Waterfall feature in front of the Palau Nacional

Barcelona in April

Springtime is thought by many to be the best time to visit Barcelona. With the city still slumbering somewhat in the absence of peak-season tourists, its streets and attractions are usually relatively quiet and uncrowded. Throw in temperatures averaging between 50°F and 65°F alongside near-constant sunlight, and you can be certain a trip to Barcelona in April is sure to be a pleasant one.

Tourism in April

April serves as somewhat of a transition month for Barcelona as far as tourism concerned. It marks the boundary between the low-season winter and early spring months and the shoulder-season months leading up to summer. With that, tourism rates tend to rise gradually throughout the month.

This is what makes the spring season ideal for many visitors. While the city has yet to be bombarded by the waves of summer tourists, there are still plenty of people around to give Barcelona its trademark buzz. You’re sure to be able to visit your attractions and restaurants of choice without too much hassle, but you can also depend on the nightlife to be booming.

Take this opportunity to take a casual tour of Gaudí’s masterpieces, not last of all the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. Walk in the footsteps of soccer legends at Camp Nou. Take a quiet stroll through Barcelona’s many famous markets, or sit back and enjoy a whirlwind tour of the city’s best attractions atop a Bus Turístic.

Easter Weekend

While Easter Sunday may sometimes fall at the end of March, it’s typically considered an April celebration. And as such, it serves as one of the best reasons to visit Barcelona in April. Visitors are welcome to join the locals in celebrating the long weekend and attending the many processions and masses taking place throughout the city.

Throughout Semana Santa, or Holy Week, the streets tend to be thriving with festivity. Alongside the religious processions, many retailers, chocolate stores and bakeries will be stocked up on festive treats and various types of Easter fare.

Just be sure to note that the Friday and Monday either side of Easter Sunday are public holidays, meaning many stores, bars and restaurants are likely to be closed. However, businesses will still typically operate under regular weekend hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Fira per la Terra (Earth Festival)

Held in conjunction with Earth Day, celebrated globally on April 22, Barcelona hosts la Fira per la Terra, or the Earth Festival. Spread across two days, the event sees locals and visitors alike come together in Parc Central de Nou Barris in celebration of the little green planet we call our home

The eco-fair typically offers an open market, live music and a host of environment-focused talks and events. Many stalls will showcase environmentally friendly products, whether locally produced, recycled, ecological or all of the above, in an effort to encourage attendees to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

There’s often quite the atmosphere throughout the festival, with attendees all sharing in their common passion to fight climate change and protect the environment. For those more activism-oriented or any visitors simply interested in attending a very wholesome event, this is not a festival to be missed!

Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Day)

Spain loves both its saints and its feast days, so the calendar is packed full of religious holidays and festivals throughout the year. Barcelona is no stranger to its own celebrations and, in many ways, likes to take each event up a step. So it should come as no surprise that the patron saint of Catalonia, Sant Jordi, is honored in a very big way indeed.

The Diada de Sant Jordi is not a public holiday, so the vast majority of stores and restaurants will remain open. And that’s just as well, because it’s also Catalonia’s answer to Valentine’s Day. Sometimes referred to as the Book and Rose Day, it’s customary for locals to gift each other – you guessed it – books and roses.

While the exchange of roses is an internationally recognized gesture of love, the swapping of books serves as a celebration of culture. On this day, La Rambla and its adjoining streets can typically be found lined with stalls offering all manner of books and flowers.

While the books at these stalls will typically be offered in a wide array of languages, the city takes this opportunity to encourage the protection and promotion of the Catalan language in particular. This annual festival continues to bring well-deserved international attention to Catalan authors and publishers, and typically sees a massive boost in their output.

It’s no coincidence that April 23 is also host to World Book Day – it was this exact festival that led the UNESCO General Assembly to declare it so! When visiting Barcelona in April, book lovers and couples alike should make their way to La Rambla to share in the city’s celebration of love and culture.

