Barcelona in November is a perfect time to visit. Fewer crowds mean that tables at the best restaurants are easier to find, and lines are shorter at popular attractions. It also means mild weather, delicious fall produce, long walks on golden beaches, plus the chance to shop and gallery hop around the city.
Here’s everything you need to know about November in Barcelona.
Fewer Crowds
Gothic Quarter
Such is Barcelona’s popularity during peak season that crowds are unavoidable at top attractions, food markets, and the city’s beaches. That’s what makes Barcelona in November a fantastic idea. Summer’s crowds have dispersed, so there is more space for browsing shops, parks, and museums.
You’ll find getting around, securing a coveted table at a top restaurant, and admiring the city’s breadth of art and architecture far more enjoyable. If there’s a restaurant you’re eager to try or a museum you’ve been desperate to visit, it’s still worth getting organized and booking your table or ticket in advance, however.
Mild Weather
Plaça de Catalunya
Pack your sunglasses for a November jaunt to Barcelona, which sees about five hours of sunshine per day. The weather at this time of year is pleasantly mild, often with sunny afternoons. You’ll find mornings and evenings cool, with cloudy intervals, and some rain showers, too.
The sea temperature is around 63°F, so unless you’ve packed a wetsuit to swim in, it’s probably too chilly for a sea swim. The air temperature is about the same and perfect for strolling the city’s storied streets, and even dining al fresco on warmer November days. As you might expect, early November is likely to be warmer than late November, with the chillier days dipping to around 52°F.
Plaça de Catalunya
You’ll want to pack layers. Jeans and slacks, T-shirts, linen shirts, and sweaters will be useful. You will need a jacket, a blazer, or a rain jacket for the wetter days. Pack comfortable walking shoes and a stylish day bag that you can wear across your body. A waterproof jacket will likely come in handy, too.
It’s worth checking Barcelona’s weather forecast the week before your trip to help guide your vacation wardrobe—that way, you will be prepared for unseasonably warm or wet weather.
Read: What to Wear in Spain
Wonderful Museums
Museu Picasso
Barcelona is home to world-class museums and, with fewer crowds and cooler weather, November is a great time to explore them. Many of Barcelona’s central neighborhoods are home to clusters of museums, so you can easily go from one to the next in the space of a couple of hours.
If your interest lies in modern art, stick to trendy El Born. Here, you can tick off the Moco Museum Barcelona, the European Museum of Modern Art, and Museu Picasso, where visitors can work through a 4,000-strong collection of the Spanish artist’s works, all in one day.
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, in the Raval neighborhood, hosts exhibitions, festivals, concerts, films, and talks that put Barcelona front and center. Another favorite, also in Raval, is the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, which explores the work of 20th- and 21st-century artists.
Not to be outdone, the Fundació Joan Miró is set in a spectacular building with an outdoor sculpture park. Browse Miró’s abstract paintings, sculptures, and ceramics, set in lofty Montjuïc Hill.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
Close by is the outstanding Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. Soak up one of the best views in Barcelona from the top of the steps leading up to the museum’s main entrance.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya is divided into several zones that cover everything from the 12th to the 20th centuries. You could easily lose a few hours here, admiring the views and the artwork, before strolling the leafy gardens surrounding the museum.
Go Shopping
Gothic Quarter
With the weather cooling as Spain heads toward winter, November in Barcelona presents the perfect time to go shopping. From iconic department stores to gourmet shops and independent designers, Barcelona is a thrilling destination for shoppers.
Les Topettes is a wonderful perfumery in El Raval. La Manual Alpargatera is the place for stylish espadrilles in the Gothic Quarter, and Llibreria Finestres is an exquisite bookshop in L’Eixample.
Passeig de Gràcia
Passeig de Gràcia, known as Barcelona’s Golden Mile, between Plaza de Catalunya and Calle Mayor de Gràcia, is the neighborhood for exclusive designer fashion, including Sandro, Dior, Versace, and Prada. You’ll also get the chance to see some of the famous architecture Barcelona is known for, such as Casa Batlló and Casa Lleó Morera, as you shop on Paseo de Gràcia.
Close by, in Plaza de Catalunya, lies the city’s largest El Corte Inglés department store. Portal de l’Àngel is lined with pretty, balconied buildings filled with high-street brands. If you’re on the hunt for vintage, El Raval has great options, while the enchanting Gothic Quarter and El Born, the oldest neighborhoods in Barcelona, offer traditional, artisan, and antique finds.
Gaudí Architecture
Casa Milà
Seeing Antoni Gaudí’s architecture in Barcelona—especially if it’s your first time—is a spine-tingling experience. The architect’s buildings and monuments around the city, including Casa Batlló, Palau Güell, Park Güell, and Casa Milà, are world famous.
The most notable, however, is the extraordinary Gothic and Art Nouveau Sagrada Familia in the L’Eixample district, part of the city’s collection of Gaudí works listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sagrada Familia
With fewer travelers heading to Barcelona in November, this is the best time to admire the city’s most-visited attraction. Despite still being under construction, the skyline-defining Sagrada Familia is an incredible sight to witness.
