Arrive in Barcelona on 27 December and you have the best week of the year for children’s plans, as long as you booked one of them back in early December. Christmas with kids in Barcelona is a run of family plans, free and paid, from late November to the Three Kings parade on 5 January. Els Llums de Sant Pau runs from 19 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 with a family pack from €40. The Festival de la Infància fills the Fira de Barcelona grounds at Montjuïc from 27 to 31 December for ages 0 to 12, and the Fàbrica dels Reis Mags is free but needs a ticket booked weeks ahead.
What can you do with kids in Barcelona at Christmas? Visit Els Llums de Sant Pau, with a family pack from €40 and an ice rink from age 4; let under-12s beat the giant tió at the Fira de Santa Llúcia; spend a day at the Festival de la Infància, 27 to 31 December, for ages 0 to 12; and book the free Three Kings’ toy factory in early December.
Which plans are on during your dates
Your travel dates decide what you can do, because each plan runs for a different stretch of December and January.
- Early to mid-December. Els Llums de Sant Pau and the giant tió at Santa Llúcia, which runs on selected days between 5 and 20 December.
- 20 to 26 December. Add the free Festival de Nadal in Plaça de Catalunya, with family shows every morning from 11 am to 2 pm last season.
- 27 to 30 December. The busiest window: the Festival de la Infància, the toy factory, the Circ d’Hivern and Sant Pau all overlap.
- 31 December to 5 January. Sant Pau and the toy factory close on 31 December; the factory reopens on 2 January and the season ends with the Kings parade on the 5th.
| Plan | Ages | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Els Llums de Sant Pau | 3 to 17 pay reduced; under 3 free | Family pack of 4 from €40 | Timed slot |
| Giant tió, Fira de Santa Llúcia | Under 12 | Free | No |
| Festival de Nadal, Plaça de Catalunya | Morning shows for families | Free | No |
| Festival de la Infància | 0 to 12 | Ticket per session; under 1 free | Advance tickets |
| Fàbrica dels Reis Mags | All ages; under 2 no ticket | Free | Yes, opens around 10 December |
| Circ d’Hivern | All ages | €12; under 14, €6 | Advance tickets |
Is Els Llums de Sant Pau worth it with children?
Els Llums de Sant Pau is a night trail of 19 light installations through the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, 255 m from Sant Pau | Dos de Maig metro on L5. Children get an explorer passport to collect hidden stamps along the way, and it closes on 24 and 31 December and 5 January.
Prices depend on the day. The family pack, two adults and two children aged 3 to 17, costs €40 on some November weeknights, €50.60 on reduced-rate days, €62.60 on standard days and €93 for a flexible ticket. Every day from 21 December to 3 January is a standard day, so a holiday-week visit costs the higher rate. The ice rink is extra: €6 for 20 minutes, or €12 for 30 minutes with gloves; under-4s cannot skate and ages 4 to 11 need an adult with them.
Where can kids beat the giant tió?
The tió is a Catalan Christmas log with a painted face and a blanket that children beat with sticks while singing until it “gives” them sweets.
At the Fira de Santa Llúcia, in front of the Cathedral, a giant tió lets under-12s try it for free. Last season it ran 4:30 to 7:30 pm on 12 days between 5 and 20 December, and also 11 am to 1:30 pm on 6, 7, 8, 14 and 20 December. Each child leaves with a sweet and a leaflet.
The market’s stalls sell tions in every size, the most Catalan souvenir a child can take home. Jaume I metro (L4) is 235 m away, and the hot chocolate and churros of the Gothic Quarter granges make the obvious next stop.
What is on at Port Olímpic at Christmas?
The marina sets up its own family Christmas on the Mestral and Gregal quays. Last year it ran from 20 December to 5 January, with street shows, children’s games, family workshops, a craft market and a 3D light projection, all decorated with boats and origami figures. Most activities were free and the craft workshops were paid, so it makes an easy add-on to a walk along the beach.
