Moving to Barcelona & Catalonia from the UK
Barcelona pulls a different crowd from the sun-coast retirement move: professionals relocating for work, families after a big cosmopolitan city that still has the beach twenty minutes away, and people who simply fell for Catalonia on a visit and decided to stay.
Beyond the city, Catalonia opens out into the coves of the Costa Brava, the wine country of the Penedès, and medieval towns like Girona — a region with its own language, cuisine and fierce sense of identity.
Who moves to the Barcelona & Catalonia?
Professionals and their families relocating for work, academics and researchers, creatives and founders, and coastal downshifters heading for the Costa Brava.
Where people settle
- Barcelona city Eixample apartments, the Gothic Quarter, world-class food and an international school network.
- Sitges A stylish seaside town a short train ride south — long popular with international residents.
- Costa Brava (Begur, Cadaqués) Pine-backed coves and whitewashed towns; the elegant, low-key end of the Catalan coast.
- Girona A jewel of a medieval city with fast rail links to Barcelona and France.
- Maresme & Garraf Coastal commuter towns either side of the city for those wanting sea air with a city job.
The route from the UK
Catalonia is the first major region you reach as goods cross from France into Spain, which makes it one of the more straightforward corridors we run. City deliveries in Barcelona itself take planning — narrow streets, restricted low-emission zones and stair-only buildings are common — so we scope access carefully before the vehicle arrives.
Collections for Catalonia run from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol and nationwide.
Settling in
- Barcelona has a Zona de Baixes Emissions (low-emission zone); older or non-compliant vehicles face restrictions, which is worth knowing before you ship a car.
- Catalan sits alongside Spanish in daily and official life — you will meet both on signage, at school and in paperwork.
- City apartments are the norm; lifts are not guaranteed in older buildings, so tell us about floors and stairwells when we plan the delivery.
Few cities pack in as much as Barcelona — Gaudí’s architecture, a working port, Michelin kitchens and a beach, all inside one metro map. Catalonia rewards people who lean into its identity rather than treating it as generic Spain.
Moving to the Barcelona & Catalonia?
Tell us what you’re taking and where from. We’ll come back to talk through the next step.
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