Feria de Abril (April Fair)

While the more famous Feria de Abril is held each year in Seville, Barcelona’s own celebration can easily hold a candle to its bigger brother. Typically held in Parc del Forum for around a week at the end of April, the festival offers a range of activities for all ages, often alongside live music and performances.

For younger visitors and families, the event offers a fairground area housing the obligatory Ferris wheel alongside various other rides, game stalls, food stands and similar amusements. The other side of the fair is composed of the casetas, a host of marquee tents housing various organizations, political parties, merchants and food stands.

The largest caseta, Caseta de la Fecac, is run by the event’s organizers and offers a series of free events and concerts by top artists and performers from around the country. If you’re in Barcelona in April and enjoy the atmosphere of a classic fair, be sure to pencil the Feria de Abril into your itinerary.

Wrapping Up

For many, Barcelona in April is nothing short of idyllic. With just enough crowds to give the city its renowned bustling atmosphere without clogging up the top attractions, visitors can be sure they’ll be getting the very best of both worlds.

And with such engaging events taking place throughout the month, there’s certainly no shortage of festivity. Whether you’re looking for a quieter time to explore the city’s famous architecture, an opportunity to stroll through its many famous parks in pleasant weather or simply the chance to let loose in the evening, April could be the perfect time to plan your trip to Barcelona.

Robert Heaney
Go City Travel Expert

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Various busts on display at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
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Best Art Galleries in Barcelona

