There are no Barcelona Airport pet relief stations that we know of. This is not uncommon for European airports. While pet relief stations are extremely common – even legally mandated – for large American airports, their European counterparts have not yet changed to accommodate the ever-growing population of traveling pets. There is no mention of Barcelona Airport pet relief areas on the airport’s website or in the terminal maps. As a result, it can be difficult to know if any such amenity exists, but the safest option is to err on the side of caution: prepare to use only outdoor, pre-security pet bathrooms.
As with most European airports, we suspect that the Barcelona Airport pet policy is to encourage pet parents to use areas outside of the building before they travel through security and to their gates. This is what you should plan for.
That said, some travelers have found luck with one particular post-security option for Barcelona Airport pet relief. There is a large, open-air smoking area in Terminal 1. After checking in and going through security, turn to the right and walk straight ahead. While not an official Barcelona Airport pet relief area, this post-security option is better than nothing. We only recommend trying to use this area if absolutely necessary or in an emergency. If you decide to use it, remember to be discrete and clean up after your pup.
What to Expect from Barcelona Airport Pet Relief Stations
Because there is no available information about Barcelona Airport pet relief stations, it can be difficult to know what you should expect. The areas where most passengers bring their pets to use the bathroom are not officially designated Barcelona Airport pet relief areas. As a result, using any post-security outdoor areas, such as smoking sections, is not looked highly upon by airport staff. However, if there is an emergency, this is the place to go.
The open-air smoking area that some travelers use as a pet relief station has a bark-covered garden bed, which may make cleaning up after yourself difficult. Always keep waste bags with you while traveling and dispose of them in the outside garbage can.