Season guide · Barcelona · Spain
Barcelona in spring
March–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Mild, sunny days, café terraces and Sant Jordi's books and roses, with occasional rain and busy Easter weeks; the sea stays cool until late May. Expect highs up to 22°C (72°F) and lows around 10°C (50°F), with about 17 rainy days across March–May. May is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- March–May
- Temperatures
- 10°C (50°F) to 22°C (72°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 17
- Sea
- 13°C (55°F) to 17°C (63°F)
- Crowds
- Busy
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 17°C (63°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 5 | 11.8 h | 3/5 |
| April | 19°C (66°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 6 | 13.3 h | 4/5 |
| May | 22°C (72°F) | 15°C (59°F) | 6 | 14.5 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 19°C (66°F) against a yearly 21°C (70°F), and 17 of the year's roughly 57 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 4/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in spring
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- March: Barcelona Marathon (usually March)
- March: Sant Josep, with crema catalana in every pastry shop (19 March)
- April: Sant Jordi — books and roses sold across the city (23 April)
- May: Primavera Sound music festival at Parc del Fòrum (usually late May or early June)
Make the most of the weather
Park · Gràcia
Park Güell
Gaudí's hillside park, built between 1900 and 1914 as a garden suburb that never sold, has the mosaic salamander on the main stairway, the Hypostyle Room's 86 columns and a serpentine bench covered in broken-tile trencadís overlooking the city.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- Outdoors
- Kids
Architecture · Eixample
Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
Visit at the end of the day for rooftop light, and check whether an evening visit with a light show is running.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Views
- Art
Viewpoint · Montjuïc
Montjuïc
The hill above the port holds the 1992 Olympic Ring, the Fundació Joan Miró, terraced gardens and a hilltop castle with views over the harbour, reached by the Montjuïc cable car.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Free
- Kids
- History
Museum · Montjuïc
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
Head first to the Romanesque galleries, then step out onto the front terrace for sunset.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Views
- Rainy day
Beach · Barceloneta
Barceloneta beach
The city's most central beach runs from the old fishing quarter towards Frank Gehry's copper fish sculpture at the Olympic Port, backed by a promenade of beach bars (chiringuitos) and seafood restaurants.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Iconic
Day trips in spring
- Montserrat (About 1 hour 15 minutes by train) — The jagged mountain ridge holds a Benedictine monastery and the basilica of the Black Madonna (La Moreneta), where the boys' choir, the Escolania, sings regularly.
- Sitges (About 40 minutes by train) — A whitewashed seaside town with a string of sandy beaches, a church on a headland, a lively old town and a long LGBTQ+-friendly tradition.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Barcelona?
Yes: May is among the best months. Mild, sunny days, café terraces and Sant Jordi's books and roses, with occasional rain and busy Easter weeks; the sea stays cool until late May.
+What is the weather like in Barcelona in spring?
Highs of up to 22°C (72°F) and lows around 10°C (50°F), with about 17 rainy days over the season.