There are a number of festivals, holidays and other events celebrated in Barcelona each year. The main ones are listed below.
January 1 : New Year's Day (national holiday) January 5 : Cavalcade of the Magi (celebrated nationwide)For this tradition held on the eve of Epiphany, a procession of colourfully decorated floats is accompanied by boisterous music, through the streets of Barcelona, distributing sweets to children.
January 6: Epiphany (Día dels Reis) (national holiday)This is an especially important day of the year for Spanish children, since it is on Epiphany (and not Christmas) that they receive their gifts. The holiday is celebrated quietly with family members.
One week before Easter: Holy Week (national holiday)Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday and ends with the Easter Vigil, is an important time in Barcelona. Numerous celebrations and services include huge processions in the narrow streets of the old city before arriving at Barcelona's Gothic cathedral.
April 23 : Feast of Sant Jordi (regional event)Similar to Valentine's Day, the feast day of Catalonia's patron saint sees men and boys offering single red roses to their wives, mothers and girlfriends. The latter offer books in return, in tribute to the great writer Cervantes, who died on this day in 1616. All of the city's main thoroughfares are filled with people, and flower and book stalls are spread out as far as the eye can see.
May 1 : Labour Day (national holiday) August 15–21 : Festa Major de Gràcia (local event)This annual festival in the old district of Gràcia is the biggest and most spectacular in Barcelona, with live music, dancing, traditional food and drinks, and “castells”, Catalonia's famous and awe-inspiring human towers.
September 18–24: La Mercè (local event)For this annual festival in honour of Our Lady of Mercy, Barcelona's patron saint, the program includes parades of giants, demons and other fantastic creatures, stalls offering regional foods, fireworks set to music and Catalan folk dancing.
October 12: Spanish National Day (Día de la Hispanidad, national holiday)Spain's national day commemorates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. The anniversary is marked with a host of festivities, including street parties and a fireworks display over the Plaça de Catalunya.
December 25: Christmas (national holiday)Month | Min. Average Temperature (°C/F°) | Max. Average Temperature (°C/F°) | Average Rains (MM) | Best Time to Travel |
---|---|---|---|---|
January | 4 | 12 | 41 | Not the best period to go |
February | 5 | 13 | 29 | Not the best period to go |
March | 6 | 15 | 41 | Not the best period to go |
April | 8 | 16 | 49 | Good period to go
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May | 11 | 20 | 59 | Good period to go
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June | 15 | 23 | 40 | Good period to go
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July | 18 | 27 | 29 | Not the best period to go |
August | 19 | 27 | 61 | Not the best period to go |
September | 16 | 25 | 81 | Good period to go
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October | 12 | 21 | 91 | Not the best period to go |
November | 7 | 16 | 62 | Not the best period to go |
December | 5 | 13 | 49 | Not the best period to go |
Barcelona's El Prat Airport is located about 12 kilometres (8 miles) south-west of the city centre.
Barcelona offers excellent public transport options. The city's Metro system and buses can get you almost anywhere you need to go, and run late into the evening. If your destination is not served by the Metro or buses, taxis are readily available and relatively inexpensive.
Barcelona's Metro is easy to use and serves all the city's major landmarks. The trains are also air-conditioned, which is especially nice in the summer. A one-way ticket costs EUR 2.15.
Useful tips: If you expect to use the system for more than five rides during your stay, the T-10 travel card is the best option. It is valid for 10 rides and costs EUR 9.25.
This Barcelona Card is the city's official visitor card, designed to save you time and money during your stay. The card offers unlimited travel on public transport (subway, buses, trams), plus free and fast-track entry to museums and art galleries. A 3-day card costs EUR 45 (EUR 21 for children aged 4 to 12).
Barcelona's bus network offers extensive coverage of the city, with more than 80 routes. Most of these buses run every few minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and even on Sunday. NitBus operates a night bus service. Two other tourist bus companies complete the network and cover various famous points of interest.
Barcelona's tram network combines a total of six lines and 56 stops, and provides easy and fast access to parts of the city underserved by the Metro. The lines extend into several nearby municipalities (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí...). A single ticket costs EUR 2.15 (including transfers between trams within a time limit of 30 minutes). Books of 10 tickets cost from EUR 10 (1 zone) to EUR 40 (6 zones), and daily passes from EUR 7.60 to EUR 21.70 (valid until end of service). Barcelona's trams operate:
Barcelona's official taxis are plentiful throughout the city. Their black-and-yellow livery makes them easy to spot.
Although the city's road infrastructure is excellent, getting around Barcelona by car is not a good idea. Parking can quickly become a nightmare. It is true that there are many garages in the city, but they are often full or have only a limited number of spaces available.
Upon your arrival in Barcelona, you can get in touch with local tourism professionals for further information and to help organise your stay.
Turisme de BarcelonaOffers practical information and useful recommendations (accommodation, restaurants, public transport, festivals, cultural events, etc.).
Turisme de Barcelona operates a number of other offices and kiosks throughout the city, offering information and recommendations for visiting Barcelona and its surrounding area. The main addresses for these offices are listed below:
The website maintained by Instituto de Turismo de España (Turespaña), Spain's official destination marketing authority, provides a wealth of information on Barcelona.
Website: http://www.spain.info
Spanish currency is the Euro (EUR).
1 USD = 0.81 EUR
1 EUR = 1.23 USD
The above exchange rate is given for information because is variable.
See your doctor before you travel.
VaccinationsThere are no vaccination requirements for visitors to Spain.
For more information, contact Air France's international vaccination centre:
Tap water is safe to drink in Barcelona.
For stays of less than three months, travellers from the Schengen area, as well as those from the countries of the European Union not included in the area, only need to be in possession of a national identity card or a passport valid for the duration of their stay. As a general rule, travellers from all other countries are subject to visa requirements, although foreign nationals from certain countries may enter Spain for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. For further information, visit the website of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Here are a few basic Spanish phrases that will make your stay in Barcelona a little easier:
Good day / Good morning: ¡Buenos días!
Good afternoon / Good evening: ¡Buenas tardes!
Good night: ¡Buenas noches!
Good-bye: Adiós
See you (later): ¡Hasta luego!
Yes: Sí
No: No
No, thank you: No, gracias
Thank you very much: Muchas gracias
I don't understand: No entiendo.
Could you repeat that: ¿Puede repetir?
Please: Por favor
What time is it: ¿Que hora es?
Excuse me: Disculpe (to say sorry) / Con permiso (to get past) / ¡Por favor! (to get attention).
Airport: Aeropuerto
Train station: Estación de trenes
Taxi: Taxi
Hotel: Hotel
Hospital: Hospital
Bank: Banco
Telephone: Teléfono
I'm (…): Yo soy (…).
I'm looking for (…): Estoy buscando (…).
How much is it?: ¿Cuánto es?
Do you have (…)?: ¿Tiene (…)?
Where can I find (…)?: ¿Dónde puedo encontrar (…)?
Tipping
As is the case elsewhere in Spain, tipping is not expected in Barcelona. In principle, the service charge is included in the bill. But if you are particularly pleased with the service, you may certainly round up the bill or leave a few extra euros on the table.