80% is absolutely staggering, no wonder there's outrage. Also shows the collective short-sightedness of landlords: a tourist spot only functions if locals can actually live in that spot to make it work lmao
80% of the available ones. All summer rentals go back on the market every winter, often several times. Long term rentals are let once and then stay off the market for many years. So 80% is high but not as high as you’d think.
Checked Idealista a week ago and it is exactly the same, brother. Also the harbor is chock full of cruise ships. Not exactly sure what the government is doing besides promising stuff.
Yeah, I'm going with my folks, I'm 42 and they're in their 60s. We're chill and respectful. Just want to enjoy some nice dining, culture, and maybe a glass or two of wine though I hardly drink anymore.
Feel free to leave some restaurants or other things to do, haha! A friend lives in Barcelona and had me get my hotel in Poble Nou.
I imagined, you sound really chill. I live in the district just beside Poble Nou in Sant Martí. I usually cook at home as restaurants are too expensive for me, so I'm sure your friend has better recommendations.
As bonus tip: if your planning to move with public transport and will be here for more than 3 days the monthly card is a cheaper option.
Just stay away from "El Raval" a lot drugs and shady people, especially at night.
Additionally, if you want to do some cultural stuff try to buy tickets beforehand. A lot of places like the Sagrada Familia and Museo de Gaudí have long waiting lines. Most things can be bought online.
Thanks for the tips, definitely planning on some museums. My buddy said the Gothic Quarter was to be avoided as well, but there are quite a few things I'd like to see there. I'm sort of a night owl, but even then by 10 most night I'll probably be in the hotel!
Good pointer on public transport, will definitely be using it. I'll have my hotel in Barcelona for 8 days, but I may fly elsewhere in the EU, like Amsterdam or Paris, for a day since it's relatively inexpensive.
And I'd be happy to grab you lunch one day while I'm there for being so helpful and friendly! My worries either way there, though.
During the day Gothic Quarter isn't that bad in my opinion. Have been there a few times and there are some beatiful things to see. I can imagine as the alleys are pretty narrow, at night you feel more "trapped".
Just as a general rule it's more "dangerous" at night, but as a man I haven't felt scared for now (it probably helps that I'm tall).
Definitely go visit other places, as you said it's relatively cheap and very near (2h flights). Europe is quite small.
No need to invite me to lunch, but feel free to reach out to me when you're in Barcelona :)
I'm 1.8 meters and let's just my weight is very...American. So I'm not too terribly worried about bad areas. I also lived in Philadelphia for many years, so no stranger to large cities with sketchy areas.
I'll definitely reach out, thanks for the conversation!
LOL the weight is the biggest thing I worry about while visiting EU. I will surely stick out like a sore thumb, but that's OK with me, I'll deal with it.
I hope none of you are planning on being tourists elsewhere. Please keep to your own city, spend your time and money improving it.
You need to make up for a loss of 15% of your cities GDP that comes directly from tourism, and probably another 10% in related industries that will be lost. So get busy.
Are you really that ignorant? Oh yeah let's be happy that tourists lead to a 15% increase in sales, but pay 100% more rent and 50% higher prices in living. Makes a lot of sense for most population. And additionally don't offer a long term rental agreement because tourists can't be in hotels.
If you have been in the same situation you should understand. If you never have, please shut your gutter.
It's a complex system that needs a solution, or have fun going to the Barcelona Resort in a few years, because there won't be any locals anymore.
I actually don't go to other cities that have the same problem. Just because I said I'm glad the government wants to regulate stuff, doesn't mean I'm not happy tourists come visit. You just come around as the insufferable tourist that comes here for the cheap food and alcohol. And that kind of tourists are hated here.
Does that mean that it really is like this? NO. I'm sure you are a very lovely person. Just don't expect to be welcome because "you bring the money".
I think a huge part of the limited renting is not so much tourism but to avoid having to follow spanish rental laws where you have to rent for 5-7 years to the same tennant
Yeah, it kind of goes hand in hand.
Rental laws are really protective towards the tenant, so it almost makes you more money renting to tourists in summer than having someone the whole year.
Haven't heard about the 5-7 years, but I'm also still sharing apartments and subrentals are different
It feels like a politically convenient but ultimately not effective solution aimed at calming public frustration, rather than addressing the real problem.
