Balcony rentals on Wallapop to see the Pope: "I'll leave it to the highest bidder"
There are also neighbors who advertise parking spaces and offer to act as guides or taxi drivers
BarcelonaOne week before the Pope's visit to Catalonia, many are looking for ways to capitalize on the excitement to make a profit. To the point that the internet has been filled with offers to rent a balcony from which to watch the popemobile arrive in exchange for a few hundred euros. "Rooftop Sagrada Família, direct view Pope Leo XIV", promises an ad on Wallapop. "Unique location that allows you to enjoy from the same space all the key moments of the event: the popemobile's passage through the Rosselló/Sicília corner just before entering the Sagrada Família, the illumination of the Tower of Jesus and a drone show over the temple". The same ad says it would be an "ideal place for media, broadcasts or a private VIP experience". To specify the price of renting this penthouse for a single day, you need to contact the user who published the ad and negotiate the rate.
The owner of this apartment is Guillem, who in statements to ARA estimates he can get "at least 1,000 euros" if he rents the apartment to someone who wants to see the Pope's arrival and stay the night. He has already shown the apartment to some interested parties and will leave it "to the highest bidder". He says he has never done this before, because it is the apartment where he lives, but when he saw the high demand for terraces and balconies to see the Pope, he considered: "What if I make some extra money?". Next Wednesday he will sleep at his mother's house. He assures that this occasional rental does not break any regulations and that he checked it before publishing the ad: "It is not tourist rental or vacation rental or anything. It is your own space that you rent for a few hours".
On the other hand, other offers for places with views to see the Pope already come with a fixed price. For example, a neighbor is asking for 500 euros for a room "a five-minute walk" from the temple. A double room in a penthouse with a private terrace from which to follow the event is also advertised, for 150 euros. Another advertiser includes sheets and towels in the offer. He also offers a single room for 100 euros per night, but this requires renting it for at least three nights, from Monday, June 8th to Thursday, June 11th. The Wallapop platform itself has removed some of these publications for violating its regulations, preventing users from contacting the advertiser again.
"They are making them too expensive, they are very excited about it." This is said by José, who is the doorman of a building on Rosselló street, which also houses a retirement home. He says they have been fantasizing for days that the Pope will stop to greet them when he passes by in the popemobile. Even some neighbors have told him that he should buy a new suit just in case. He knows that some neighbors in the building are trying to rent out their balconies and he has no problem helping interested parties contact them. He hopes to be able to go up to the roof to see the procession arrive. He says that normally he can only let in the president of the building and the technicians for the air conditioning or the TV antennas. Will someone else go up next week? "We'll see," he smiles.
Given the rise in this type of offer, sources from the City Council limit themselves to saying that the Barcelona Inspection Services Directorate "will carry out the usual inspection work regarding illegal tourist apartments".
"We will practically be able to touch his head"
Rosselló street and its corner with Sardenya will be the best vantage points to see the popemobile pass. But not all neighbors are looking to profit from the views. Some prefer to take advantage of the luck of having a privileged spot. A couple in their 60s who live in the area explains that some neighbors in the building have already arranged to rent out their balconies, but they prefer to enjoy their first-floor balcony with their family. "We'll almost be able to shake his hand," says the woman, excited. "Practically, we'll be able to touch his head," adds the man.
Besides balconies and terraces to watch the pontiff arrive, other users have posted ads for parking spaces around the temple, such as one on Sicily street for which they are asking 150 euros to park from June 9th to 11th. Another offers parking ten minutes' walk from the basilica for which they are asking 300 euros per day. They also offer to act as a city guide or a taxi driver to the airport.
However, in the area, some businesses seem oblivious to this anticipation. The clerk at a 24-hour supermarket where a group of tourists are buying water asks if the Pope is coming on the 10th or 11th, and says he's not sure if he'll be busier that day or not. At the kiosk on the corner of Rosselló and Sardenya, where some magazines are hidden among souvenirs, the clerk says she plans to open as usual: "For now, they haven't notified us of anything."