You look outside and all that you can see is rain. Apartment is lovely, but you don’t want to spend your holidays checking email? You have already brought your swimwear to lie down on the beach or go for a swim. But don’t worry Barcelona has more to offer than beaches and the boulevards. There are a lot of things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day!
We all seek to make every minute of our trip to count. Popular saying says “there is no bad weather only wrong cloths”. Even if you haven’t packed for a rainy day you can find numerous things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day. Choosing from sightseeing, sports or relaxation while watching a movie to shopping for gifts or having a delicious dinner in one of many Barcelona’s restaurants.
Here are 10 trip-saving tips for things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day (and/or cloudy days).
1. Take a tour guide through Barcelona
Bus tours can be not only informative but also fun and warm. When you take a tour with the bus you will have an audio guide in your language. You can chose 3 routes, the blue one, the red one or the green one. The choice depends on what things you want to see in Barcelona. Bus tours gives you best overview of most famous places with no need of walking!
If you choose to go on the blue line you can see such places as Plaza Catalunya and MACBA – museum of contemporary arts, the Passeig de Gràcia, Sagrada Família, Gràcia, Park Güell, the Tibidabo, Pedralbes and the FC Barcelona stadium.
When you take the red route you will go from Plaça Catalunya to the Parc de la Ciutadella, passing through Passeig de Gràcia, Diagonal, Estació de Sants, Montjuïc and Port Vell.
And finally if you decide to try the green route you will go from Port Olímpic to Poblenou passing through the Fòrum and enjoying the best views of the city’s beaches. IMPORTANT: The green route works from the end of March to November.
2. See art treasures in Barcelona’s museums
Another choice of things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day could be art hunting. This city became home for number of most famous art works. Many artists fell in love with the city and it’s dynamic. At museums you can enjoy captured moments of artists time in the city.
- Picasso museum
In this museum you will find a lot of work of the famous artist Picasso. Guided tours are also possible at “Museu Picasso”. This museum is one of most popular ones in the city, for this reason we advise you to buy a ticket online. This way you will avoid long lines at ticket sales.
- Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC)
Try your art taste limits at MNAC. This museum is relatively new on the scene, opened in 1995. The site hosts musical programs as well as edgy exhibits. You can also see an eclectic mix of themed exhibits focused on specific niches. Online reviewers note that the pieces in the museum’s exhibits generally are well explained.
- FC Barcelona
This museum is all about interaction with the football club’s fans. No fact is too obscure to note and highlight in the exhibits. If you love Barca’s winning history, you will be in heaven at this museum. Touch screens abound you to explore victories, statistics, past presidents and more.
- Egyptian museum
Not only can you see a world-class collection of Egyptian artifacts, but you can also take part in courses and cultural activities organized by the museum to learn more about what you see and Egypt’s history. Join the museum’s “El Club” for exclusive offers.
TIP: Not everything at the museum is translated into English, so you may want to take a friend who can read Catalan for translations.
- Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona (CCCB)
This site is the city’s popular exhibition and art center. The center’s detailed website has extensive lists of upcoming exhibits, lectures, music performances and information about its far-reaching archives. The exhibits offer translations in many languages.
3. Enjoy peace in aquarium of Barcelona
Aquarium Barcelona is an aquarium located in Port Vell, a harbor in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The 35 aquariums at the facility are home to 11,000 animals representing 450 species, and a 80 meter (260 ft) underwater tunnel. The Aquarium of Barcelona is part of the Aspro Group.
Are looking for more unique things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day? Feel the thrill in Barcelona’s aquarium. You have an opportunity to go shark cage diving, diving with sharks and sleeping with sharks. No need to mention that they provide required training before these activities.
You have all types of aquariums at Aquarium Barcelona: The Oceanarium, a Mediterranean,tropical, themed aquariums.
A overarching aquarium where you can walk underneath all the beautiful fish. The Oceanarium contains almost 4 million liters of water and has a wide diversity of fish species like, moray eels, ocean sunfish, rays and two types of shark: the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) and the sandbar shark .
In Mediterranean aquariums , you can learn about the most characteristic species. You will also be able to observe two recreations of protected areas on Spain’s coastline: the “Ebro Delta” and the “Medes Islands” tropical aquariums. “L’Aquàrium de Barcelona” boasts 7 aquariums where you can see coral reef.
4. Go to the cinema
Besides being one of the first locations for new movies releases Barcelona cinema show movies mostly in Spanish or Catalan languages, which gives you great opportunity to practice your Spanish language skills. You also have VO (which stands for version original cinemas) that show movies in the original language. In Barcelona you have the Renoir – Florida Blanca. VO cinemas in “Eixample” district of Barcelona. In this cinema they screen movies in their original language with Spanish subtitles. Central location. Four screens. Program favors cultural movies rather than action. If you speak Spanish, you can try regular cinemas too.
5. Go to a spa
If you had enough of all the culture. You can give yourself some rest in one of many spas that are located all over Barcelona. You have all kind of spas where you can relax and have a great massage, enjoy the hot air in a sauna or have a beauty treatment and get your strength back. Weekend vacation in a spa and in a nice apartment is a great gift, if you are looking for an apartment close to your favorite spa don´t hesitate to contact us.
