The city of Barcelona is a wonderful tourist destination throughout the year and is quite tempting place for a stay in the colder winter months. The temperatures in Barcelona usually do not drop below 10 degrees Celsius at that time of the year and only February has some chilly days that are best to be avoided. In case you plan to visit the city in the winter and have already chosen and booked your Barcelona apartment or apartment in Madrid, then read some ideas here and find out what you can do in this lovely city for the period of your stay.
The first thing that deserves to be mentioned is that during the winter months there are no so many tourists in Barcelona and this is normal. It also means that there will be no crowds on the streets, no long queues at the galleries and the museums and several interesting festivals that are great to be visited. Locals love their city in the winter, as they feel they have it all for themselves. There are no tourists crowds, no cruise ships and no charter flights, the stag parties are also waiting for better times, etc. Those travelers however who have learned their lesson, know that the flights in the winter time are cheaper and the accommodation is more affordable as well.
The city of Barcelona is very lively around the Christmas holiday, but not only. An area nice to be seen is Fira de Santa Llucia with its seasonal market and the nativity scene at the Placa Sant Jaume, which is different each year. Besides Christmas, another much celebrated holiday is the Three Kings’ Day, which is held on the Twelfth Night. It is on that holiday that most of the children receive presents. The holiday is celebrated with a street procession, during which the helpers of the king throw sweets to the crowd. After these two holidays start the winter sales, when the city is more quiet, if Barcelona could be quiet at all.
In the middle of January the city celebrates the Festa dels Tres Tombs or the Three Turns on the St. Anthony’s Day in the district of Sant Antoni. The city celebrates it with horse riders and beautifully decorated carts. Another important holiday is the Santa Eulalia Holiday, which is celebrated for five days around February 12th, when are organized various free concerts, processions of giants, etc. At that time of the year many of the museums are free to enter as well. Another interesting holiday is Shrove Tuesday and the Burial of the Sardine, which is a strange local tradition. Several weeks after that is celebrated the Festes de Sant Medir with a lot of sweets.
Nice places to go to at that winter period are the Museu de la Xocolata, or the lovely courtyard of El Jardi. Another good idea is to check the winter exhibitions in the city. Of course, always nice to be visited are the Museum of Picasso and the Gaudi’s La Pedrera, as well as the Catalunya Caixa exhibition centre.
Another destination that you can visit after your trip to Spain is Portugal where you can stay in Lisbon apartment
