Free WiFi is widely available in Barcelona. In 2011 the city council launched Barcelona WIFI and installed antennas throughout the city. You can also get online for free in shopping centres, bars & restaurants and at the airport.
Barcelona WiFi
Barcelona WiFi is one of the largest networks of free internet in Europe. The transmitters or hotspots are located throughout the city in libraries, museums, civic buildings, markets and at the beach. There are also antenas mounted on street signs and lampposts. There are currently 1,970 hotspots in the network, meaning that you can get online for free in most parts of the city.
In 2015 free wifi was installed in the city’s buses, at metro stations and most public parks. There are also plans to increase the number of wireless access points installed in municipal markets and at the port.
Getting online is easy, you just need to switch on Wi-Fi, select Barcelona WIFI, open your browser and accept the terms and conditions. The connection speed is currently limited to 256 kbps and some sites which are deemed to be unsuitable are blocked. More information
Shopping Centres
Free Wi-Fi is also available in Barcelona’s shopping centres (malls). Diagonal Mar, Gran Via 2, Glories, Maremagnum and Las Arenas all offer free internet connection.
Bars, Cafes and Reastaurants
Many of Barcelona’s bars, cafés and restaurants offer free WIFI. Some of them use third party internet providers and others just let you use their internet connection. Look out for signs offering “WIFI gratis”. Even if a bar doesn’t have a sign up saying that they offer free wi-fi, it’s still worth asking the barman. Strictly speaking it’s not completely free since you are normally expected to buy at least a cup of coffee !
Barcelona-life have compiled this useful list of bars and restaurants which offer free WIFI.
Free Wi-Fi at Barcelona Airport
You can also get online for free at Barcelona airport. The service is provided by KubiWireless and there are access points located at most of the restaurants and bars in both terminals. If you want more bandwidth then there is also a paid premium rate service available. If you decide to upgrade to the premium service you can either pay online via credit card or purchase pre-paid vouchers at newsagents within the airport.
Public WiFi security
Here’s a few steps that you should follow to stay safe online.
Most free WIFI connections are “open” which means that the data you send and receive could theoretically be viewed by other people who are connected to the network. Because of this you should never use online banking or make credit card transactions when connected to a free internet connection.
If you really need to send and receive sensitive data using a public internet connection you should think about using a Virtual Private Network or VPN.
Other precautions you should take when connecting to free WIFI:
- If using Windows make sure you select the public network security setting when connecting.
- Make sure all programs and especially your anti-virus are up to date.
- Make sure you have a fire wall installed and active. I use Norton Internet security which includes anti-virus and firewall.
Personal WIFI Hotspots
Although Barcelona’s free wifi network is pretty good, it has its limitations. The bandwidth is limited to 256 kbps and as mentioned above, it isn’t a secure connection. You might prefer to activate roaming and use the 5G mobile network.
Alternatively, you could buy a Spanish SIM card at Barcelona airport or rent a personal wifi hotspot. At just €6.29 per day for up to 10 devices, a WIFI hotspot is an ideal solution for families or groups of friends, especially if you will be travelling outside of Barcelona where free wifi isn’t so readily available.
Anywhere else in Barcelona than the airport I can get a Spanish SIM?
Hi Ondrea,
There are stores throughout Barcelona where you can purchase a Spanish SIM. You’ll find both franchised stores which sell cards from one operator (Vodafone, Orange, Movistar etc) as well as independent stores that sell SIMS from multiple operators. The shops in the city are usually slightly cheaper than the shops at the airport I mentioned in this post, but it still pays to shop around and compare prices.
has this info been updated in the Past 78 years?
Hi Austin,
Yes, it has. Why do you ask?
I found free Wi-Fi in the world on this site http://mapspanoramics.com/barcelona_free_wifi.html
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your comment, the maps take quite a while to load but the website certainly seems like it would be really useful. Do you know whether the “free wi-fi access points” as they call them have been verified?
Yes, they are periodically reviewed and updated. Before the point will appear the first time it will be confirmed by at least two devices.
OK seems like a pretty helpful and comprehensive site, thanks for sharing.
When I was in Barcelona I used service – wifimaps.net. I think it is a good site for get free WiFi hotspots.
Hi Francisco,
Thanks for the tip, that looks like a really useful site. I see that there’s also a wifi maps app available for android and Iphone.
You are welcome! Yes It’s really have a free apps for IPhone and Android.
I don’t see barcelona in that site. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Manolo,
It seems that the WIFI map site that Francisco mentioned above no longer works.
I’ve tried it a couple of times recently and it always returns a 502 error message.