Spain
Barcelona in December
🧥 WinterCool and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why December scores 8.9What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.0
- !Cool (16.3°C highs / 7.8°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 5.6°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~32 mm rain)
- Air quality8.2
- ✓Moderate (PM2.5 ~16 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Dec | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.9 Excellent | 9.5 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | 🌷 Spring |
| High / low | 16° / 8° | 25° / 15° |
| Rain | 32 mm | 44 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 6° | dew pt 11° |
| PM2.5 | 16 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Christmas Day 25–27 Dec · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Immaculate Conception (8 Dec)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore BarcelonaEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyCatalonia's capital on the Mediterranean, famous for Gaudí architecture, the Gothic Quarter, beaches and food.
No major events on our calendar for December.
Coming up later
Sant JordiEvery year23 April every year
Catalonia's day of books and roses, when people exchange roses and books.
Why go: Book and flower stalls fill La Rambla and Passeig de Gràcia; it is a normal working day.
Where: Citywide
Sant JoanEvery yearNight of 23 June every year
Midsummer night celebrated with fireworks, bonfires and parties, especially on the beaches.
Why go: Beaches are very crowded and noisy until late; the next day is a holiday in Catalonia.
Where: Beaches and squares
Festa Major de GràciaDate variesUsually mid-August
A neighbourhood festival in which residents decorate whole streets in a competition, with concerts at night.
Why go: The decorated streets are best seen in the early evening before crowds peak.
Where: Gràcia
Sagrada Família
Gaudí's still-unfinished basilica, under construction since 1882.
💡 Book timed tickets online ahead.
Park Güell
A hillside park with Gaudí mosaics.
💡 Timed tickets are needed for the monumental area.
Casa Batlló and Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
Gaudí buildings on Passeig de Gràcia.
Gothic Quarter
Medieval streets around the cathedral.
Montjuïc
A hill with museums, gardens and a castle.
Picasso Museum
A museum of Picasso's early work.
Pa amb tomàquet
Bread rubbed with tomato, olive oil and salt.
Crema catalana
Custard with a burnt sugar top.
Calçots with romesco
Grilled spring onions with a nut sauce.
💡 Calçotadas in winter
Fideuà
Short noodles cooked like paella with seafood.
Vermut
A vermouth aperitif.
💡 Neighbourhood bars
Cava
Catalan sparkling wine from the Penedès region.
💡 Wine shops
Espadrilles
Rope-soled canvas shoes.
💡 Shops in the old town
Caganer figurines
Comic figures traditionally hidden in Catalan nativity scenes.
💡 Fira de Santa Llúcia Christmas market