Barcelona is a magnificent city, an ideal destination to visit at any time of the year, however, spring is definitely the best time to do so. Not only during this time Barcelona´s parks and gardens are filled with colour, but the range of activities to make the most of your visit becomes even more extensive.
This is one of the cities with more leisure activities for all tastes, and during the spring visitors will experience an ideal temperature to get the most out of it. At this time of the year Barcelona acquires a special light, the days are longer and it is the perfect time to enjoy the charms of the city. Not only that, but you can also take the opportunity to learn Spanish in Barcelona, for example, you can check at the school Expanish, the range of courses available.
Let’s take a look at some of the most recommended activities to do in Barcelona during this spring.
A day at the beach
Without a doubt, one of the best things about Barcelona is the weather. This city is extremely sunny throughout the year, and even though people mostly choose to visit the beaches during the summer, the weather in spring allows visitors to enjoy such activities too. One of the favourites things to do is take advantage of the 4.5 kilometres of coastline along the Mediterranean.
During the spring you could easily spend the whole day on the beach until the sun goes down. Yes, it is true that the days are not as long as in summer, but you can enjoy a long stay too. Throughout the day there are tons of activities to do at the beach, like wakeboarding, boat rides, kayaking, snorkelling, and many others. At night, many bars and restaurants come alive with music and drinks and people gather to have a good time.
Many people who decide to study Spanish abroad, choose Barcelona to do so because of its beaches, in addition, of course, to the fact that Barcelona Spanish courses are top-rated.
Montjuic gardens during spring
Throughout different heights of the Montjuic Mountain, there are several gardens each filled with different types of vegetation, statues, fountains, ponds, viewpoints and much more. These gardens are ideal to visit throughout the whole year, but during springtime, especially from mid-April when its bloom begins to shine with all its splendour, is the best time to visit them.
At this location, visitors can also enjoy other tourist attractions, like the castle of Montjuic, the Aeri de Port cableway, Montjuic´s Magic Fountain, the Joan Miró´s Foundation, the Olympic Museum etc.
There is no doubt this place is an essential visit in springtime.
Outdoor activities
When spring arrives in Barcelona, many outdoor activities come to life. If you visit this city at this time of the year you will find gastronomic fairs while walking down some street or parks. Such fairs unfold the local gastronomic specialities, one of the favourites examples of this tourist activity is La Rambla, a pedestrian street where you will find all kinds of restaurants, street artists, local shops, crafts and much more.
Barcelona also offers plenty of clothing markets, parks, music festivals (like Primavera Sound, Festival Jardines de Pedralbes, Sónar and plenty more), and many other proposals like “La Semana de las Terrazas”. And if you don´t speak a word of Spanish, you don’t have to worry, since this city is full of tourists and people from all around the world who choose to take Spanish classes Barcelona, therefore, the locals are used to communicating in other languages.
Semana Santa in Barcelona
During “Semana Santa” (Easter Week) the number of tourists in Barcelona is duplicated, therefore, you can imagine how special this event is at this place. There are plenty of particular activities that are carried out during this period, like temporary exhibitions and special activities in museums.
As a Christian tradition, meat is not eaten on Good Friday and for this reason, Barcelona celebrates it by eating cod, and even though cod is widely used among typical Catalan dishes, during this period it becomes a traditional dish. When talking about desserts and sweets, in addition to the classic chocolate eggs, Barcelona has its star dessert: La Mona de Pascua.
It is a traditional Easter cake decorated with chocolate eggs, chicks and other figures like well-known characters from children’s movies or soccer players. At first, the Mona de Pascua was a doughnut-shaped cake decorated with boiled eggs, but today it has become a work of art, a moment that local pastry chefs enjoy and experiment to create more spectacular Monas every year.
“Calçotada”
Another local treat Catalans eat during these dates is “calçotada”. Calçots are a variety of onions that are eaten grilled accompanied by a sauce called romesco and all kinds of meat. In the last days of winter, when spring arrives, the calçots season appears and the locals take the opportunity to gather in groups of friends to eat calçots and spend the day in the countryside. If you order them in one of the many specialized restaurants, during these days, you will be surprised by their presentation, since they are served on tiles.
Sant Jordi
Every April 23, the Patron Saint of Catalonia and International Book Day come together to flood the streets of Barcelona with roses and books. Take some time to walk and become infected with a festive atmosphere that does not allow comparisons. There is no shortage of the expected signatures of copies, in which some of the most famous writers, as well as some of the most mediatic faces of the moment, sign copies of their editorial news.
Visit the Montserrat Monastery
On April 27th it is the turn of the Patron Saint of Catalonia, the Virgin Moreneta (four days after Sant Jordi). During this day it is advisable to make a trip to the mountains and to the monastery of Montserrat, where a carving of the homonymous Virgin is venerated. In addition, the place has a scenic beauty, formed by capricious geological formations.