Barcelona’s cultural wealth would be nothing if not for its many celebrated artists and artistic movements. Famous for its rich diversity of architecture and its output of such renowned figures as Antoni Gaudí, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, the Catalan capital is brimming with fantastic examples of creative expression. To honor and preserve the works of its famous artists, Barcelona is full of museums and art galleries exploring their art, inspirations and lives in great detail. While it may be tricky to keep count of the city’s many cultural hubs, we’ve put together this directory of some of the best art galleries in Barcelona for you to mix into your itinerary. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) Housed within the impressive halls of the Palau Nacional in Montjuïc, the MNAC boasts a collection of a thousand years of visual art from throughout the Catalonia region. Standing as the largest and most significant museum in Barcelona, the MNAC features the world’s largest collection of Roman frescoes and the most important collection of Catalan art. Exhibitions cover various different forms and eras of artistic expression, from religious art to civil war propaganda. It also offers an insight into the evolution of art movements throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as neoclassicism makes way for realism and the region’s celebrated art nouveau movement of modernism. Museu Picasso Spread across five Gothic palaces within the popular Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, the Museu Picasso is home to one of the world’s most complete collections of Pablo Picasso’s works. The museum prides itself on providing a key insight into the artist’s early life and career, having spent his formative years studying in Barcelona. With a collection of more than 4,000 pieces donated by various aristocrats, other Barcelona museums and Picasso himself, exhibitions vary throughout the year to explore different aspects of the painter’s life, inspirations and art style. Fundació Joan Miró Dedicated to the celebrated Catalan artist Joan Miró, this modern art museum was established by Miró himself in 1975. Widely considered one of Barcelona’s most influential artists, with examples of his art visible throughout the city today, Miró donated the majority of his works to the Fundació in the spirit of making art publicly available. Now one of the most significant attractions atop Montjuïc, the Fundació is home to over 10,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, carpets and other such pieces. The museum serves to honor the life and art of both Miró and other comparable modern artists, such as Joan Prats, Kazumasa Katsutas and Miró’s own wife, Pilar Juncosa. Museu d'Art Contemporani (MACBA) Situated in Plaça dels Àngels in the Raval district of Barcelona, the MACBA serves as both a contemporary art gallery and a statement to the cultural and political importance of artistic expression. Initially established in 1959 by art critic Alexandre Cirici Pellicer, one of the museum’s earliest exhibitions, ‘Art and Peace’, was set up in 1963 in indirect protest of the Franco dictatorship. While this political provocation brought a brief end to the organization, the project was revived in 1985 by the then Minister of Culture of Catalonia. It wouldn’t be until 1995, however, that the gallery was officially opened to the public, after decades of changes in political policies and ownership. With a primary focus on the latter half of the twentieth century, the MACBA showcases contemporary art in its many forms and from various different prominent names. Exhibitions change every three to six months to showcase different painters, sculptors, filmmakers and other contemporary artists, along with various events, conferences and workshops to complement them. CaixaForum Opened in 2002 in the restored Casa Casarramona clothing factory at the foot of Montjuïc, CaixaForum is considered to house one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Europe. The museum is owned and sponsored by the Caixa banking foundation, and serves as their proprietary social and cultural center. Originally constructed by celebrated Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the building itself stands as a monument to the Catalan Art Nouveau movement of Modernism. Caixa’s acquisition of the site allowed for its restoration and extension, preserving its original style while also incorporating more modern stylistic features. Over 800 permanent exhibits showcase the works of prominent contemporary artists such as Anish Kapoor and Tony Cragg, while an additional three rooms house temporary exhibitions throughout the year. Previous exhibitions have explored the works of Salvador Dalí and various specific aspects of the contemporary art world as a whole. Museu del Modernisme de Català Perhaps the most famous art movement to come out of Barcelona, and indeed Catalonia as a whole, is the Catalan Art Nouveau movement known as Modernism. Perpetuated by such creative visionaries as celebrated architect Antoni Gaudí, the works of modernist artists can be found scattered throughout much of the city. The Museu del Modernisme is located on Carrer de Balmes, close to the Universitat de Barcelona. In maintaining its character, the building itself was built in the modernist style in the early twentieth century, originally serving as a factory and residential complex. Featuring over 350 works by 42 artists of multiple different disciplines, it houses an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and other artworks created in various forms of the modernist style. Museu Can Framis Established in 2009 within a former factory building in the hip Poblenou district, the Museu Can Framis is home to the contemporary art collection of the Fundació Vila Casas. The museum features some 300 works by artists born or residing in Catalonia from the 1960s onwards. Its photography exhibition is the only exception to this rule, showcasing the works of both local and international photographers. The museum hosts a series of temporary exhibitions throughout the year with a specific focus on individual artists. One exhibition per year is reserved for the Fundació Vila Casas open art competition, within which the winner has the opportunity to showcase their work. Centre d'Art Santa Mònica Built upon the former seventeenth-century Convent de Santa Mònica a little ways off La Rambla, the Centre d'Art Santa Mònica stands as a celebration of art as a whole. Its diverse exhibitions cover all artistic disciplines from design and photography to performing arts and music. The museum showcases various different traveling exhibitions, from artists both local and international. As such, its collection never remains the same, offering a wholly unique experience every few months. Its main focus is to provide an exploration of creative expression and innovation, whether through architecture, literature, design, gastronomy, music or any other artistic medium.
Robert Heaney
Las Arenas de Barcelona lit up colorfully in the evening
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Indoor Activities in Barcelona

