Thinking of relocating to Barcelona for remote work? Let’s run through the fundamentals.
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.
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.
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:
Note: As businesses are typically closed on Sundays regardless, we’ve not included Easter Sunday in the list above.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
Summary
Out of Office is a lifestyle and careers platform for remote and relocating tech talent.
Out of Office solves the unique challenges of relocating andworking remotely by creating a platform that caters to remote talent.
We aim to be the absolute best, strongest, and most skilled tech team worldwide. Our members take immense pride in being part of a unique community that ensures success for every client.
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