Beat the summer crowds with a spring holiday in Barcelona. From alfresco drinks on café terraces to Barcelona’s flower-filled parks and Easter street festivities, it’s the perfect season to book a Barcelona spring hotel.Spring in Barcelona is a riot of color in the green spaces that dot the city. Find fields of rockrose, heather and broom on the sunny slopes of Collserola Nature Park, located behind Mount Tibidabo north of the city, and enjoy the colorful flowers amid Gaudí’s weird and wonderful structures in Parc Güell. May is the perfect month to soak up the perfume of the 2000 species of roses that fill the spectacular Cervantes Rose Gardens in the city centre. Cervantes Rose Gardens, Av. Diagonal, 706, Barcelona.
Alfresco wining and dining are what spring holidays in Barcelona are all about, from rooftop bars in luxury hotels to chill-out terraces overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. An unusual spot is the Gothic-style garden behind the Boquería market in the Raval neighborhood, west of Las Ramblas. Here, in the shady courtyard of the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu is the El Jardí terrace and tapas bar. Tuck into a seasonal menu of delicious dishes like jamón (ham) de bellota and bacalao (salted cod) to the sounds of live jazz and local musicians.
The atmosphere of Holy Week, or Semana Santa, is irresistible in Barcelona’s neighborhoods. Watch colorful Easter parades in Barcelona’s city centre, in particular the procession outside Plaça Sant Agustí on Good Friday in the Raval neighborhood. Absorb the traditions of a huge Virgin Mary statue carried by members of religious brotherhoods and hooded penitents. Don’t miss sampling traditional Easter treats like torrijas, sugary fried bread, and monas de Pascua chocolate Easter cake. Savoury dishes include hornazo, a pork, egg and ham pie, and chickpeas with hard-boiled egg or spinach.
Bask in a temperate Mediterranean climate when you book your Barcelona spring hotel and enjoy an urban beach holiday. Take advantage of increasingly warm and sunny days on Barceloneta Beach, closest to the city centre, and enjoy the beach space without the summer crowds. Barcelona’s Blue Flag beaches stretch across to Forum and are family friendly, excluding the nudist beach of Mar Bella. Spring also marks the opening of Barcelona’s chiringuitos, beachside bars serving cocktails, coffees and light meals.
A spring holiday in Barcelona is the perfect time to sample the season’s finest Mediterranean cooking. As Barcelona’s beaches come to life, enjoy a tasty paella or fideuà, a traditional noodle seafood broth, at a seaside restaurant. Seasonal vegetables include fresh broad beans, wild asparagus and endive, a key ingredient in xató, a nutty sauce with vinegar, breadcrumbs and garlic, served with fish and endive salad. For the finest seasonal Catalan dishes, try the tapas bars El Quim de la Boquería and Pinotxo in the Boquería market on Las Ramblas.
