24-Hour and Duty Pharmacies in Barcelona: How to Find One Tonight
How the farmàcies de guàrdia rota works, the fastest ways to find an open pharmacy at night, and what to bring to fill an electronic prescription after hours.
Barcelona always has pharmacies open at night: a small number open 24 hours every day, and the rest take turns on a duty rota, the farmàcies de guàrdia. To find tonight’s nearest one, use the Farmaguia app or website run by the Col·legi de Farmacèutics de Barcelona (COFB), or check the duty list posted on any pharmacy door. For medical advice at night, call 061.
How does the duty pharmacy rota work in Barcelona?
Pharmacies in Catalonia are private businesses with a public service role, and the law requires them to guarantee access to medicines outside normal hours. In Barcelona, the COFB (the official association of pharmacists in the province of Barcelona) organizes the servei de guàrdia (duty service) under rules set by the Catalan health department. Each night, weekend and public holiday, a set of pharmacies across the city stays open in turn, so there is always one within reach of every district.
There are two kinds of out-of-hours pharmacy:
| Type | How it works | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| 24-hour pharmacy (farmàcia 24 hores) | Open day and night all year, always at the same address; only a handful in the city | Farmaguia, or the city’s official online guide, which lists pharmacies with their hours |
| Duty pharmacy (farmàcia de guàrdia) | An ordinary pharmacy that stays open on its rota night, weekend or holiday; the list changes daily | Farmaguia, the sign on any pharmacy door, or your town council’s calendar outside Barcelona |
Ordinary opening hours vary by pharmacy. Many open on weekdays from around 9:00 to 20:00 or later, some close at lunchtime, and many open on Saturday mornings. A pharmacy with its shutter down will usually have a notice on the door listing the nearest duty pharmacies for that night.
How do you find tonight’s duty pharmacy?
- Use Farmaguia. The COFB’s free app and website, Farmaguia, show your nearest open pharmacy and the duty pharmacies for the province of Barcelona, with addresses and a map. The Ajuntament’s own pharmacy listings point to it for checking duty pharmacies.
- Look at the nearest pharmacy door. Closed pharmacies display the duty list for the area, usually with the address and the dates.
- Call 061.061 Salut Respon, Catalonia’s health advice line, runs 24 hours a day. It can tell you if a medicine can wait, if you need a doctor tonight, and point you to the right service.
- Outside Barcelona city, many towns in the metropolitan area publish their own monthly duty calendars on the council website.
Save Farmaguia on your phone before you need it, and note the address of the closest 24-hour pharmacy to your home. In an emergency where someone’s life is at risk, call 112, not a pharmacy.
Can you use an electronic prescription at night?
Yes. The Catalan recepta electrònica (electronic prescription) works at every pharmacy in Catalonia, including duty pharmacies at night. According to CatSalut, the Catalan public health service, the pharmacist reads your treatment from the system when you show your TSI health card and your current medication plan.
You pay the same share of the price at night as during the day. As of November 2026, working-age patients pay 40%, 50% or 60% of the price depending on income, and pensioners 10% with a monthly cap. Our guide to prescriptions and pharmacies in Catalonia has the full copay table and the 2026 changes. If you do not have a TSI yet, see how to get the CatSalut health card.
Two practical points for night visits:
- Bring the physical TSI card or have the digital version ready in the La Meva Salut app, plus a photo of your medication plan.
- A duty pharmacy may not stock every medicine. If your treatment is unusual, call ahead or ask the pharmacist to check an alternative.
What happens when you arrive at a duty pharmacy at night?
At night, many duty pharmacies serve customers through a small hatch or window in the door rather than letting people inside. Ring the bell if there is one, explain what you need and show your card or prescription. Payment by card is normally accepted.
Duty pharmacies dispense prescribed medicines and sell over-the-counter products, as during the day. Spanish rules on what needs a prescription are the same at night: antibiotics, for example, are only dispensed with one. The pharmacist can give advice on minor problems and tell you when you should see a doctor instead.
What if you need a doctor rather than a pharmacy?
If the problem is more than a refill or a minor complaint, a pharmacy is the wrong first stop. Catalonia’s urgent care runs alongside the duty pharmacies:
| Situation at night | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Not sure if it is urgent | Call 061 Salut Respon |
| Urgent but not life-threatening | Your assigned CUAP (urgent primary care center), many open 24 hours |
| Life-threatening emergency | Call 112, or go to a hospital emergency department |
| You only need a medicine you already take | Duty pharmacy with your TSI and medication plan |
The Catalan emergency medical service explains how 112 and 061 work together, and our guide to urgent care in Barcelona covers CUAP centers and hospitals.
Can visitors and people without a TSI use duty pharmacies?
Yes. Anyone can buy over-the-counter medicines at any pharmacy. Without a TSI, you cannot use the Catalan public e-prescription system, so prescribed medicines need a valid prescription from a doctor in Spain, such as a private doctor’s prescription or one from an urgent care center, and you generally pay the full price. Prescriptions from other EU countries can sometimes be dispensed, at full price, under the European cross-border system; non-EU prescriptions cannot.
Bottom line
Before you need it, install Farmaguia, look up the 24-hour pharmacy nearest to your home and keep 061 in your phone. If you take a regular medicine, renew it at your CAP a week before it runs out, because a duty pharmacy at 3 a.m. may not have your exact brand in stock.
FAQ
Is there an extra charge at a duty pharmacy?
The prices of medicines covered by the public system are set nationally, and your copay is the same day or night. Ask the pharmacist before paying if you are unsure about any amount.
Can I buy the morning-after pill at a duty pharmacy?
Yes. Emergency contraception is sold without a prescription in Spanish pharmacies, including duty pharmacies at night.
Are duty pharmacies open on public holidays?
Yes. The rota covers nights, weekends and public holidays, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and the 24-hour pharmacies stay open all year.
Can I call a duty pharmacy to check stock?
Usually yes. Farmaguia lists phone numbers, and calling ahead saves a wasted trip at night.
