By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Entries close, unless all 37,000 places go firstSunday 7 March 2027
- Expo Sports opens for bib collectionThursday 11 March 2027
- Where
- Plaça de Catalunya (start) to the Arc de Triomf (finish)
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- March
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
Announced by the organiser, RPM Sports, when entries opened. Start 8:30am; the course closes six hours after the last runner starts. Expo Sports, where bibs are collected, runs Thursday 3pm to 9pm and Friday and Saturday 9am to 9pm; its venue had not been published in mid-October.
The Barcelona Marathon is a flat loop of the city on a Sunday in mid-March, starting at 8:30am at Plaça de Catalunya and finishing at the Arc de Triomf. Entry is open, with no ballot and no qualifying time, and places are priced in tiers from €70 to €100, cheapest for those who sign up first, until 37,000 runners have entered. Watching is free: the Sagrada Família, which the latest course passes twice, the seafront and the finish are the places to stand.
What Barcelona Marathon actually is
The race is one loop of the city on the flat. It leaves from Plaça de Catalunya, takes in La Pedrera and the Sagrada Família in the Eixample, heads out on the Diagonal to the Fòrum and returns by the sea to the Arc de Triomf.
It has become fast. In the latest edition the women’s winner ran the second-fastest women’s marathon in history, on her debut, and the organisers now count the course among the four fastest in the world, behind Chicago, Berlin and London.
For everyone else it is a Sunday morning when much of the centre is shut to cars, with bands and cheering points along the route: nearly fifty of them, by the organisers’ count.
Where to watch the race
- Plaça de Catalunya and the foot of Passeig de Gràcia, for the start. Runners leave in waves by expected pace from 8:30am, so the street stays full of them for a good while rather than a minute.
- Around the Sagrada Família, which the latest course passes twice, at about 8 and 14 kilometres, so you can see the field go by two times without moving far.
- The seafront between Port Olímpic and the Fòrum, in the last third of the race, when the field has spread out and the runners are glad of anyone cheering.
- The finish by the Arc de Triomf, with the Parc de la Ciutadella next to it.
Tickets and what it costs
Watching is free. Running is open entry, with no ballot and no qualifying time: places are sold until 37,000 runners have entered or the week before the race, whichever comes first, and the price rises as they go, from €70 for the first thousand to €100 for the last tier.
A place can be passed to another runner through the official change-of-holder process, which refunds your entry minus €15. A swap made any other way can see the bib disqualified.
Bibs are collected at the Expo Sports fair from the Thursday to the Saturday before the race, and someone else can collect yours with your registration email and a photo of your ID.
Official information and booking: zurichmaratobarcelona.es/en
Getting there
The start is at Plaça de Catalunya, which has its own metro and train station, and the finish is beside Arc de Triomf station on metro line 1.
Leave the car and the taxi apps alone on race morning. Roads on the loop stay shut until the last runners are through, and the race does not officially end until 4pm; the metro runs as normal.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Waiting for a ballot
There is none. Entry is first come, first served, and every tier costs more than the one before, so the cheapest places go first.
Crossing the centre by car
The loop covers most of central Barcelona and its roads reopen only once the field has passed. Take the metro instead.
Leaving your bib to the last evening
Expo Sports closes on the Saturday evening before the race. Go on the Thursday or Friday if you can, with your registration email and ID.
Swapping bibs with a friend
An unofficial swap can get the bib disqualified. Use the change-of-holder process, which refunds your entry less a €15 charge.
Forgetting the cut-off
The course closes six hours after the last runner crosses the start line, and anyone still out after that is removed from the race and the results.
Other Barcelona events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Barcelona Marathon?
On a Sunday in mid-March, starting at 8:30am at Plaça de Catalunya.
How much does it cost to run the Barcelona Marathon?
From €70 to €100, depending on how early you enter. The first thousand places are cheapest and the price rises in tiers to the last.
Is there a ballot for the Barcelona Marathon?
No. Entry is open until 37,000 runners have registered or the week before the race, whichever comes first.
What is the time limit for the Barcelona Marathon?
Six hours from when the last runner crosses the start line.
Where does the Barcelona Marathon finish?
At the Arc de Triomf on the latest course, after starting at Plaça de Catalunya.
Is the Barcelona Marathon course fast?
Yes. It is flat, and its latest edition produced the second-fastest women’s marathon ever run. The organisers rank it among the four fastest courses in the world.
Sources
- Zurich Marató de Barcelona, race date and registration
- Zurich Marató de Barcelona, regulations: start time, time limit, entry prices
- Zurich Marató de Barcelona, course and route map
- Zurich Marató de Barcelona, frequently asked questions
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.