Public WCs in Barcelona?

Barcelona is about the same as the rest of Europe. Public access is very limited.

Barcelona is tricky for public toilets. I found that if I walked boldly into a Burger King or McDonalds, then I could use theirs without buying anything. I never left a museum or art gallery or big department store without using their loo. But not a lot of public toilets on the streets.

We used Google Maps to look for a public restroom.

https://www.elcorteingles.com

Major dept store with toilets typically on top floor by customer service office. Take the time to window shop and a good place to take respite in an air conditioned environment. Another benefit is basement typically has a full grocery store.

Thank you for asking this! Going in 3 wks. Our 9 yr old grandaughter often needs restroom! It’s truly a concern. We have La Familia de Sangrada and Parc Guell both reserved. Sure hope restrooms are on site there!

Sagrada Familia restrooms are downstairs. Park Guell are near the exit.

Walk into a business like you own the place... The loos tend to be in the same places -- in the back, down/upstairs. I've not be chased out of one yet regardless of buying or not buying.

• No public restrooms these days.
• Use toilets/loos in large department stores, tourist attractions, public buildings (libraries, gov offices...)... for free
• Smaller businesses (bars) might ask you to buy something to use their facilities, especially in the more touristic areas. Get a coffee, or a bottle of water to go for under 2€ and use the loos. Sometimes, as mentioned earlier, just go in as if you owned the place and head to the back where toilets are normally located... nobody will ask you anything.
• If you are shy, simply go in and politely ask if you can use the loos to the person behind the counter: "el lavabo, si us plau", roughly pronunced 'al-la-bah-boh-see-oos-plah-oo'. Most often than not they'll point you to where they are. If their policy is for you to get something in exchange (coffee, drink), they'll let you know. Then you say "moltes gràcies" -Catalan, the local language, for "thank you very much (anyway)"- and head to the next place and ask again. Btw, it's pronounced 'mol-tahs-grah-see-ahs' -no z sound please, that sound doesn't exist in Catalan language,
• The Mcdonald's solution -using a toilet for free in a very busy fast food outlet- doesn't work in the more touristy areas since the doors to the toilet require a code, which happens to be printed on your order's ticket!

We just went and ordered a coke or small fries at McDonalds. Free Wifi too and the fries were probably better than my local McDonalds. Otherwise they are free in museums and tourist attractions.

One other suggestion: hotels. The average to above average hotels that also handle meetings have bathrooms on the meeting room level as well as in other public locations. Just walk right in.

Just a note that while some fast food restaurants in the touristy areas require a code to use their washroom, sometimes you can find a discarded receipt lying around on a table or elsewhere, and you can grab the code from there. I make sure to memorize the code or take a picture in case I'm in the area again later.

I found that when passing some cafes that has large outdoor crowds, that it worked to head inside to use their WC, as most staff don't know if you are from one of the outdoor tables or not and don't stop you. Usually works best away from the busy touristy areas.

I'll be going to Barcelona this fall and I have a tiny bladder! For what it's worth, I downloaded a free app on my phone called Flush. ( I learned about it on a travel website.) You specify the city you'll be in and it shows you where all the public toilets are, which ones you have to pay for, which ones are free, etc. I haven't road tested it yet, but I'm hoping it will be helpful. Good luck!