This Sunday I’m suggesting a plan that starts with a few scares and ends with tapas. In the morning, Halloween at Poble Espanyol, which opens this weekend. Then we head down to Poble-sec for vermouth in an almost century-old bodega and lunch at a tapas house with Galician roots.
It’s designed with kids in mind, but it works just as well without them.
The plan at a glance
Where Montjuïc and Poble-sec · Metro Espanya (L1 and L3) and Paral·lel (L2 and L3)
When Sunday 18 October, from 10:00 to mid-afternoon · Budget tickets from €14.50, tapas from €3.50, plus lunch
1. Halloween at Poble Espanyol
Creepy Halloween Family opened at Poble Espanyol (avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 13) on Saturday 17 and runs until 1 November. The streets are decorated, more than 30 characters appear and families follow a clue hunt with riddles and legends that ends in two mystery tunnels.
The best part is that you choose how scared you want to be:
- Mild scare, from 10:00 to 16:00, for younger children.
- Moderate scare, from 17:00.
For this plan, go in at 10:00, when the grounds open, and make the most of the mild scare.
- Price: from 17 to 25 October it’s on offer, €14.50 for ages 2 to 12 and €16.50 from 13.
- Tickets: buy them on Fever and, with my code BARCELONAINSPIRA10, you get 10% off. After buying, check the confirmation email, because that’s where you choose your tunnel time.
2. Vermouth at Bodega Vidal
When you come out, take the metro at Espanya: it’s two stops on the L3 to Paral·lel. Bodega Vidal is at carrer Nou de la Rambla, 148, a Poble-sec bar with almost a hundred years of history. It closed at the end of 2025 and reopened in early 2026 under the owners of Bodega Gol and Bodega Manolo.
There’s no kitchen. Its strength is the cold counter, with vermouth on tap to go with it. Hot dishes come over from Bodega Gol next door. To share:
-
Capipota salpicón (veal head and foot salad) and empedrat with salt cod.
-
Pickled quail, from the cold counter.
-
Meatballs in sauce or lamb tripe, if you fancy something hot.
-
Hours: on Sunday, from 12:00 to 18:00. It opens Thursday to Sunday and is closed Monday to Wednesday.
-
Price: tapas cost €3.50 (yellow-striped plates) or €4.80 (green-striped).
-
Heads up: seating is on high stools and they don’t serve coffee.
If you like places like this, I have a guide to neighbourhood bodegas in Barcelona.
3. Lunch at Casa de Tapas Cañota
For lunch, head back towards the foot of Montjuïc. Casa de Tapas Cañota is at carrer de Lleida, 7, next to the Mercat de les Flors and the Teatre Lliure. It’s a family business with Galician, seafaring roots, and you can tell from the menu.
Order the octopus a feira and the Cantabrian anchovies, two of the house classics.
- Hours: from Thursday to Sunday the kitchen runs non-stop from 13:00 to 22:45, so there’s no rush if the vermouth goes on a bit.
- Phone: +34 933 259 171.
Tips for this plan
- Buy your Halloween tickets before you go and pick your tunnel time in the confirmation email.
- Get to Bodega Vidal before 13:30: it’s small and seating is on stools.
- Going without kids? Flip it around: vermouth and lunch first, then Halloween with the moderate scare from 17:00.
For more ideas, see what to do in Barcelona this weekend, my plans for Barcelona with kids and the Mapa Inspira.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Halloween at Poble Espanyol cost?
From 17 to 25 October tickets are on offer on Fever: 14.50 euros for children aged 2 to 12 and 16.50 euros from age 13. With the code BARCELONAINSPIRA10 you get 10% off.
What time is the mild scare at Poble Espanyol’s Halloween?
The mild scare, designed for younger children, runs from 10:00 to 16:00. The moderate scare starts at 17:00.
What are Bodega Vidal’s opening hours?
It opens on Thursday from 18:00 to midnight, on Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to midnight and on Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. It is closed Monday to Wednesday.
