Geocaching in Barcelona?

You can search by location in most geocache apps - a quick google search yielded several results in Barcelona. She may need to do some research ahead and translate instruction pages to English if they happen to be in Catalan or Spanish.

Good suggestions, CL. Thanks especially for the possible need to translate.

I just looked at the app in that area and there seems to be quite a bit. I also LOVE the adventure labs because they take you to interesting local places you might not visit. Have fun!

... I would imagine you already know this, right?... just in case: https://www.geocaching.com/play

About geocaching in Barcelona

• Parc Güell -both "in" the park and around it- and Montjuïc hill have a few creative caches, often with nice views.
• Barri Gòtic hides lots of small, clever urban caches (though stealth is key with all the tourists around).
• Collserola Natural Park offers multis and longer hikes — good for weekends.
• The beach area (Barceloneta to Poblenou) has some quick grabs that are easy to fit into a walk or bike ride.

HOWEVER...

Geocaching in Barcelona was quite trendy in the early 2010s, when the mix of tech, adventure, and exploration felt fresh and exciting. Over time, the buzz faded as the novelty wore off, and other apps, such as Pokémon GO and Strava, took over. Many caches also went missing or weren’t maintained, especially in crowded tourist areas. With fewer new hides and a shrinking local community, the game lost momentum, though a small group of enthusiasts still keep it alive around Collserola, Tibidabo, and nearby natural parks. My nephew here in the city used to be a fan of geocaching when he was younger.

These days, the treasure hunts seem to be more en vogue. Here are a few options that might pique your interest: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187497-Activities-c56-t209-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Geowoman (I think you might really be into geocaching with a "handle" like yours!) Thanks for the info on the adventure labs. I'll explore those. This will be my first geocaching experience and in Barcelona no less!

Enric, I've copied your response to the girlfriend. My grandsons have Pokemon GO, so it will be interesting to see what they might come up with, too. This all adds another level to sightseeing. Thanks.

We started geocaching in April of 2005, and it has brought us to so many wonderful places we would have never been if it wasn't for a cache (one of my favorites was the John Lennon Wall in Prague). I'd focus on caches that have been found recently. I also look to see how many favorite points it has.

As someone else mentioned, I'd suggest you download the Adventure Lab app. In a city setting, I think they are usually more fun than geocaching.

We currently own three caches that all includes hikes of several miles and one Adventure Lab on the banks of the Mississippi in northern Minnesota.

Over the years all of our grandchildren have enjoyed geocaching with us. Have fun!

Hi, I am a die hard geocacher with over 19,000 finds in 23 countries and over 20 finds in Barcelona alone. Lots of geocaches there. The secret is to plan ahead. Have her look at a geocache map of Barcelona and download the ones that she wants and is interested in finding onto an offline list. She should focus on virtual caches, adventure labs and traditional caches near the main tourist sites— and there are many. As a tourist wandering around, it’s hard to do multi-caches and mystery caches should be solved before hand.Several mystery caches have both a spanish, Catalan and english transcript, but some are in spanish and catalan only and need to be translated into english. Do that before hand. It’s too difficult to do it in the field. Nothing worse than walking to a location that was just out of your way and then finding out you can’t read it or needed to solve a puzzle beforehand. I hate earth caches so I skip them when I’m touring abroad unless they are rated 1/1 D/T.
By downloading a list onto her app on her phone, she won’t need cell service or data as the phone only needs it’s built in GPS.
If she just wants to wander and check her app at certain stops, then she will need cell service in the field to check the app.
As for Monserrat, there are geocaches there. One required taking the funicular further up the mountain and a short hike out to where the cross is. It would have an hour round trip walk from the main church, so I had to skip it. My wife is a “muggle” (a non-geocacher) and only allows me 5 minutes to find and sign the log before we have to move on. There were several memorable geocaches at Plaça Catalunya and several on the Las Ramblas.
On the geocaching app, she should seek out the caches that have the favorite heart icons and have a high number of favorite points. Those are the ones worth finding if her time is limited.

Derek, I've copied your response to my son's girlfriend. Thank you!

Mnannie, I can see how geocaching could help decide travel destinations--I'd really like to visit Prague, btw.