It’s time again to look forward to all the news and fun that Barcelona has to offer in 2024. As every year, I compile a list of all the new developments from the past year and what’s still to come. This way, you’ll soon be fully informed about what Barcelona has to offer in 2024 and you can already plan your city trip!
12 Barcelona Tips for 2024
If you’re planning to visit Barcelona in 2024, note down one of the addresses below if you’re looking for something new!
1. New Street Art in Barcelona
In Barcelona, you can spot a lot of street art. Of all the new artworks, I would like to highlight the masks that you can find all over the city. These masks or faces are the work of several artists, including Anne Elizza and Gregos, and are great to see.
Where can you spot them? The masks can be found in the Gothic Quarter, near La Barceloneta beach, along Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Plaça Espanya. Next time you’re there, be sure to pay attention!
Tip: If you like street art, take a walk along the promenade by the Besós River, where Bes-Art can be found. This is known as the largest outdoor graffiti museum in Europe!
2. The Renovated Casa Padellàs
The Casa Padellàs, where the entrance to the Barcelona History Museum is located, has been remodeled and now features various interesting (and free!) exhibitions about Barcelona.
The space has now been relaunched as an experimental museum facility. The project focuses on telling the evolution of the city through its history and heritage.
Tip: Another medieval palace turned into a museum is Casa Museu Mater, where the notorious bandit Joan Serrallonga is rumored to have hidden.
3. Dancing Again at La Paloma
The mythical dance hall La Paloma, after being closed for years, reopened to the public in 2023. This means you can now buy tickets for one of the various events that take place to see this historic site from the inside.
Did you know that this dance hall has existed since 1903 and that it is one of the most famous nightlife spots in Barcelona?
4. Seeing the Mortadelo and Filemón Traffic Light
In 2023, the writer and cartoonist Francisco Ibáñez, known for the comic characters Mortadelo y Filemón, passed away. These two funny characters can now be seen at a traffic light at the intersection of Carrer del Treball and Carrer del Concili de Trento. The city council launched these traffic lights as a tribute to the legendary comics of Francisco Ibáñez, who lived in the area.
Tip: If you want to see more of Francisco Ibáñez’s work or read one of the Mortadelo y Filemón comic stories, visit the new Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez in Barcelona.
5. Inside the Old Workers’ Houses
A very nice and interesting museum that recently opened is the MUHBA Bon Pastor Museum, which beautifully depicts the history of 20th-century workers’ houses. The museum is open on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and admission is free.
6. New Forbidden Art Museum
In 2023, another very special museum opened in Barcelona, namely the museum of forbidden art. The Museu de l’Art Prohibit, located in a beautiful building in the city center, displays a collection of more than 200 artworks that have been banned or censored in some way.
👉 Read more about the museums in Barcelona.
7. Eating at a Food Hall
The trend of food halls has also arrived in Barcelona, and at the end of 2023, a new food hall opened in El Born, on the site of the former Mercat Princesa restaurant. The new food hall, called Born 14, houses several restaurants from both local chefs and international cuisines. Think tapas and paella, but also poke bowls, burgers, and sausage sandwiches.
Another food hall set to open in 2024 is the one in the Maremagnum shopping center. The Time Out Market will be located on the terrace of Maremagnum, a kind of food hall of 5,250 square meters with 14 chefs, a restaurant, and four bars, where you can soon enjoy a bite and a drink. Barcelona will thus become the second European city with a Time Out Market; the first opened in 2014 in Lisbon.
👉 Read more about the best restaurants in Barcelona.
8. A new green oasis
The Hivernacle, the historic greenhouse in Barcelona’s Ciutadella Park, reopened in December 2023 after 14 years of closure due to decay. Built in 1888 for the Universal Exhibition, the Hivernacle had been closed since 2007. Following a 15-month restoration project and an investment of 2.5 million euros, the original appearance was restored, and structural issues were addressed. The greenhouse now houses a rich collection of subtropical plants and is open from 10:00 a.m. until sunset. This marks the first step in transforming the surroundings into a center of science and knowledge.
👉 Read more about the Ciutadella Park and l’Hivernacle.
9. New Olympic Port
Work has been underway for a year on the Olympic Port of Barcelona. The entire port, including the catering area, is getting a facelift. By the end of summer 2024, we will be able to enjoy a brand-new port, plus a completely new gastronomic offering at the port, the so-called Balcó Gastronòmic, where both old familiar names such as La Barca del Salamanca, Sagardi, and El Cangrejo Loco, as well as new restaurants, will open.
10. The New Canòdrom
The place where Barcelona’s dog racing track once stood, the Canòdrom, is being transformed into a green space where children can play and an open-air cinema can be held.
The new square is expected to be ready in 2024 and will offer space for local residents to relax among the trees, a large playground for children, plus an agora where outdoor events can be held.
11. Playing at the Largest Playground in Barcelona
In 2024, the work in the Jardins de Màlaga in the Sants district is expected to be completed. There, among other things, the largest children’s playground in the city is being created. The playground, inspired by a forest, will include three large mushrooms with various play elements for children.
What’s special about this project is not only its large size but also that the project pays attention to children with special needs. There will also be play equipment for the disabled.
👉 Read more about the best playgrounds in Barcelona.
12. New Market Hall in Gràcia
The renovation of the Mercat de l’Abaceria in the Vila de Gràcia, which has been ongoing for years, is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. By then, we can again enjoy a beautiful market hall with, among other things, 51 new market stalls, a supermarket, a parking garage with 50 spaces, and a new square.
The structure of the market hall will be completely new, but in accordance with the original design of the market, so that the essence of the Mercat de l’Abaceria is preserved.
Useful to Know
Finally, a few handy tips:
- In 2024, we will definitively say goodbye to the cardboard transit cards in Barcelona. These are currently being gradually replaced by plastic cards on which users can put a subscription and top up. Another option for travelers who make extensive use of public transport is to download the T-Mobilitat app and store their transit card there.
- Barcelona will host the biennial exhibition for contemporary art, Manifesta, in 2024. This art event analyzes the connections between culture, art, and social changes and takes place every two years in a different European city.
- In 2024, Barcelona will have a new water bus. The zero-emission vessel with a capacity of 70 people will be operational on July 1 and will offer a route between the Drassanes pier and the new port entrance, behind the W Hotel. The maximum fare for traveling on the water bus is set at €1.90 per journey.
- Barça will play this season in the Olympic stadium due to the renovation of the new Camp Nou.