6. Get unique food and drinks experience by eating out
Barcelona could easily be called city that never sleeps. But what to do in Barcelona when it rains? There is a variety of activities for any time and any taste. From most common and traditional Wine tasting challenge or Chocolate tasting and Chocolate tour to more unusual food experiences for example chocolate massages could be great couple experience for romantic weekend in Barcelona.
For those who love spanish food and drinks Barcelona offers spanish food classes. Learn how to mix real Spanish “Sangria”, prepare “Paella” or other Spanish signature dishes.
You can get even more interesting food experiences if you are willing to go for adventurous dinner or a drink. Barcelona offers you a dinner in complete dark at “Dans le Noir”! Not as in typical restaurant here you will be brought to dining area in a group lead by blind waiters and present with dinner in complete dark. The restaurant gives completely new point of view to dining, food and taste. If you are not afraid of a little chill even on a rainy day Barcelona’s Ice Bar invites you for a drink. Located right next to the beach bar is a great hideout from hot summers of Barcelona or unexpected rain.
7. The Barcelona Body Flying Experience or indoor sports
If you feel treated generously by Barcelonas food and drinks industry you may feel wish for some activities, for example sports. Barcelona has a wide selection of indoor sports. Depending on your budget you can go for Ice skating at The Ice Rink “FC Barcelona”, “Barcelona Ice Rink Skating Club”. Swimming in indoor swimming pools would be another solution. Such swimming pools as “Club Natació Barcelona”, “Club Natació-Atlètic-Barceloneta” or “Piscines Picornell” are great places to spend a rainy day. If you want feel the pleasure of swimming in an outdoor pool, you should try most famous Olympic swimming pool in Barcelona. Swimming pool with overview to Barcelona city is not only work place for such world class swimmers as Jose -Murillo, but also for musicians such as Kylie Minogue. The artist used this swimming pool as her music video set for song “Slow”.
What to do in Barcelona on a rainy day when you don’t feel like getting chilly or wet? You can consider playing a game of indoor tennis. Barcelona is full of indoor and outdoor tennis courts. You might want to check out “Accentennis Cornellà”tennis courts and wellness club.
Go karts is another great activity even on a rainy day. You can enjoy indoor karting with your family or friends at “Indoor Karting Barcelona” or “Gene Karting”.
If you are looking for unique experience, but are limited by weather you can try “Body flying” experience in Barcelona. It’s a simulator build to experience the feeling of falling from in 4000 meters. Before free-fall you will be given a full briefing about safety with the techniques on how to float and fly in the specially built air tank.
8. Enjoy Spanish flamenco show or classes
For dance lovers perfect choice of things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day could be Flamenco. It is a form of Spanish folk music and dance from the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. Spain has deep traditions in Flamenco culture and Barcelona offers number of ways how to know them. If you are interested to learn about Spanish dance traditions you can enroll to Flamenco classes. If you will get tired of dancing – dine and enjoy Flamenco show at “Tablao Cordobes” or right next to Pablo Picasso museum at Restaurant “Nervion”, also at “Opera & Flamenco”.
9. Discover secret Barcelona
Being one of the oldest metropolitan cities Barcelona have places hidden or unmentioned to typical holiday tourist. But if you are looking for an unusual tour Barcelona will reveal it’s secret treasures. One of them is a hidden “Kowasa Gallery”. Gallery is situated above “Kowasa bookstore”. Photography enthusiasts might find “Kowasa” as photography treasure as bookshop is all and only about photography.
“EL Refugi 307” is another visited place if you are interested in less usual sights of Barcelona. “EL Refugi 307” was a bomb shelter built during the civil war. There are a lot of secret tunnels and bomb shelters under Barcelona city, but “EL Refugi 307” survived years of change the best and is now open for tourists to visit. Bomb shelter is located between the old town and “Montjüic”, in the neighborhood known as “Poble Sec”.
Barcelona offers attractions for every taste. Like any other old city Barcelona has it’s dark past. Horror lovers can take a tour of haunted places of Barcelona. “Ghost tour of Barcelona” involves indoor and outdoor locations and leaded buy guides you can be introduced to parts of Barcelona with the darkest past.
10. Shopping
Rainy day after-all could be a great time to go gift shopping for your loved ones at home. Barcelona is known as fashion capital, so if you are looking to renew your wardrobe with newest designers item Barcelona’s shopping malls are perfect for it.
“Illa” is a shopping center located on the famous Diagonal Avenue.
“MareMagnum” shopping mall is perfect Sunday or holiday shopping.
“Diagonal Mar” is the biggest mall of Barcelona. It contains a cinema, a post office, renting cars agencies and more services. Also free WiFi connection is available on the 3rd floor.
“Las Arenas” shopping center has a shape of an arena and is very interesting considering architecture of building. Shopping mall is situated in “Plaça d’Espanya”, close to beautiful area of “Montjuic”.
“Corte Ingles” in “Plaça Catalunya” district is one of the best known shopping malls by foreigners. Shopping mall has unique set up. It doesn’t contain separate shops and is only divided in sections per floors.
Barcelona is a city full of possibilities for any weather, any mood or any taste. You can always find things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day. Enjoy – Barcelona Apartments are located next to most activities, so you won’t make your feet wet. If you feel a little uninspired give another look to our blog or visit our website for more suggestions and have a nice time in Barcelona! So, now that you have got those 10 trip-saving tips for things to do in Barcelona on a rainy day, go out there and have some fun!