Barcelona may be known for its idyllic summertime weather, often offering peak conditions for relaxing on its renowned beaches or taking a dip in the Mediterranean, but nowhere can be perfect all the time. The summer sunshine is often accompanied by high humidity and occasionally overbearing temperatures, while visiting off-season may introduce you to the springtime showers. Should you find yourself at odds with the weather during your trip, there are as many fantastic indoor activities in Barcelona as there are famous outdoor landmarks. From its world-renowned architecture to its fortune of cultural exhibitions to its great retail therapy spots, there’s no shortage of things to do indoors while visiting the Catalan capital. Architectural Marvels Famous for their unique blend of architectural styles, Barcelona’s top attractions may be best known for their photogenic exteriors, but many also offer a great deal more for you to explore inside. The city’s many religious sites and the works of its most celebrated local architects offer stunning interiors for you to discover. Sagrada Familia – Easily Barcelona’s most famous attraction, this yet unfinished basilica is best known for its unique combination of Neo-Gothic and Modernist architecture. Most notably designed by celebrated Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the church offers an almost otherworldly interior. Everything from its towering columns to its rising vaults comprises abstract and evolving geometric shapes, leaving no single surface of the interior entirely flat. Look just a little further and you’ll find various examples of Catholic symbolism layered throughout just about every aspect of the building. Illa de la Discòrdia – Located on Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district of Barcelona, this striking block of buildings stands in commemoration of some of the city’s most celebrated Modernist architects. The name can be translated literally as the ‘Block of Discord’ and most famously includes Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Amatller and Casa Batlló. Although the block is most famous for the contrasting façades of its buildings, the interior of the latter two residences are open for anybody with an interest in eccentric architecture to explore. Casa Lleó Morera has long been home to luxury fashion boutique Loewe, whose collections you can also explore while visiting the renowned city block. Casa Milà – Nicknamed La Pedrera, or ‘the Stone Quarry’, for its rough-hewn limestone façade reminiscent of an open quarry, this prominent residence is another example of the famed Works of Antoni Gaudí. With a towering eight stories of apartments spread across two blocks constructed around two large, interconnected courtyards, this building is mesmerizing both inside and out. Everything from the site’s exterior façade to the halls within and their accompanying furniture were all designed in harmony in the architect’s renowned Modernist style. Visitors can explore everything from its original apartments to the ‘garden of warriors’ rooftop terrace, offering stellar views over the city. Cultural Sites A city with as much a wealth of culture and history as Barcelona would be incomplete without any means to exhibit them. Throughout the city, you’ll find a plethora of museums and galleries dedicated to various perspectives of history, art and culture. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) – Housed within the impressive halls of the Palau Nacional in Montjuïc, this museum boasts a collection exhibiting a thousand years of visual art from throughout the Catalonia region. Standing as one of the largest museums in Spain, the MNAC features exhibits covering everything from religious art to civil war propaganda to the region’s celebrated architects. Museu Picasso – Located within the popular Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, the Museu Picasso houses over 4,000 of Pablo Picasso’s pieces, amounting to one of the world’s most complete collections of the famous Spanish painter’s works. The museum prides itself on offering a key insight into the artist’s early career, with Picasso having lived and studied in Barcelona throughout his formative years. FC Barcelona Museum – Soccer fans need no introduction to Barcelona’s sporting fame. Home to the globally celebrated Futbol Club Barcelona, one of the city’s top attractions is the iconic Camp Nou stadium. Alongside offering an opportunity to explore the stadium grounds, Camp Nou also houses the FC Barcelona Museum, complete with a comprehensive history of the team’s most notable matches, players and trophies. Retail Therapy Europe as a whole is widely known for its shopping cities, and Barcelona is no stranger to the trend. While the center may not boast much in terms of retail hubs, you’ll come across a host of unique shopping malls and outlets throughout the wider city. Why not pick yourself up some traditional Catalan souvenirs along the way? Mercat de la Boqueria – Often considered one of the best markets in the world, Mercat de la Boqueria has stood in one form or another for many centuries. Accessible from La Rambla, the market offers a wide selection of produce, from fresh fruit and vegetables to baked goods to local artisan crafts. El Triangle Centre Comercial – Located at the heart of Barcelona, El Triangle is a large shopping complex offering some of the best boutiques and retailers in the city. The mall sits right alongside Plaça de Catalunya, combining to offer a fantastic social space both inside and out. Las Arenas de Barcelona – Built into a former bullfighting arena, this commercial center can be found within the popular Plaça España. It offers an impressive selection of stores and restaurants, along with 360-degree views of Barcelona from the rooftop. Getting Around If you’re looking to escape the weather in Barcelona but still want to see as much of what the city has to offer as possible, then a Bus Turístic could be your best bet. Take a seat on its lower deck for a whirlwind tour along one of three iconic routes, accompanied by audio commentary for additional expert insights into each key location.
Robert Heaney

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