Pharmacies in Barcelona: Night Opening, Prescriptions and Medicines

It is late, someone has a fever or a regular medicine has run out, and the pharmacy on your street has its shutters down. Spanish pharmacies work differently from many home countries, and a handful of rules decide what you can get, when, and what you pay.

Which pharmacies are open at night in Barcelona?

Very few. According to a Barcelona Urbana guide dated 23 September 2026, only seven of the city's 1,020 pharmacies are open at 3 a.m., and those seven are permanent night pharmacies that are not on the duty rota. The guide gives these addresses:

• La Rambla 98 (Barri Gòtic)
• Carrer d'Aribau 62 (Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample)
• Carrer d'Aragó 1 (Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample)
• Carrer de Provença 459 (Sagrada Família)
• Passeig de Maragall 177 (Guinardó)
• Rambla de Guipúscoa 67 (Sant Martí de Provençals)
• Carrer de Riera Blanca 191 (la Bordeta)

Treat that list as a starting point. It comes from a local blog, not from the pharmacists' professional body, so confirm before you cross the city at night. The Col·legi de Farmacèutics de Barcelona runs Farmaguia, which it describes as a real-time pharmacy locator for the province of Barcelona, showing pharmacies, their services and nearby hospitals and primary care centres. The same Barcelona Urbana guide says 108 pharmacies keep fixed hours of 9:00 to 22:00 every day of the year, covering 48 of the city's 73 neighbourhoods. Other pharmacies work a duty rota (guàrdia), so which one is open depends on the day.

Can I buy medicines without a prescription in Spain?

Some, yes, but the pharmacist decides and fewer medicines are self-service than in many countries. Under Article 19 of Spain's medicines law (Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2015), a medicine needs a medical prescription when it could be dangerous without medical control even in normal use, among other conditions. The same article lets the medicines agency AEMPS classify other medicines as non-prescription, for conditions that do not need a precise diagnosis and are safe for self-care, and says those are dispensed by a pharmacist who advises on correct use. For a minor ailment, the practical route is to describe your symptoms to the pharmacist.

Do antibiotics need a prescription?

Expect to need one. In a study by AEMPS and the pharmacists' society SEFAC, published on 24 May 2018, researchers recorded 5,577 antibiotic requests in 247 pharmacies. Twenty per cent were self-medication without any prescription, and 83 per cent of those patients accepted being sent to a doctor for one. A 2021 AEMPS campaign with the General Council of Pharmacists' Colleges, displayed in 22,100 pharmacies, warns against taking antibiotics on your own for viral infections such as flu, and quotes Eurobarometer 2018 data that 36 per cent of Spaniards wrongly believed antibiotics work against colds and flu.

The 2018 note does not itself state a rule, so read this as how pharmacies behave in practice. It also found that about one in three private antibiotic prescriptions presented in pharmacies (1,028 of 3,569) did not comply with Real Decreto 1718/2010 on prescriptions, which means even a prescription can be questioned. If you need an antibiotic, see a doctor first.

How much will a prescription cost in 2026?

It depends on your income and on whether the prescription is paid through the public system. According to the Ministry of Health, the Council of Ministers approved a reform of the outpatient medicines copayment on 12 May 2026. For people in work and their beneficiaries it now has six income bands:

• Below 9,000 euros a year: 40 per cent, capped at 8.23 euros a month
• 9,000 to 17,999 euros: 40 per cent, capped at 18.52 euros a month
• 18,000 to 34,999 euros: 45 per cent, capped at 61.75 euros a month
• 35,000 to 59,999 euros: 45 per cent, no monthly cap
• 60,000 to 99,999 euros: 50 per cent, no monthly cap
• 100,000 euros and above: 60 per cent, no monthly cap

Pensioners pay 10 per cent, capped at 8.23 euros a month under 18,000 euros of income, 13.37 euros from 18,000 to 59,999 euros and 18.52 euros from 60,000 to 99,999 euros, and 60 per cent with a 61.75 euro cap above 100,000 euros. The Ministry says existing exemptions stay, for example for beneficiaries of the minimum vital income. These figures come from the Ministry's press note, so check the published decree for your own band, and ask the pharmacist what a specific medicine would cost you. If you are new to the public system, see our guide to the TSI health card in Catalonia.

Can I use a prescription from another EU country?

Possibly, through the EU's cross-border ePrescription service, MyHealth@EU. The European Commission says it lets EU citizens obtain medication in a pharmacy in another EU country, with the prescription transferred online from the country where they are insured. Its page says the service is open to all EU countries and that many are still implementing it, but it does not say which countries take part or what the steps are. Ask your home health service whether it sends ePrescriptions to Spain before you rely on it, and see a doctor in Barcelona if it does not.

Is it safe to buy medicines online in Spain?

Only from registered pharmacies. A 2020 AEMPS note says non-prescription medicines should be bought online only from pharmacies authorised and registered for online sale by the regional health authority, and warns that illegal sites can sell counterfeit medicines. A registered pharmacy shows a common European logo: a rectangle with horizontal stripes and a white cross on the left half, with the flag of the country where the pharmacy is registered along the bottom. Click the logo, which should lead to the health authority's list of registered pharmacies, and do not buy if the site is not on it. AEMPS lists registered Spanish pharmacies on its Distafarma service.

Can I bring my own medication to Spain?

Yes. AEMPS says Article 74 of the medicines law lets travellers carry personal medication provided any special storage conditions are kept, and advises carrying the prescription or a doctor's report to avoid customs problems. Narcotic and psychotropic medicines above a set quantity need a certificate. AEMPS's page does not state the threshold and refers to international guidelines, so ask AEMPS if you are unsure. For those medicines:

• Apply at least ten days before travelling, by email to estupefacientes_viajeros@aemps.es, with everything attached as PDFs
• The certificate is valid for three months and covers at most three months of treatment (15 days for cannabis or its derivatives)
• Documents: a signed application form, a current medical certificate with diagnosis, treatment and daily dose, the original signed prescription, a passport copy and a copy of your travel tickets

What do I do with old or unused medicines?

Take them to a pharmacy. SIGRE, the system that collects medicine waste, says expired medicines, medicines you no longer need, their boxes and empty packaging go in the SIGRE Punto in your nearest pharmacy. Needles and sharp objects cannot be left there, and the pharmacist can advise if you are unsure how to dispose of something.

When is a pharmacist not enough?

A pharmacist can advise on minor ailments and point you to the right medicine, but a persistent symptom, a child with a high fever or anything that needs a diagnosis needs a doctor. Our guides explain how to see a doctor in English in Barcelona and what to expect as a tourist needing urgent care. Nothing here is medical advice.

Checked English-speaking doctors, by neighbourhood: All of Barcelona, or by area: Eixample, Poblenou, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Les Corts, Diagonal Mar & Vila Olímpica, Gràcia, El Born & Barri Gòtic and Sants.