The Best Gyms in Barcelona

 

Whether you are in Barcelona for a weekend vacation, extended holiday or long-term stay, the city offers plenty of excellent ways to exercise and burn off the calories from all of those tapas and churros! Choose to go for a refreshing run through Ciutadella park or along the sunny coast. Spend the afternoon playing volleyball with your friends at Bogatell or Mar Bella beach. Join a sea-swimming club or become a member at one of the many excellent swimming pools in the city. And if you´re seeking to change your whole lifestyle, sign up for pilates classes in one of the gyms, a studio or park nearby.

If you´re more of a gym type of person, one who enjoys the convenience of exercise machines, personal trainers and air conditioning, you might want to continue reading, as we go through some of our favorite gyms in Barcelona. 

 

 

#1 Clubs Metropolitan

One of the most popular gyms in Barcelona is Clubs Metropolitan, which is also the largest national chain of Sports, Health and Well-being centers, with 22 locations in Spain (7 of those being in Barcelona). Their facilities offer the latest equipment (elliptical, bicycles, power plates, weights, several pilates-specific machines, etc), luxurious changing rooms that include a spa and wellness center, pristine swimming pools, jacuzzis, saunas, rooftop terraces with solarium and a full schedule of classes taught by professionals. They even have a restaurant with a carefully designed menu featuring healthy, balanced dishes. Each new Club Metropolitan member gets a personal interview with a trainer in which he or she can plan a program with which to reach their fitness goals.

One of the downsides of this gym is that its memberships are a bit pricy. 6-month all-day membership at the Sagrada Familia Club Metropolitan (with access to the Gran Via, Galileo and Las Arenas locations) will cost you around €400 with the first month free. Annual membership goes for €60 per month. There are also discount memberships for couples, pregnant women and those who choose to go only in the mornings.

They don´t really offer monthly or weekly memberships. For regular gym-goers who are planning a long-term stay accommodation in Barcelona and who don’t mind paying a bit more for great quality machines and services we highly recommend Clubs Metropolitan Barcelona.

 

# 2 DiR

Those staying in Barcelona might want to check out the clubs of DiR, the biggest chain in Barcelona. One of the benefits of this club is that there are 13 locations throughout the city. This makes it easy to find one near your accommodation, no matter where you are staying. We especially recommend DiR Diagonal, a 12,600 m2 center with a large fitness room full of cardiovascular equipment, 1 spinning room, 3 other rooms for classes, and a 50 m swimming pool which is half indoor and half outdoor. The clubs of DiR tend to have basic gym equipment, with some clubs featuring more outdated machines than others. They also have rooftop terraces, weight training rooms, nutrition services, massage and physical therapy, saunas and a full schedule of classes.

A membership to just one location costs around €65 per month. To access all of them will cost you €95 per month. There is also the option to access only 1 fitness room and the guided activities classrooms for €37 per month. DiR Barcelona offers a monthly discount if you sign up for more than 1 month at a time. They also have frequent deals for new members.

The downsides include it often does not have a very solid WiFi connection or phone service. The machines at some of the clubs are a bit outdated and the facilities are definitely not as nice as those of Clubs Metropolitan, leading many to consider DiR overpriced. But if you´re just looking for a basic elliptical or bicycle and some nice yoga, pilates, body pump or abdominals classes for a month or two during your stay, DiR is the way to go.

# 3 CEM Can Ricart

Fantastic open-plan gym with a wide range of fitness classes, including dance, spinning, step, body combat, body pump, toning, abdominals, Zumba, capoeira, stretching, yoga, pilates, aquatic aerobic and water health. On the first floor, they have a free weight and resistance area. And on the second floor cardiovascular machines and stretching mats. There is also a 25m x 16m swimming pool, a spa pool with water jets, a jacuzzi, a sauna and a steam room.

Membership at CEM Can Ricart Barcelona is only €44 per month, with a registration fee of €73. You can also choose to use the gym only in the morning (from 7 am to 2 pm) for €32 per month. This is rather inexpensive if you consider the variety of facilities and over 80 guided activities available. It also often gets good ratings for being a standard, comfortable gym with all the necessary services. There is, however, only one location, which means additional travel time from other neighborhoods.

If you do, however, find yourself with short or long-term accommodation in the El Raval neighborhood or in nearby Sant Antoni, we recommend CEM Can Ricart!

 

# 4 Viva Gym

Viva Gym is based on a philosophy of offering smart and efficient spaces. However counts with a wide array of activities lead by professional trainers. Their large fitness areas are equipped with the latest machines, including treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, bikes and recumbent bikes. Talking about the latest machines, rowing machines have gained so much fame over the last few years. You can check out an interesting article on which rowing machines you should spend your money on whether the Ergatta or the Hydrow. They also have a stretching area, functional workout area with cage frame, ropes, bags and elastics. In addition a free weight area with dumbbells and weights and a strength area. They offer classes in pilates, cycling, body pump, abdominals, free fit, radikal, etc.

There are 12 locations in Barcelona! The Annual memberships cost €322 with no joining free. A monthly fee premium (with access to all 4 clubs) costs €31 with a joining fee of €30. Otherwise, a monthly fee (1 club) costs the same but with a joining fee of €15 euros. This makes the Duet fit one of the least expensive gyms in the city.

If you´re looking for an inexpensive gym with all the latest workout equipment but no swimming pool, sauna or spa facilities, Viva Gym is the right choice for you!

# 5 Holmes Place

And if you´re looking for a truly sophisticated health center, you might want to check out Holmes Place. The club has 4 locations in Barcelona: Balmes, Les Corts, Sardenya and Urquinaona. Holmes Place Barcelona gyms tend to have a very international and cosmopolitan feel. And they feature exclusive features along with a wide range of activities. The very popular Urquinaona center. For example, offers a large swimming pool, full equipment, a relax zone and more!

Memberships cost €91 per month for a minimum of 3 months, €81 per month for a 1-year membership and €78 for a 2-year membership. A bit more expensive than some of the others, but this is the place to truly feel pampered!

 

We hope this guide of some of Barcelona’s gyms has been helpful for picking one to match your lifestyle.

Have a nice workout!