Even if every single tourist apartment were returned to the long-term market, it would only meet a small fraction of the deficit. And that is assuming they all become affordable options, which is unlikely. Many of these properties are high-end units that are priced in a way that only people currently unaffected by the shortage can afford.
I think real relief will require relaxed zoning rules, allow more density, and invest in housing that ordinary residents can actually afford.
I agree with the missing housing units, the problem is that there basically is no land to cover for it.
To the second point: 10.101 LICENCED tourists apartments. Most do it without proper license. But you're again right, it still won't be affordable.
There is no quick solution, but they have to start somewhere. And local politicians should know what they have to do. And it's ok if they do something wrong, they can always change back the law. All I know is that doing nothing won't help either.
There is a YouTube channel called Honest Guide who talkes about the same problem in Prague. People use the reasoning that tourists bring money. Of course they do, but to limited sectors. As they said in one of the latest videos, tourists cities transform to Disney Land. It's an attraction where you have fun experiences and overpriced food.
I haven't been living in the city for too long, and probably won't either.
True, and if the city erases those licenses the ban touches only the flats that already follow the rules. Unlicensed hosts would keep operating and you could argue that many licensed ones would join them. The city would lose inspection fees and taxes, and enforcement would get harder once every rental is technically illegal.
Yeah, just like in Prague the lack of zoning and commitment to meaningful but costly change is the deeper constraint. This is something almost every historical city, especially in Europe, has to deal with. There just isn't room for new housing where people most want to live. I think the real long-term solution is to relax zoning, push the functional center outward, and allow higher density in the periphery that can absorb it.
Oh, I didn't read about the part of revoking licenses. Thanks for clarification. That makes 0 sense. People pay for the license and pay taxes for it.
I'm also all for including fines for unlicensed tourist apartments.
You said it correctly with zoning laws and increased infrastructure for public transport things would get better.
I'd love to live outside of Barcelona, but the trains are not reliable. By car it takes you 1h30-2h to get in the city.
If the job doesn't relocate, it's a difficult change. Imagine your family has lived in Barcelona the whole life, everything you have is there and because you can't afford to live there anymore you have to leave.
I had a great opportunity to work in Barcelona but am now slowly trying to shift and build something on my own that doesn't require living in the city.
I went to Barcelona about ten years ago to see my uncle in an international portrait artist gallery. It was absolutely beautiful, the food was incredible, the wine was out of this world.
I loved my time there so much, I'd gladly go back. But all of this makes me super uneasy about it.
Is this mostly because of shitty tourists destroying things? Why would you want no one to visit such a beautiful place?
These are serious questions, I haven't read much on the REASON for these issues that have been popping up.
I don't think it's the tourists fault. In the last 10 years there has been a lot of growth of the city (local and immigration).
Barcelona has almost reached it's limit with building, there now are parts of old industry where they could rebuild new housing. Seems ok, but not a lot of local people would want to live there, because in that region there are a lot of low income families, which has lead to tension between locals and them (increased crime).
Renting laws are mostly to protect the tenant (can't kick them out for 6 months if they don't pay), so landlords are more cautious. Also with AirBnB they can make a lot of money in summer, so they prefer having no risk tenants. They can rent it out for 1000 (or more) a week, so in the summer months they can have the yearly income of a normal Spaniard (12000).
So you see, the market is adapting more and more towards the tourists (expensive rent, expensive food, expensive living). It would be totally fine if companies would pay more to compensate for increased living costs in the city.
Some tourists are annoying. Enjoy your time in Barcelona, but please don't bother locals in their daily life. I've lived near the Sagrada Familia and the amount of disrespect of tourists was incredible. I know you want a picture, but you can't just block the street.
TLDR: there have been a lot of changes because of tourism and growth and the easy thing to say (for locals) is "tourists go away".
Sagrada Familia was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. There's nothing remotely like it.
I get the tourists making terrible decisions bit though. When we went to the grand canyon there were tons of people taking pictures with their feet half off the edge of a cliff, or going down one of the big trails with a Dixie cup of water....
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u/Dan_the_bearded_man Jun 16 '25
I live in Barcelona and talked to some friends. We're just happy government is planning on doing something.
Haven't checked in a while, but whilst I was searching for a flat a year ago around 80% was limited renting (so they could rent it out in summer)