What to do with kids between Christmas and New Year
The Festival de la Infància is a children’s fair on the Montjuïc fair grounds, by Espanya metro (L1 and L3), with more than 20,000 m² of activities for ages 0 to 12. The Espai Mini is for under-4s and the Espai Aventura for ages 4 to 12. Morning sessions run 10 am to 3 pm and afternoon sessions 4 to 9 pm; on Thursday 31 December there is only a morning session.
Tickets are sold per session, a family pack covers four people in the same session, and babies under 1 go free. It is the plan that saves a rainy day in the holiday week; for more indoor ideas, see Barcelona with kids on a rainy day.
How to book the Three Kings’ toy factory
In Spain children get their main presents on 6 January from the Three Kings, and the city sets up their toy factory, the Fàbrica dels Reis Mags, at the Fabra i Coats site in Sant Andreu, 323 m from Sant Andreu metro (L1). Children watch the presents for the night of 5 January being prepared.
Last season it opened 27 to 30 December and 2 to 4 January, 5:30 to 9:30 pm. Entry is free but every adult and every child over 2 needs an individual ticket, booked online from 10 December at 10 am, and they sold out. If your trip falls in that week, set a reminder for the booking date.
On 5 January the Kings arrive by sea and their parade leaves Avinguda del Marquès de l’Argentera at 6 pm; the Barcelona at Christmas guide has the route. Presents come on the morning of the 6th, with the tortell de Reis ring cake.
How to get to each plan by metro
The toy factory and the Circ d’Hivern, at the Ateneu Popular 9 Barris, 200 m from Trinitat Nova metro, are in the north of the city; the rest are in or near the centre. A T-casual, 10 rides for €13, covers a few days of family metro trips; the metro ticket guide compares the other cards.
What you might not like
- The toy factory books out on the first morning of booking, in early December.
- Holiday week at Sant Pau costs the standard rate every day from 21 December to 3 January.
- The Festival de Nadal is outdoors: rain cancelled three of its eleven days last season.
- Crowds at the Christmas markets attract pickpockets; the Barcelona safety guide covers how to keep bags safe.
- 25 and 26 December are both public holidays, and New Year’s Eve has its own plan: see New Year’s Eve in Barcelona.
Outside the holidays, Barcelona with kids covers year-round plans.
For a full day with Father Christmas or the Three Kings, shows and workshops, see Natalis at Poble Espanyol.
How to book the Three Kings’ factory, and what to do if tickets are gone, is in the Three Kings’ toy factory.
Frequently asked questions about Barcelona at Christmas with kids
What is there to do with kids in Barcelona at Christmas?
Before Christmas, the giant tió at the Fira de Santa Llúcia for under-12s and Els Llums de Sant Pau, a light trail with an ice rink. Between Christmas and New Year, the Festival de la Infància at Montjuïc for ages 0 to 12 and the Three Kings’ toy factory at Fabra i Coats, free with booking.
Can tourists visit the Three Kings’ toy factory in Barcelona?
Yes, anyone can book, but tickets are free and go fast. Last season booking opened online on 10 December at 10 am, and every adult and every child over 2 needs an individual ticket. The factory opened 27 to 30 December and 2 to 4 January, 5:30 to 9:30 pm.
How much is Els Llums de Sant Pau for a family?
The family pack, two adults and two children aged 3 to 17, costs €40 on some November weeknights, €50.60 on reduced-rate days and €62.60 on standard days, which include every day from 21 December to 3 January. Children under 3 go free but must be added when you buy.
Is there an ice rink for kids in Barcelona at Christmas?
Els Llums de Sant Pau has one, at €6 for 20 minutes or €12 for a 30-minute VIP slot with gloves, bought on top of a trail ticket. Children under 4 cannot skate and ages 4 to 11 need an adult with a ticket. Christmas at Port Vell, on the waterfront, also has an ice rink.
What do Spanish children do on 5 January?
They watch the Three Kings parade, which leaves Avinguda del Marquès de l’Argentera at 6 pm after the Kings arrive by sea, then leave shoes out for presents overnight. Presents arrive on the morning of 6 January, a public holiday, when families share a ring cake called the tortell de Reis.
Plan Barcelona at Christmas with kids around one date: the morning the toy factory opens its bookings.