Barcelona is blessed with a benign, Mediterranean climate. Spring and fall are ideal times to visit, especially May to June and September to October. Even in the winter, days are crisp to cold (due to its proximity to the mountains) but often sunny. Snow is rare and never lasts more than a day or two. Most of the rainfall occurs in April but some quite spectacular storms, as is typical of the Mediterranean, can occur year-round. July and August are hot and humid, even at night, as the temperature often only drops minimally. The surrounding sea is warm enough to swim in from the end of June to early October. Inland the temperatures drop slightly, as does the humidity. North on the Costa Brava, a strong wind known as the tramontana often blows.

August is the major vacation month in Europe. The traffic from France, the Netherlands, and Germany to Spain becomes a veritable migration, and low-cost hotels along the coastal areas are virtually impossible to find unless booked well in advance. To compound the problem, many restaurants and shops also decide it’s time for a vacation, thereby limiting the visitors’ selections for both dining and shopping. That said, Barcelonese also head out of town for cooler climes, leaving tourists to enjoy the city for themselves. Barcelona is also a major international trade fair and conference destination. These happen throughout the year so if you plan to stay in a mid- to high-range hotel it should be booked well in advance. Barcelona is officially Spain’s most popular destination, and tourism is now year-round. The only time you may not be rubbing shoulders with fellow travelers is Christmas!

Catalan and National Holidays

Holidays observed are January 1 (New Year’s Day), January 6 (Feast of the Epiphany), March/April (Good Friday and Easter Monday), May 11 (May Day), May/June (Whit Monday) June 24 (Feast of St. John), August 15 (Feast of the Assumption), September 11 (National Day of Catalonia), September 24 (Feast of Our Lady of Mercy), October 12 (Spain’s National Day), November 1 (All Saints’ Day), December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), and December 25 (Christmas) and December 26 (Feast of St. Stephen).

If a holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, many people also take off the weekday in between creating an extra-long weekend. While this only really affects those doing business in the city, you should book hotels well ahead of time on these popular puentes (bridges).

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10.00-20.00

Joan Miró himself founded this building in Barcelona in 1975. The Fundació Joan Miró owns added than 11.000 pieces of his work; about 400 are apparent contemporarily in Barcelona and appearance his development as an artisan throughout added than 50 years.

Opening hours: Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat 10.00-19.00 (July-Sept until 20.00), Do 10.00-21.30 and Sun 10.00-14.30

Naturally, Barcelona FC is best acclaimed for its La Liga (League of Professional Football) team. It is additionally able-bodied accepted for the Barcelona B, its assets football team. The club additionally incorporates four added pro sports teams � it has broadcast into roller hockey, handball, basketball and calm football (futsal). These teams abrasion the aforementioned colors and are subsidised by the football section. Among them are FC Barcelona � Cifec and Winterthur FCB.

Football Club Barcelona was founded in 1899 by Joan Gamper. He was built-in in a Swiss canton, and called beach and dejected as the official aggregation colors because they were the colors of that canton. The club additionally includes several accomplished abecedarian sports teams aggressive at wheelchair basketball, women’s basketball, women’s football, and rugby.

Prior to 2005 Barca banned to affection advocacy logos on aggregation uniforms. The aggregation colors are believed to represent Catalonia and logos were advised intrusive. In 2005 the aggregation began to abrasion the logo of Catalonia TV. Recently the players accept beat a attribute of the Catalan banderole on their shorts, reinforcing the associations of the club with Catalonia.

At aboriginal the club alone had 11 players. In the years afterwards its founding it bound acquired a abundant acceptability on the Spanish football scene. The aggregation took allotment in the aboriginal Copa del Rey and the aboriginal Catalan Championship.

Joan Gamper became club admiral in 1908. He spent 25 years at the fore, accepting been appointed to this position assorted times in the club’s history. The club accustomed its own amphitheater during his tenure, which was his capital accomplishment as president. Barcelona had over 10 000 associates by 1922. Gamper active allegorical players like Josep Samitier and Ricardo Zamora. These players helped win the aboriginal Professional Alliance championship in 1929.

The club’s animosity with Real Madrid goes aback a continued way. This is hardly surprsing, as adamantine animosity generally advance amid the two best teams in a civic league. Ever back the alpha the clubs were believed to represent the two battling Spanish cities, Castile and Catalonia. The animosity accomplished a new akin during the absolutist administration of Franco. Real Madrid was admired as the administration team, while Barcelona was advised the action team.

2005 was a amazing year for Barca, with an arrival of new and accomplished football players like Deco, Eto’o, Giuly, and of advance Ronaldinho, who was voted Footballer of the Year. The aggregation additionally boasts a accumulation of accomplished professionals, such as Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rafael Márquez, and Henrik Larsson. Due to their accumulated efforts Barca won the Professional Alliance antagonism and the Supercup of Spain in 2005. 2006 has additionally started on a aerial agenda for the team. Barca won the UEFA Champions Alliance on May 17, 2006. This is their additional UEFA championship achievement in history (the added was in 1992). On May 3, 2006, Barcelona won their 18th La Liga title. They emerged as the ascendant champions of Spain.

The team’s above trophies accommodate four victories of the European Cup Winners Cup (1979, 1982, 1989, 1997), three victories of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1958, 1960, 1966), two victories of the European Super Cup (1992, 1997), and two Copa Latina victories (1949, 1952).

                    
Park de la Ciudadella                               Park de la Ciudadella

How to go: Metro: Line 1 (Arc de Triomf) and Line 4. (Barceloneta or Ciutadella).

Park Güell

How to go: Access: Buses 24, 25, 31, 32 and 74.