Weather in Barcelona: info and advice for travelling all year round

Barcelona enjoys a Mediterranean climate and hot sun all year round, weather and temperatures are generally pleasant. Whether you’re a cold-blooded lover of warm climates or you fear the heat, you can always find a time of year when Barcelona is right for you.

Information on Barcelona’s weather

Average daily and nightly temperatures in Barcelona

Temperatures in Barcelona are usually balmy. They vary on average between 5º and 21º at night and 13º and 30º during the day.

Precipitation in Barcelona

Humidity in Barcelona

Hours of sunlight in Barcelona

In Barcelona there are 2513 hours of sunlight per year, which is a lot compared to, for example, Birmingham (1395 hours), Brussels (1504 hours), London (1573 hours), Amsterdam (1580 hours) or Paris (1779 hours) .

Plan your trip to Barcelona: If you need heat go in the middle of Summer.

July and August are generally the hottest months of the year in Barcelona. Average temperatures are between 29 and 30ºC during the day.

• July is often very sunny.
• In August, the heat is more humid and sometimes difficult to handle.

If you like a lot of heat, you will be very happy. Otherwise, it’s best to choose another time of year for your trip.

Advice for a Barcelona Summer

• Protect yourself with a high factor sun screen. The sun burns quickly in Summer.
• Wear good quality sunglasses. The light is very bright and can be irritating.
• Drink water to avoid getting dehydrated.
• Stay in the shade between 11am and 4pm, as this is the hottest time of the day.
• Use the metro to get across the city – it’s cooler underground.
• Make sure, before booking your accommodation, that it is air-conditioned or has fans. The heat can be stifling at night, especially in August.

• Don’t go for long walks between 11am and 4pm at this time of year.
• Whether on the beach or elsewhere, avoid long exposure to the sun during the hottest hours of the day.

For milder weather, travel in Spring

• April, May, June, September, and October have an average daily temperature between 15 and 25ºC and it can get as low as 9ºC at night. The days can be hot and sunny but some years the weather can be unpredictable with a chance of rain.
• In September and the beginning of October, the sea is still warm and the temperatures are high but it’s much more bearable than in August.

Weather advice for the change in seasons

• Equip yourself with sun screen and sunglasses. The temperatures are high and the sun is still very bright during these periods.
• Don’t forget to put a swimsuit, an umbrella and a raincoat in your case. You will undoubtedly have nice days but there could also be bad ones. The weather is very unstable at this time of year.

For cooler weather: travel at the end of Autumn or during Winter.

November, December, January, February and March are the coldest months in Barcelona. During the Winter the temperatures can be quite cool, especially at night where they can get as low as 5ºC. During the day it ranges on average between 13 and 15º. The Winter sky in Barcelona is often clear blue.

Of course it can rain, and exceptionally it can even snow, as was the case on the 8th of March 2010, when 30cm of snow fell on Barcelona. Naturally this was a big surprise to everyone and disrupted the city quite a bit for a few days but this type of thing rarely happens in the Mediterranean city.

Winter weather advice

Winter in Barcelona is generally quite cool even if during the day the temperatures don’t go below 13 degrees on average.

• Bring warm clothes, a raincoat and an umbrella when going out on a cloudy day.
• Also bring lighter clothes and even perhaps a swimsuit. There is a strong chance of blue skies and you may even want to sunbathe on the beach.
• Finally, before booking your accommodation, make sure it is heated. The nights can be quite cool at this time of year.

The sun is very pleasant and comes out often in Winter in the Catalan capital, as you can see from this photo taken on a Sunday morning at the beginning of December.