Winter descends here from December to March and is quite mild compared to the other regions of Spain. The temperature is around 12℃ and rarely dips below 5℃ in the night while days are sunny for most of the time. Fewer crowds are visible. But this does not stop one from enjoying the many things that Barcelona offers.
Despite the winter season, the sun usually keeps his hat on, and during the day you could easily find yourself stripping down to a T-shirt and enjoying a cheeky caña (small beer) on of the city’s many romantic street terraces, whilst by night a half decent jacket should be enough to stave off the chills. No scarf required.
Visit The Monuments
Barcelona in winters allows one to enjoy the famous attractions without having to stand in the long summer queues. The Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell created by the genius architect Antoni Gaudi is one of the best places to visit in Barcelona. The Casa Batllo Museum and the Camp Nou Football Stadium are at their beautiful best. With the streets illuminated with thousands of lights during Christmas, the Placa de Catalunya square is turned into a skating rink.
For example, the Sagrada Família is busy all year round but the winter at least sees the queues die down a little. Without the clamour of the crowds, it becomes easier to appreciate the solemnity of what is after all a place of worship. There’s also something about the gentle winter light pouring through the stained glass windows that is awe-inspiring.
Game of Thrones Tour
Winter is coming, so take a half-day tour to Girona where much of seasons 5-8 of Game of Thrones were filmed. From scenes of Arya begging and fighting on the streets of Bravos, to Cersei’s walk of shame, this beautiful medieval city was one of GoT’s most important shooting locations. Book this tour via the site and you’ll hop on a comfortable private coach that will take you to Girona, which is 1.5 hours north of Barcelona, where you’ll get an expert guided tour of the town, including film sets. Or, if you prefer to be more independent, you can catch the train up there and book your Game of Thrones walking tour tickets separately.
Go Skiing in Nearby Andorra
There’s not quite as much snow around here as north of the wall, but the powder in nearby Andorra is pretty reliable from December onwards. So if you’re based in Barcelona and fancy some winter sports, then sign up for this wild weekend on the slopes, which includes transport, accommodation and ski pass. If you can’t make that, then you can find more info on the best ski resorts within reach of Barcelona.
Attend The Sitges Carnival
If you are visiting Barcelona in March, then you ought to attend the Sitges carnival. One of the most famous carnivals in the world is the Sitges Carnival in Barcelona. With more than 100 years of history, the Sitges Carnival is scheduled either in February or early March. The carnival has more than 2000 participants involved and is an informal and a contemporary party event. Your plans for winter nights in Barcelona are sorted as you can attend the festivities for a fun evening.
The Aire de Barcelona spa
Barcelona winters are all about lying in the thermal baths and having an amazing time. Barcelona has restored an ancient Roman bath in the Gothic Quarters called Aire de Barcelona. One can enjoy hot baths in this candlelit spa at varied temperatures. One can choose between a normal bath, a red wine bath, and scented room. They offer a few treatments with luxurious oils and organic cosmetics as well.
Fancy pampering yourself? The Aire de Barcelona is a luxury spa inspired by the baths of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The spa includes a circuit of water baths ranging in temperature as well as huge piles of rock salt at your disposal to give yourself a rich salt scrub and a relaxation area with complimentary mint tea.
Three Kings Parade
If December 25 is a major day in the Catalan Christmas calendar, so to is January 6, known as the Day of the Three Kings – or rather, the eve of this day is . On the evening of January 5, the Three Wise Kings descend upon Barcelona bringing treats and a whole lot of magic to the city. Greet them as they disembark at the port and then follow the procession through the city centre for your chance to fill your pockets with chocolate and sweets.
On January 6th every year, Barcelona gets together to celebrate the parade of the three wise kings. The kings are greeted at the port as they disembark and the procession moves towards the city centre. Sweets and chocolates are thrown all along the route of the procession. Attending the parade is one of the most amazing things to do in Barcelona in winter.
Winter Activities In Barcelona
Inaugurated in 2015, Bargelona (a play on words with the Catalan word for ice being gel) is the city’s favourite winter ice-skating rink. Located in the La Fonda shopping mall, the ice-rink is some 4,000 m2 big and has areas for sports such as curling and ice-hockey as well as a kids’ play area and a café.. The rink is open from 10 AM to 9 PM everyday and the admission is at 10 euros per hour. Other than this, go bowling in the Pedralbes neighbourhood. Bowling is one such activity that catalans enjoy. The entry fees are quite cheap with 3-4 euros per game. Other than these, skiing is a favourite sport here. You could also go scuba diving in Barcelona in winter.
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