Pick up an audio guide and marvel at the basilica’s eye-popping structure, from the crypt beneath the apse where Gaudí is entombed to the glorious façades of the 18 soaring towers and five naves. It’s worth pre-booking tickets online to see the Sagrada Familia, as even in November, you can still expect crowds at peak times.
Soccer Fever
Camp Nou
Soccer is a huge part of Spanish culture and is as popular here as American football is in the United States. Spain’s equivalent of the NFL is La Liga—which grips the country between August and May—with F.C. Barcelona, also known as Barça, often dominating the league table.
If you’re a soccer fan, pay a visit to the team’s stadium, Camp Nou, the club’s home since 1957. This epic stadium will soon reopen following a massive renovation project that will see the capacity increase from 99,354 to 105,000. Until then, fans can continue to visit the Barça Museum to learn about the club’s history, see trophies, and read stories about the club’s past and present players.
For an extra special experience, book a helicopter flight for a bird’s-eye view of Camp Nou, the club’s temporary ground—the city’s former Olympic stadium—plus the Sagrada Família and Torre Glòries skyscraper.
Rich Fall Produce
La Boqueria
The sweet, nutty scent of chestnuts, called castanyada in Catalonia, fills the air in Barcelona in November. While these edible nuts are harvested at the end of October, the season really begins around All Saints’ Day, on November 1, with the tradition of eating roasted chestnuts continuing through winter. Take a break on La Rambla or near the seafront to stop by a vendor and enjoy this delicious snack.
Chestnuts aren’t the only produce on offer in November in Barcelona. Many varieties of mushrooms are in season, including rovellons, ceps, and chanterelles, available at markets such as La Boqueria on La Rambla and Mercat de Sant Antoni in L’Eixample.
Colmado Murria Photo by Thomas Ledl on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Spain’s truffle season begins around this time of year, with black truffles in season through winter and found on menus and in gourmet food stores. Colmado Murria in L’Eixample is the place to go for some of the most decadent produce, including artisan cheeses, smoked sausages, caviar, conserves, olive oils, and wines.
Look for tender calçots—similar to green onions, also known as scallions or spring onions—at markets and on menus in November. Calçots are harvested in Valls, a city near Tarragona in Catalonia, and are delicious chargrilled, served drizzled in a rich romesco sauce.
Also in season are sweet potatoes and panellets, almond-based sweets, which arrive in the run-up to the holiday season.
La Boqueria
Food markets offer the best window to local produce. You could join a cooking class at the famous La Boquería and perfect a pan con tomate—a rustic Catalan dish made with tomatoes, bread, garlic, and olive oil—or browse some of the city’s other top markets.
Relaxed Beaches
Beach in Barcelona
Within the city limits, Barcelona’s beaches stretch for 2.6 miles, with miles more extending beyond the city.
November is perfect timing for a stroll on the city’s best sands. You could walk the entire stretch, starting from Platja de Sant Sebastià, one of the most central, and ending at Llevant Beach, taking in marinas and markets as you walk between the shore and the palm-lined promenade.
Barcelona’s best beaches run parallel to many of the city’s most historic and fashionable neighborhoods, meaning you can combine art, culture, and shopping with a little beach time.
Platja de la Barceloneta
Barceloneta, the city’s former fishing village, has Platja de la Barceloneta; Somorrostro Beach is beside Ciutadella Park; and hip El Poblenou has Platja de la Mar Bella.
Scenic Hikes
View from Montjuic
Once summer’s heat fades, it’s time to dust off your walking boots because November in Barcelona offers an abundance of scenic hiking trails.
Combine culture with outdoor fun on a trip to Montjuic Mountain, which looms over the city. It’s home to Barcelona’s Olympic stadium, several museums, and tranquil gardens. If you start at the Columbus Monument, the walk takes around 35 minutes each way, depending on your pace.
Walk uphill on Carrer del Roser to take in the wonderful vistas from Parc de la Primavera. From there, you could continue to the Teatre Grec, an open-air theater, or treat yourself to tasty tapas at Salts Montjuïc while soaking in more dreamy skyline views.
Park Güell
Park Güell, the city’s whimsical green space designed by Antoni Gaudí, is a top spot for a breezy November hike. Located next to the Serra de Collserola mountain range—another area with heart-racing hikes—Park Güell is home to 42 acres of trails and fairytale buildings, including Gaudí’s former home.
Montserrat
Or head to Montserrat, a 45-minute drive north of Barcelona and home to serrated limestone peaks and a Benedictine Monastery with a sacred shrine of the Black Madonna. There are cable cars, but if you’re feeling sprightly, you can discover the sensational views on foot. There are several signposted hikes available, including the 50-minute Degotalls walk and the two-hour Hermitages Path.
Gothic Quarter
If you’re looking for your next late-fall getaway, Barcelona has it all—art, culture, beaches, and gastronomy. Search Celebrity’s cruises to Barcelona and book your next European getaway today.
