Although often considered a sunny destination, Barcelona sees a fair amount of rainfall during the autumn and winter months. To ensure rain doesn’t ruin your trip, we’ve listed the top 5 Barcelona rainy day activities you don’t need to pre-book.
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Barcelona Rainy Day Activities
Find our top 5 Barcelona rainy day activity recommendations below!
1. Barcelona Cathedral
Tucked away in the city’s Gothic Quarter is Barcelona Cathedral. Barcelona Cathedral is a masterpiece in its own right. Although, it is often overlooked in favor of Gaudí’s Sagrada Família.
The cathedral was constructed in the traditional gothic style between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. Its soaring arches and striking columns give it a grand and imposing feel.
There is a modest entry fee of €7* per person, with the option of paying an additional €4* for the audio guide. If you’re stuck inside due to the rain the audio guide is a worthwhile investment. You can select either a 60-minute or 90-minute guide depending on how long you are planning on visiting.
2. The Chocolate Museum
Museu de la Xocolata or The Chocolate Museum is a great place to spend an hour or so on a rainy day. You are overwhelmed by the irresistible smell of chocolate as soon as you walk in the door.
This fun and informative museum gives a guided history of chocolate via videos, which are available in a number of languages. Alongside the interactive guide are cases displaying sculptures made completely out of chocolate. You’ll recognize some of the famous characters they have on show!
After viewing the exhibitions, you can pick up a sweet treat in the museum shop. Better yet, you can even eat your ticket once you are done! For the entry price of €6* per person, you not only get entry to the museum, but a mini chocolate bar acts as your ticket!
3. El Corte Inglés
If you want to use a rainy day as an excuse for some retail therapy, look no further than El Corte Inglés. This large department store is located in Plaça de Catalunya, so it is pretty central and has easy metro access.
El Corte Inglés has goods spread over 10 floors, plus a restaurant and café. You can easily pass a good portion of a rainy day browsing everything from clothing and accessories to beauty products and souvenirs.
4. Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum is hidden in the maze of the Gothic Quarter. Featuring an expansive collection of works by the artist, the Museu Picasso has 16 galleries dedicated to Picasso’s works.
The collection spans Picasso’s lifetime. Some of the earliest pieces date from his teenage years, right through his career. It is a diverse mix of styles including mediums such as sculpture and ceramics. It really highlights the versatility of Picasso’s skill.
You can purchase tickets on the door for €12* for the collection, or €14* for the collection and temporary exhibition. If booked in advance these are slightly cheaper. There is also the option to include an audio tour for an extra €5* per person.
The audio tour takes between 60-90 minutes depending on how long you spend admiring the artwork. It is easy to operate and gives great additional detail into some of the artist’s more famous pieces. The additional cost is definitely a worthwhile investment.
5. Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya is located in the stately Palau Nacional, which was built in 1929.
The gallery holds one of the most important medieval art collections in the world. There are enough galleries to pass a whole day here. You must see the Romanesque and Gothic collections on your visit at the least.
Admission to the gallery is €12* per person. There is also the option to include an audio guide at an additional cost of €3.50*. The audio guide provides a comprehensive overview of the collections and key pieces of art.
What are your favorite Barcelona rainy day activities?
So these are our top 5 rainy day activities in Barcelona. What are your favorite Barcelona rainy day activities?
If you’re looking for some other ideas for your Barcelona trip, why not check out our 3-day itinerary?
Did you like our recommended Barcelona rainy day activities? You can follow Get Lost on Pinterest for more city guides!
*Prices as of November 2019
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Hello, I’m Hannah! I’m a writer and photographer who loves experiencing the wonders of Yorkshire. My guides will help you escape from your daily routine by showing you that you don’t have to go far to find an adventure.
Awesome post! They all sound like amazing options. The chocolate factory, cathedral, and Picasso museum definitely stand out to me!
We’re glad you like it! We found the chocolate museum completely by chance when we were sheltering from the rain…it was the best unexpected discovery!
Rain doesn’t stop a traveler for an adventure. Actually, it makes the journey more meaningful.
It really does! It lead us to the best-unexpected discoveries!
Such a helpful blog post! I hate being somewhere where you planned all these outside activities and then the weather doesn’t play along. Won’t happen to me in Barcelona thanks to this blog post!
Katja | Tanlines & Tempeh | http://tanlinesandtempeh.com/
We’re glad you found the post useful! It is frustrating when plans and the weather don’t align. It did lead us to find these fantastic attractions instead though! We hope you get an opportunity to visit them (with or without the rain!)
Such a cool idea! Is that a BB-8 made of chocolate?!
It is indeed! Isn’t it impressive? They have some fantastic sculptures made completely out of chocolate!
Oh the Barcelona Cathedral looks beautiful!! I would LOVE to visit Spain one day!
The Cathedral is stunning. The audio tour is fantastic there too. We hope you get to visit it one day soon!
I can’t wait to visit Barcelona! I really want to see the Barcelona Cathedral and visit the Picasso Museum for sure. Such a great list to have handy if it’s a rainy day.
Barcelona is a fantastic city with so much to see and do! We hope you get to visit soon! If you’re in need of other ideas for your trip we also have a 3-day itinerary here – https://getlost.blog/barcelona-itinerary/
Great post! I tend to end up in Barcelona on work trips and always end up indoors when it rains. I’m looking forward to visiting these places! So far I’ve only seen them from the outside.
What a fantastic place to travel to for work! We hope you get an opportunity to try them out soon!
Good to see that rain don’t have to stop the adventure. The chocolate factory looks so good yummie! Thanks for sharing this post.
Yes, we had a fantastic day despite the rain! In fact, we would definitely have never found the chocolate museum if we hadn’t needed somewhere to shelter! We’re glad you like the post!