Best VPNs for Barcelona

BarcelonaBarcelona is the second most populous city in Spain. This beautiful and historic city has a population of 1.6 million residents. Visitors come from everywhere in the world to take in the Spanish culture, enjoy the beautiful beaches, and eat the great food. Whether Barcelona is on your bucket list or you are going for other reasons, you need to be sure to use a VPN whenever using public WiFi. Before we explain why that makes such a difference, please have a look at our list of the best VPNs for Barcelona.

RankVPN ServiceOur
Score
Server
Locations
Visit
1ExpressVPN9.8160ExpressVPN
2NordVPN9.487NordVPN
3Private Internet Access9.295PIA
4CyberGhost9.0110CyberGhost
5Surfshark9.0125Surfshark

Barcelona and the rest of Spain are considered to be “free” by a FreedomHouse.org report. The Spanish constitution contains protections for privacy and those rules are generally respected. In other words, you do not need to worry about the local or national government monitoring you. What you do need to worry about, however, is the level of theft in Barcelona. From pickpockets to purse snatchers, to cyber thieves, the city has all of that as well. That is why you would want to use a VPN if you decide to go online while there. Simply connect to a VPN to create a secure and encrypted connection. That will make it much more difficult for anyone to steal your private info.

Although Spain does not really censor the internet. you can still put the second feature of a VPN to use. That is, to help you get around geo-restrictions. Those are blocks imposed by companies. If you try to access anything from outside of the target area, you would typically be blocked. The way around this is to use a VPN and connect to the region you want to access. That will fool the software into thinking you are located someplace else. From that point, you can enjoy all you wish.

What is the Best VPN for Barcelona?

While in Barcelona, there are a few different factors to consider to answer this question. Because of the generally free status, we’ll focus on non-security related items first:

  • Very high network stability to reduce the chance of a server disconnect
  • Ability to get around geo-restricted content in Barcelona and Spain as a Whole
  • Fast servers that do well in Barcelona and the region
  • Multi-platform mobile app support including Amazon Firestick
  • Strong military-grade encryption to protect your privacy
  • Providers that offer a no-logs policy

Now, here is a closer look at the best VPNs for Barcelona


1. Best VPN for Barcelona: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

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ExpressVPN brings together fast VPN access with MediaStreamer which acts as a Smart DNS service to unblock access to geo-restricted content. The VPN service will help encrypt your connection and unblock live sporting events. You will even find a list of the latest live entertainment and sporting events on their website. Being in the British Virgin Islands puts ExpressVPN outside the 5 eyes and 14 eyes countries. They maintain a no-log policy that has been verified through high profile legal requests over the years.

ExpressVPN manages a very large VPN network. Beyond the USA, the ExpressVPN network boasts thousands of servers in key locations to help protect their user’s privacy. You can use their network to protect your privacy, unblock censorship, and watch your favorite streaming services from anywhere.

ExpressVPN Barcelona speed test

The ExpressVPN app allows you to select a server location down to the city but you do not need to choose a specific server. Instead, the client will select the fastest server in your chosen location. You also need to know that some cities are not shown on the recommended tab inside the client. You may find that issue with servers in Spain. Simply select the “All” tab, open Europe, and then open Spain. At this point, you can select servers there. When we tested a server in Madrid, Spain, (the closest location) the speed was 120.93 Mbps.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of using ExpressVPN is their support for a wide range of devices. ExpressVPN offers custom VPN software for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Connect from your desktop and mobile at the same time with up to 3 simultaneous connections. You can also install the ExpressVPN web extension for Chrome or Firefox. Want to protect your entire home network with a single VPN account? If so you can use the ExpressVPN router app to get all set up. The MediaStreamer feature adds Smart DNS support to devices like game consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, etc.), media boxes (Apple TV, Roku, Nvidia Shield TV, etc.), and Smart TVs.

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ExpressVPN performed very well in our speed tests. They are a great choice for privacy and to unblock geo-restrictions. Customer support is available 24/7 to provide assistance and answer any questions. Enjoy the best VPN for less with confidence as ExpressVPN offers a 30 day money back guarantee.

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2. Best VPN for Barcelona: NordVPN

NordVPN

Sign up for 36 months for just $3.49 per month (70% discount)

NordVPN is based in Panama which some users prefer to using a VPN company that’s actually headquartered in the United States. You will find that NordVPN has a strong presence in the US with servers located throughout the country. Members have full access to their network in the USA and beyond for a very good price.

You will find that NordVPN has perhaps the best mix of services for the price if you subscribe to a longer term account. All users have full access to their network and custom software. You can connect using the VPN client for Windows or Mac. They also have an easy to use mobile app for both Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad) devices.

NordVPN Barcelona speed test

NordVPN hosts a number of servers in Barcelona. From the console, clicking on the 3 horizontal dots to the right of the country, you can locate the server area and see the percentages of the servers available. We tested a server located in Madrid, Spain, since it was the closest, and the download speed was 123.33 Mbps.

