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How to unlock cheap sightseeing with Barcelona’s library card

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Museums and other tourist attractions can be a bit pricey to visit in Barcelona, fortunately if you are a resident of Barcelona there are ways you can reduce the ticket entry cost or at some places you can even enter for free.

And here’s a neat trick you may have not heard about: the library card of Barcelona (here called Carnet de biblioteca).

Not only does it grant you access to more than 228 libraries, but it also gives you free entry and discounts to a wealth of attractions across the city. This includes some pretty special Gaudi buildings such as Torre Bellesguard, some rather special museums (the Picasso Museum and the National Art Museum) and even a trip to the iconic Montjuic Castle.

And, providing that you are a registered resident of Barcelona, getting the card is totally free!

In praise of libraries

Drawing by illustrator Francesca Gastone

Libraries in Barcelona are a great place to study. They are usually heated in winter and cooled in summer. They have silent reading rooms and fast internet access.

With a library card, you can borrow books, music and movies for both adults and children. The library card also allows you to take part in reading clubs and specific courses that are offered in multimedia rooms.

You can pick up books in one location and return them in another. You can also reserve books online.

Apply for a card

Library cards are free, personal and non-transferrable. If you need additional copies of the card, these will be charged at one euro each. The library car will expire five years after its last use.

To apply for a library card simply fill in and submit this form. You will need to indicate from which library you wish to pick up the card once it is ready. You will need to be able to produce your Spanish national ID or resident-foreigner ID number in order to pick up the library card.

Children under the age of 14 will also need to show authorisation from their parents or legal guardians that they have permission to use all library services including internet.

The free stuff

In addition to all the regular benefits of libraries, noted above, the library card offers a range of other benefits.

It gives you free or discounted admission to museums, including:

Palau Guell rooftop

For Casa Batlló (Gaudi architecture) the LIbrary card won’t work but if you are a resident of Barcelona (with empadronamento) you can get a discount anyway. They sometimes change the promotion but in often you get the promotion, buy 2 get one free.

The card also offers discounts for these theatres:

It offers discounts at cinemas:

And at musical events:

It even gives discounts for classes at the following venues:

  • Violetta is a professional travel writer, tour guide and chef. Blending these three talents together, she is able to provide an incredible insight into the places that she writes about.