Free things to do in Barcelona: the zero-euro hit list

Barcelona is unusually generous for a major European city. The beaches cost nothing, the hills are free to climb, and a surprising slice of the cultural calendar, from museum evenings to neighbourhood festivals, is paid for out of public money and handed to you at the door.

This guide collects the best of it: where to stand for the finest views, which museums open their doors for free and when, and how to time a visit so that the parties come to you.

• The best free viewpoints

  Panoramas over the city and the sea that cost absolutely nothing.

• Beaches that cost nothing

  Four kilometres of sand with no gate, no ticket and free showers.

• Museums with free entry

  Public museums open their doors free on set Sundays and afternoons.

• Parks and gardens

  Sixty-odd municipal parks, and nearly all of them free to enter.

• The old town for free

  Medieval lanes, cloisters and squares that charge no admission.

• Free neighbourhood festivals

  Street concerts, fire runs and open-air dancing, none of it ticketed.

• Architecture from the pavement

  The most famous facades in town, seen for free from the street.

• Free events all year

  Light festivals, free concert series and nights that cost nothing.