Are you planning to spend the Christmas in Barcelona? If you are one of those who really get into the most beautiful time of the year, truly feeling the xmas spirit, this Agenda is made for you! Barcelona is dressed up for the holidays with sparkly decorations, activities, markets and culinary traditions. 

Whether you’re an Erasmus student living in Barcelona or you’re planning to visit it just for a christmassy hit and run, get a look at our selection and find the best ideas to have a great Christmas time in town.

Christmas markets in Barcelona

Markets pop up all around Barcelona from the last days of November, bringing the real Christmas spirit to life and making the city even more lively. 

The most famous ones are:

• Santa Llúcia Market, located just right in front of the majestic cathedral in the Gothic neighbourhood, it offers loads of festive decorations and unique handmade crafts.

• Fira de Nadal de la Sagrada Familia. With around 120 stalls, this market stands by the side of the worldwide popular Gaudí’s masterpiece: the Sagrada Familia. 

• Fira de Port Vell. The fair, located next to the statue of Cristoforo Colombo, boasts the tallest Xmas tree in Catalonia (31 meters), enriched with led decorations and surrounded by a unique marine nativity scene.

• Fira del Col·lectiu d’Artesans de l’Alimentació, the artisanal food market in the Gothic neighbourhood, where you can try all the goodies from the catalan tradition: honey, chocolate, wines, cheeses and much more.

Christmas lights

Sparkly and vibrant. These are the two words to describe Barcelona during Christmas holidays - but the city is one of a kind all year round!

As night falls, Barcelona turns in an amazing show of lights. If you’re an Instagram lover, our tip is to organize a night tour to get the best pictures to post on your feed! The city offers great inspirations, such as the Torre Glóries (once called Agbar) or the ones on Las Ramblas.

Foodie traditions

Christmas is that time of the year when people get more kind, open-hearted and...way more greedy! If you’re a food lover just like us, here are a few xmas culinary traditions from Barcelona you can’t miss.

• Carn D’Olla: one of the fanciest meals that Spaniards eat on Christmas Eve. It’s a delicious soup made of meat and Galets (large pieces of pasta that look like snails).

• Turrón (nougat): the traditional holiday dessert. The almonds one is the most popular and also polvorones, typical sweet made by marzipan.

• Lentils: on New Year’s Eve, Spaniards make sure to have lentils for lunch. Each one represents a coin and it is said that it will bring wealth and good luck along the next year.

• Sweets in the Reyes Magos (Three Kings) day: it’s probably the most popular christmassy tradition in Spain and surely the most loved by all the children. The Three Kings arrive in Barcelona in the night before Epiphany, bringing gifts and donating loads of sweets to during their huge parade all around the city.

The city always is vibrant and so lively and there’s plenty of events and activities we could choose. Get a look here to see what to do in Barcelona in Christmas.

• Copa Nadal (Swimming Cup at the Old Harbour): as every year, for more than 100 years, this event gathers up so many people from all over the city. It takes place at noon on the Christmas Day and it’s a brave swim in the freezed Mediterranean sea!

• Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings’ Parade): On 5th of January the Three Kings arrive at the port of Barcelona, where they start their enchanting parade through the streets of the city centre with music, dance and shows. People dress up as the Magi and start delivering sweets to all the children in Barcelona.

We wish you a great time in Barcelona and you’ll truly enjoy the traditional Catalonian Christmas. Get a look at our living guide to plan your stay in town and get the most of your experience in Barcelona.

See you soon,

helpHousing team