Barcelona’s Free Water Parks for Kids

×

Expand

Water park at Parc de les Rieres d'Horta photo by Paula Jaume courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

With over four kilometers of coastline, Barcelona’s sandy shores beckon on the hottest summer days. But if you've got little ones, the beach isn’t always the most appealing plan. The crowds can seem overwhelming when you're trying to keep track of the kids and the mountains of stuff you inevitably drag along on a family outing to the beach. And then there's the piles of sand you almost always somehow manage to trek home with you.

There are a number of beautiful, well-equipped swimming pools throughout the city, but if you’re just looking to catch a few minutes of shade and let your kids splash about a bit, Barcelona has several play areas with fun water features. These small water parks, called jocs d'aigua (water play areas), are a great place to let the kids cool off as they run through water jets, play and enjoy the outdoors. 

This year, the city has doubled the water play areas, bringing the number to 18 in nine of Barcelona's 10 districts: Sant Andreu, Sant Martí, Nou Barris, Horta-Guinardó, les Corts, Ciutat Vella, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, l'Eixample and Sants-Montjuïc. All of the new jocs d'aigua are scheduled to be fully operational in the second half of June. 

The City Council intends to gradually expand these water areas to cover the entire city. By 2027, five more new spaces are planned: two in Sant Martí, two in Ciutat Vella and one in Nou Barris.

Relief from the Summer Heat

Designed specifically with children in mind, each area is equipped with water jets that are activated with a button that runs a sequence of under five minutes. To limit water waste, the jets run on a system that prevents a new cycle from starting until the previous one ends. Some are located in large municipal parks and others are integrated into urban squares; they’re free and open to the public daily from June to September, 10:00 to 20:00. The play areas are recommended for children from age five and up; shoes are required, and pets are prohibited.

The water play areas are part of the city's Heat Plan strategy to adapt the city to high temperatures and protect the most vulnerable people from rising temperatures. These spaces belong to the Barcelona Climate Shelter Network and they also form part of the Game Plan, which provides infrastructure that offers children and adolescents greater opportunity for outdoor play. These improved outdoor areas promote physical activity, emotional well being and social cohesion in the neighborhoods.