Barcelona’s City Council has approved a new set of rules for guides and visitors, aimed at keeping its streets clear for local residents to go about their business.
The rules are a response to complaints in the crowded Ciutat Vela, or Old City, where narrow streets are sometimes impassible because of large groups. The new rules limit guides to 15 people per group in the Old City and to 30 elsewhere, ban use of megaphones, and require the guide to ensure that the group leaves at least 50% of the space free.
The new rules also list 13 designated plazas and other areas where only a limited number of groups can be at a time; residents have complained they have no access to their public spaces because of the groups. In an unusual move, a number of pedestrianized streets will become one-way.
After a huge drop from the pre-pandemic days of ‘over-tourism,’ Barcelona is again seeing large crowds. Rather than trying to limit the number of visitors, the city is trying to find ways to live with them. Violations of the new rules can lead to fines of €1500 to €3000.
