dogs, recreation areas for dogs and shared use areas, which establish certain time slots (although they are currently in moratorium and therefore can be loose).
All areas are well signposted. Here you will find the regulations in a more extensive way.
Apart from the parks that I have already told you about (Parc Güell, Montjuic and the Bunkers), there are other large parks in the city where your dogs will enjoy running.
Likewise, there are 80 parks and gardens in which dogs are not allowed to enter due to their historical or artistic nature or for the protection of plant and heritage elements.
Parc del Guinardó
In this park are the Bunkers del Carmel at its top. It is a small mountain that offers various itineraries from where you can contemplate beautiful views of the city. Here your dog will be able to socialize with many other dogs freely.
Parc de la Ciutadella
The Parque de la Ciutadella is a public park that was built at the end of the 19th century. It is a space where you will find families spending the day, people having picnics, groups practicing sports such as yoga or tai chi, and it is also used for cultural activities. As it is an urban park, you will have to keep your dog on a leash. Even so, you will see that in the grassy areas there are many people having picnics with their dogs running around them.
Beach
Pets are allowed on the beaches of the city of Barcelona, without time limits, except during the bathing season (weekends from April to October, Easter and every day from June 1 to the last Sunday of September).
In summer it is difficult to find spaces to refresh our dogs. In Barcelona, a small space has been reserved on the Llevant beach for our pets, although I hardly recommend it because it is really small.
Perros al Agua
Another option to refresh our companions is at the Aquaparc Perros al Agua, located in La Roca del Valles, on the outskirts of Barcelona. Access must be done by car (30 minutes) because it is poorly connected by public transport. It is an impressive water park for dogs that has two huge pools in which they can swim freely.
Shopping
Barcelona offers multiple options to do your shopping: from centuries-old shops to avant-garde design spaces. Pets are allowed in most of their stores.
Public transport
Dogs can travel by metro and tram every working day, except from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Saturdays and holidays there is no time limit. The regulations require that they go with a muzzle and with a non-extensible leash and less than 50cm long.
In order to access the metro stations, we recommend that you use the door reserved for animals, prams and wheelchairs, which allows better access.
Here you can consult all the access regulations of the city council.
Where to eat
To eat you can sit on any terrace, bearing in mind that in Barcelona the climate is mild in the winter months and hot in the summer. If you ask, most establishments give you water so that your dog can cool off.
In addition, you can find many restaurants and bars that accept dogs inside. We usually search through the SrPerro app.
Hotels
With booking you can book your stay in the city intuitively by filtering in the “Facilities” section, by “pets allowed”. In addition, you will have flexibility and the possibility of free cancellation, sometimes up to 24 hours before. And if you register you can access discounts of at least 10% with the Genius program.
Recommendations
- In Barcelona it is usually hot, do not forget to bring a bottle with water for your dog, that you can refill at the city’s fountains.
- It is not mandatory but it is advisable to pour water in the areas where the dog has peed to avoid bad odours.
- It is mandatory to collect the droppings and not doing so is fined.
- Here you can consult the requirements to travel with a dog to Spain, both from an EU country and from a non-EU country.
I hope that with these recommendations your pet also enjoys his visit to Barcelona
