The nomad’s guide to remote work in Barcelona

Thinking of relocating to Barcelona for remote work? Let’s run through the fundamentals.

Remote work culture in Barcelona

Barcelona has made a name for itself as a thriving hub for digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and freelancers. With a large number of co-working spaces, networking events, and meetups, there's no shortage of opportunities to connect and collaborate with like-minded professionals.

What stands out is how well the city balances economic drive and quality of life. Modern work environments meet a vibrant culture that is nevertheless laid-back and approachable. As such, Barcelona has become a go-to destination for those seeking to drive their career while also improving their work-life balance.

Siestas and office hours

A unique aspect to working in Barcelona is the tradition of siestas and mid-day breaks. Many shops and restaurants close for a few hours in the afternoon so employees can rest and recharge. This goes especially for the hottest months of the year, i.e. July and August.

Similarly, office workers often have extended lunch breaks and, as a result, longer working days than in most of Europe. Though remote workers enjoy more flexibility, this can still have an impact on your social plans and daily routine.

Barcelona's businesses and public offices traditionally open from Monday to Saturday, with reduced hours on Saturdays. Most businesses are closed on Sundays.

Holidays

There are 15 public holidays in Barcelona per year. Many of these have religious origins and are celebrated across all of Spain, with only a few local exceptions. Though shops and businesses close, these holidays are often accompanied by colourful public festivities and celebrations:

• 01 January: New Year's Day
• 06 January: Epiphany/Three Kings Day (the Three Kings Parade is held the evening prior)
• March/April: Good Friday (different date every year depending on Easter Sunday)
• March/April: Easter Monday (different date every year depending on Easter Sunday)
• 01 May: Labour Day
• 29 May: Whit Monday
• 24 June: St. John's Day
• 15 August: Assumption
• 11 September: National Day of Catalonia
• 24 September: La Mercè
• 12 October: Columbus Day
• 01 November:  All Saints Day
• 06 December: Constitution Day
• 08 December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• 25 December: Christmas Day
• 26 December: Boxing Day/Saint Stephen's Day

Note: As businesses are typically closed on Sundays regardless, we’ve not included Easter Sunday in the list above.

Local labour regulations

Living and working in Spain will allow you to benefit from the local labour laws. By international comparison, these offer extensive perks to employees, including:

• Generous vacation entitlements – 22 working days of paid leave, in addition to 14 paid public holidays.
• Extensive parental leave for both mothers and fathers – 16 weeks of fully compensated time off, with possible extensions.
• Paid leave covering a variety of circumstances.
• Protection from at-will terminations.
• Strong protection from discrimination.

Before relocating, we recommend comprehensive research on which benefits you would be entitled after your move. Also, make sure you have the legal right to work in Spain, and that you can stay compliant with local tax regulations. To make things easier for you, we’ve written a summary of the latter two points here.

Businesses in Barcelona

Top businesses have been moving to Barcelona for a while now, not least because of its popularity among nomadic talent from across the globe.

In 2022, Barcelona was home to over 2000 startups, attracting an impressive 1.653 billion Euros in investment that year. Further up the food chain, you’ll find juggernauts like Amazon, Facebook, and Roche, all of which have set up shop in the city as well.

Many of the metropole’s most interesting economic developments centre around ‘@22’, the local tech and innovation district. This former industrial hotspot is now a concentrated knowledge cluster of 1,500 companies linked to tech, energy, design, and research – including big names such as Oracle and Travelperk.

@22 is also the home to many digital nomads. Besides numerous high-calibre innovators, the district features a unique mix of old and brand-new architecture, a compact, modern layout, exciting local businesses, and many urban design elements to improve social cohesion and quality of life overall.

Cafés and coworking offices

Barcelona hosts no shortage of work-friendly spots for nomads to take advantage of. These spaces are ideal for getting out of your home office and engaging with the local community of like-minded professionals.

Below are some popular spots to get you started with:

• OneCoWork - Beautifully designed, high-end co-working spaces with multiple locations across Barcelona.
• MOB - Modern, bright, and friendly coworking spaces. Check out the flexible membership options, as well as MOB’s regular events and workshops.
• Aticco - Large co-working offices that include membership benefits such as automated access to the locations’ gyms and rooftop terraces.
• Satan's Coffee Corner - Trendy café known for its excellent coffee. A smaller seating area, but well worth it if you find a spot!
• El Magnífico - A rustic, vintage interior perfect for those who like their workspaces calm and cozy.
• Laie - Bookstore and café in one. A great location if you’re looking for peace and quiet to get into some high-focus work.

What else?

Besides its popularity for remote workers, Barcelona consistently ranks as having a great quality of life in international comparisons. We’ve written a second article that focuses on general life and culture in Barcelona, which you can check out here.