Free things to do in Barcelona in summer

Are you in Barcelona for your summer holidays? Are you tired of spending money in your plans? ShBarcelona offers 4 plans full of ideas of free things to do in summer in Barcelona.

1. Free museums

Museums are not usually free in Barcelona but many are on the first Sunday of every month or on Sunday afternoons. The museums that are free on the First Sunday of every month are: the MNAC (the Catalan National Art Museum, in Montjuich) MUHBA (the History Museum of Barcelona), the Frederic Marès museum, the Picasso Museum and the Blue Museum (in the Forum area, related to Natural Sciences). These last two are also open every Sunday afternoon from 3pm until closing time. The CCCB (Centre Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona) and the Maritime Museum are free every Sunday afternoon as well.

However, some exhibitions and Art Centres are always free, like the exhibitions in Palau Robert (on top of Passeig de Gràcia), in La Virreina (specialised in Visual Arts) or in the Arts Santa Mònica (in the lower part of the Rambla, near Drassanes and the Colombus statue). You can also visit for free the exhibitions rooms in La Pedrera and see the entrance hall and staircase and some parts on the inside (not the rooftop with the genius chimneys or the apartment though).

2. Free open air cinema

Another good idea for the summer is open air cinema. One of the most famous venues for open air cinema is in the Castle of Montjuich, but the tickets are not free. However, there are other alternatives that are totally free, like Cinema Lliure at the Sant Sebastia beach, offering films all July until mid August, or Gandules in the courtyard of CCCB, this year offering a cycle on films about love every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the month of August. The Civic Centres in the different neighbourhoods of the city also program free cinema sessions during the summer, for example in Sants, Les Cotxeres de Sants offers films every Thursday in July. For this free events, remember to be early to get a good spot (or just a spot)!

3. Free concerts

If you are passionate about music and want to enjoy it in an open air space, Barcelona has also options for you in the summer. Vespres a la UB offers free concerts by artists performing different styles every Tuesday and Thursday until the 18th of July in the beautiful gardens on the back of the Historical Building of the Universitat de Barcelona . There are also food trucks and bars in the area so you can eat something or have a drink. If you are more into classical music or jazz, then Musica als Parcs is your thing: lots of free concerts in different formats in parks and gardens all over the city, some of them not very touristic or visited, so it’s a good chance to enjoy some good music and discover new places!

There are other interesting alternatives if you are willing to step out of the borders of the city and travel to the outskirts. In L’Hospitalet, between the 9th and 12th of July, the Petit Format festival offers free  concerts by Spanish indie bands in an enchanting space: the Can Sumarro gardens. You can get there easily by metro (red line, Avda. Carrilet or Rbla Just Oliveras metro stops). In Cornellà, in Can Mercader Park (ferrocarrils stop Almeda) concerts by performers covering different music styles are offered every Friday.

4. Vintage Markets

Are you into vintage and antique markets? Barcelona is also the place for you then. Apart from the fixed Encants flea market, recently moved to a new and organized modern venue in Les Glòries, the city offers smaller and more attractive options. The trendiest one is Palo Alto (if you don’t want to pay the 2€ ticket you just have to download an application) in a beautiful location, although you can also find interesting things and a good atmosphere in Lost & Found, the Barcelona Flea Market or the Fleadonia, both organised by the same association . Check the websites for spaces and schedules.