The best times to visit Barcelona

With around 300 days of sunshine per year, Barcelona is without a doubt an all-season destination. There’s always something to do, whatever the weather, from attending a springtime festival or outdoor concert to exploring the city’s dynamic culinary scene in winter, enjoying late autumn strolls on the beach or through the polychromatic parks. That said, winter nights can get chilly and summers can feel sluggish, making spring and autumn the most popular times to visit.

Summer

With nearly five kilometres of beaches in the city, it’s the place to be in summer.Credit: Barcelona City Council

Summer in Barcelona can push up into the thirties during the day but tends to stick around 29-30 degrees for the most part. While it can be hard work to hike through the city, mornings and evenings are much cooler and there’s always a shaded terrace nearby as well as museums, galleries and other indoor spaces.

Don’t miss

Then, of course, there are the beaches – almost five kilometres of them within the city and even more along the coast, lined with plentiful beach bars and restaurants. Summer nights in Barcelona are also packed with things to do, from outdoor cinemas and concerts to al fresco dining on roof terraces.

Key events

Live music on the grass at Primavera Sound festival.Credit: Barcelona City Council

The throbbing sounds of the Primavera Sound and Sonar festivals get summer in the city started by bringing some of the globe’s top musical acts to Parc del Forum at the end of May and beginning of June. June also sees a slew of public festivals, the biggest one being the Revetlla de Sant Joan on the solstice (June 23), which involves bonfires, fireworks, cava and delicious coca flatbreads. Some events begin in June and last all summer, such as the Musica Als Parcs festival, a free program of open-air concerts in the city’s parks spanning jazz, classical and more, the Festival Grec de Barcelona, an international theatre, dance and circus festival held at the open-air theatre on Mount Montjuic, and the Sala Montjuic film festival, which shows independent and classic films through until early August. July sees the Barcelona Rock Fest come to town, as well as Pride Barcelona, which takes over Plaza Espanya with parades, live music and street parties and the Festa Major del Raval. In August the nine-day Festa Major de Gràcia – worth heading to Gracia for – offers oodles of street food and live music plus Catalan traditions such as human towers and fire runs.

Autumn

Autumnal foliage line the streets of La Rambla.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

September is one of the most popular months to visit Barcelona: the humidity of summer declines, temperatures are better for walking around the city, and crowds and prices drop too. True, there’s more rain but in compensation the city’s parks and gardens are splendorous and highly photogenic in their seasonal hues of reds, oranges and browns.

Don’t miss

Long, exploratory walks around Montjuïc and Parc de Collserola are therefore recommended but the beaches are also very pleasant in this season, while foodies and oenophiles get to explore the abundant produce and harvests from the local wines. In October, for example, sustainable food event Mercat de Mercats offers both food and wine tastings over a number of days.

Key events

Festival-goers pack the street for La Merce.Credit: Barcelona City Council

One of the big autumn events, towards the end of September, is La Merce. Held in honour of the city’s patron saint, it runs for several days and the streets are filled with traditional Catalan music, dance and street arts. Around the same time, the BAM Music Festival (“Musical Action Barcelona”) promotes some of the finest local independent artists spanning folk, rock, indie and electronic music at various venues across the city. On October 31 and November 1 (All Saints’ Day), La Castanyada marks the official transition to autumn with a feast of chestnuts (castanyes in Catalan), panellets (small balls of almond paste coated in pine nuts), sweet potatoes and other autumnal produce. Sports fans won’t want to miss the iconic Jean Bouin race on November 1st, which attracts 11,000 people, including top-level runners, every year.

Winter

Christmas festivities kick off from November.Credit: Getty Images

Barcelona has a fairly amenable winter climate, with daytime temperatures ranging from 8-15 degrees. Plenty of sunshine makes beach-walks possible and many restaurant terraces stay open too.

Don’t miss

The city is quieter, of course, but far from dead thanks to the onset of Christmas festivities in November, when lights and decorations appear in shop windows, nativity scenes are set-up in squares like the Placa Sant Jaume, and seasonal markets such as the Fira de Santa Llucia and Fira de Nadal appear at the Barcelona Cathedral and Sagrada Familia respectively. New Year’s Eve is a big deal too: join the locals by eating 12 lucky grapes – one at each chime towards midnight – and enjoying spectacular firework displays on Avinguda de Maria Cristina.

Key events

Castellers construct a human tower.Credit: Getty Images

The Barcelona Jazz Festival begins in October and continues through to the end of December, providing a vibrant winter soundtrack via a curated selection of local and international artists. More music comes courtesy of the Sons de Nadal (Sounds of Christmas) with live music in the streets and squares between December 9 and January 4; in between is the annual Festival de Nadal, a program of cultural events that takes place on the Placa de Catalunya and Placa de la Universitat (mid-end of December). If you have kids, they will love the Three Kings of the Orient on January 5 – a magical flurry of light, music and colour (and sweets). From mid-late January the Festa dels Tres Tombs honours St Anthony, the Patron Saint of animals, around Sant Antoni (Eixample) and in February it’s time for more human towers and fire runs for La Laia, the winter celebration of the city’s joint patron saint, Saint Eulalia.

Spring

Park Guell: Spring is a good time to explore the city’s many green spaces.Credit: iStock

Spring is a wonderful time to visit the city. The city tends to emerge from winter with aplomb, with longer, sunnier days (albeit tempered by occasional cold winds and rainy showers), abundant flowers returning to the streets, parks and gardens, and terraces growing more vibrant again. It’s a good season for hitting the beach with a good book, wandering the city without breaking a sweat, and exploring the many green spaces the city has to offer.

Don’t miss

It’s also carnival season, so expect to see plenty of traditional festivities if you visit during Setmana Santa (Holy Week), and a time when artichokes, strawberries, asparagus and tomatoes return to markets and restaurant menus.

Key events

Museo Picasso among the venues involved in Night of Museums, nearly 90 cultural centres in Barcelona will be free between 7pm-1am.

The Barcelona Marathon, which takes place each March, attracts nearly 20,000 runners from across the globe who follow a route that runs past many of Barcelona’s best sights. Not into sport? Check the Barcelona Beer Festival, which has samples from hundreds of local and international beer brands. One of the season’s more unusual events is the Festival of St Jordi on April 23, which is often considered a Catalonian version of Valentine’s Day. Set up to celebrate Catalonia’s patron saint St Jordi, it’s a day when men give a red rose to the significant women in their lives – girlfriends and wives, mothers and sisters – and in return, women give men books (it’s also UNESCO World Book Day). Classical music lovers won’t want to miss the Barcelona Obertura Spring Festival, while later in May, the Night of Museums sees many of Barcelona’s finest establishments open their doors for free.