Want to access streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world? If so NordVPN is a great choice. They are one of the only VPN services that can still unblock Netflix. You can sign up for unlimited VPN and SmartDNS service from just $3.49 a month with a 3-year membership.

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3. Best VPN for Barcelona: PIA

Private Internet Access

Sign up for 12 months for just $3.33 a month (67% discount)

Private Internet Access (PIA) gives users a few different options. Unlike in the past, you no longer have to set up a profile for each VPN server. Now, you can connect to any of their server locations in 33 countries. As you can see below, the PIA team has organized their servers by region, country, and city. The server locations are listed in alphabetical order by country.

There are a lot of torrent users who love Private Internet Access. The service includes a feature that will stop your system from communicating if the connection to their service drops. Meaning if your encrypted VPN access is dropped for any reason it will keep you safe.

PIA Barcelona speed test

PIA offers a Windows client and other apps that are simple and easy to use. However, you won’t want to underestimate it. PIA offers different levels of privacy protection depending on your needs. You can control encryption levels to help you find the right balance between privacy and speed. As you can see, our speed test showed that PIA performs well in the region. When we connected to a Madrid server, we got a speed of 121.54 Mbps.

When it comes to their Windows client the PIA team has included an Internet kill switch. The kill switch will kill your Internet connection anytime the VPN fails. That can really come in handy for those wanting to ensure anonymity. Private Internet Access offers VPN from just $3.33 a month.

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4. Best VPN for Barcelona: CyberGhost

CyberGhost

Sign up for 36 months for just $2.75 a month (79% discount)

CyberGhost was founded in 2001 by 7 enthusiastic young team members in Bucharest, Romania. Since that time the company has grown into one of the largest VPN services in the world. The team of 50+ members is focused on protecting users privacy. Robert Knapp, co-founder and CEO, continues to lead the team even after they joined the Crossrider group in 2017. Since that time the CyberGhost network has expanded quite a bit.

CyberGhost offers a nice mix of server locations, strong encryption, and the ability to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Red, and Amazon Prime. Some of the channels even let you unblock geo-restrictions for multiple regions. For example, you can access Amazon Prime video content in the US, Germany, or UK. The Windows client also gives you the option to surf anonymously, protect WiFi, torrent anonymously, unblock basic websites (Google, Facebook Instagram, etc.), and choose a server.

CyberGhost Barcelona speed test

Since we wanted to test a server in Barcelona, we opened the Windows client and expanded the interface. From there you will want to click on the “All Servers” tab if it isn’t already active. Scroll down to Spain and click to the right of the star. This will bring up a full list of servers in Spain. The CyberGhost network includes a few servers in Barcelona. We connected to one of them and tested the performance. As you can see, our download speed was 82.12 Mbps.

The CyberGhost VPN client is one of our favorites. It is very easy to use and includes a number of advanced features to help protect your online privacy. They have a development team in Germany that is continually adding features to the client and mobile apps. You can sign up for full access to the CyberGhost network from just $2.75 a month during their current promotion.

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5. Best VPN for Barcelona: Surfshark

Surfshark

Sign up for 24 months for just $1.99 a month (83% discount)

Surfshark launched their VPN service in 2018. Since that time, the company has made quite a splash in the community. The team continues to grow and add server locations to their high-speed network. They have focused on privacy and value. The service includes extra features like CleanWeb (blocks ads and malware), Whitelister (split tunneling), MultiHop double VPN, kill switch, private DNS and leak protection.

With a large network of servers around the world, strong encryption, and the ability to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Premium, and Amazon Prime, there are many opportunities to enjoy the service. You can access Amazon Prime Video in multiple regions including the US, Germany, and UK. The Windows client gives you the option to connect to physical server locations, virtual servers (best suited for unblocking geo-restrictions), servers that support P2P usage, and MultiHop servers.

Surfshark Barcelona speed testFor our tests regarding Barcelona, we wanted to select a server located in the area. Once you log in, simply click on the location tab and type the location in the search bar. From there, you can connect to a server located in Barcelona. When we connected to a server and tested the speed was 51.05 Mbps.

For the value and the features, Surfshark is an excellent option for those who want to protect their privacy and unblock restrictions. All of their VPN apps were designed with a similar user interface and are easy to use. You can sign up for an unlimited VPN account for just $1.99 a month with a 2-year subscription.

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Above, you can see the best VPN options that you can use while in Barcelona to protect your privacy. You should be able to see the benefits of doing so, now. For other options different from the ones above, please look at the providers on our top 10 VPN list. Though these options will also perform well, our choices based on a number of factors that we used to optimize them for Barcelona. For all reasons in Barcelona, using VPN protection is a good idea. Hopefully, you should be able to make a great decision by using our guide.

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