Flights to Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the world’s leading tourist culture centers and is bursting with attractions and iconic landmarks. Get ready to soak up the sunshine on a soft-sand beach and cycle around narrow lanes stopping at tapas bars as you go.

Fly with SAS to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport and you’ll be ready and raring to begin your holiday feeling relaxed and well rested.

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport

OCTOBER 2022

All the world wants to go to Barcelona! When the weather’s at its warmest, it can be nice to take a trip to one of the many small towns in Catalonia. Everywhere you go you can eat amazing food, do some shopping and simply enjoy life.

Girona

This city of around 86,000 inhabitants is located about 100km northeast of Barcelona. The pace is slower and there are fewer queues here than in Barcelona. Which makes it a more pleasant and comfortable experience. It’s only a short walk from the excellent restaurants to the great delicatessens. Girona is easy to reach by train from the station at Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona.

Michelin restaurant in Girona

El Celler de Can Roca

If you are looking for a little Catalan extravagance on your plate, El Celler de Can Roca, with its three Michelin stars, is the place for you. The restaurant has come out top of the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants twice now. Stars and fame notwithstanding, a meal at El Celler de Can Roca starts at €125.

Cadaqués

This white, well-kept town is located about a couple of hours’ drive north of Barcelona. It has a small beach, which isn’t particularly busy unless you come here in July and August when the whole of Barcelona seems to be on holiday in the town. Although only around 3,000 people live here, there’s no shortage of food and taste experiences on offer.

Small dishes to share

Compartir

Compartir is a restaurant that serves Catalan cuisine with an international flavor. Compartir means ‘to share’ and the restaurant naturally enough serves small dishes for you to share. It has been awarded a so-called Michelin Plate, which is a mark of good food.

Salvador Dalí Museum

Salvador Dalí House Portlligat

As you travel around Catalonia, you’ll quickly discover traces of the artist Salvador Dalí. He built a hut in Portlligat bay in Cadaqués in 1930, which later became a magnificent house where he often worked. Today the house is a museum. As you step across the threshold into his former home, you’ll be met by more visual surprises, just like when you look at his pictures.

Pals

The medieval town of Pals is home to nearly 2,500 people. The old part of the town, like many of the older villages in Catalonia, is situated atop a hill, Mont Aspre. This part of town is well preserved and there are extremely severe restrictions on development. From this height you can look out across the vast plains and rice fields.

Bib Gourmand for Vicus

Vicus

All this can make you hungry and if you visit the Vicus restaurant, which has been awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, you can enjoy their playful Catalan cuisine made using local produce. Rice is naturally on the menu.

Palafrugell and Llafranc

If you’re traveling with children, you’re sure to enjoy these small seaside resorts with their beautiful beaches. They’re not really separate places and you can easily walk from one to the other along the path that has been laid along the cliffs. Here the fragrant pines lean daringly out over the sea. There are plenty of small bars and restaurants along this strip.

Family hotel

Hotel Sant Roc

If you’re looking for a simple and affordable place to stay, where you can eat freshly caught seafood, you and your family can check in at Sant Roc, which is, well, right on the beach.

Luxury dining in Llafranc

Casamar

For a more luxury dining experience, you’ll find some fantastic restaurants here, of course, such as the Michelin-starred Casamar. It’s easiest to drive here, but there are also trains from Barcelona. The nearest station is Flaçà around 25km away. From there you need to take the bus.

Sitges

Sitges, with its 28,000 residents, has for several decades been a kind of center for the LGBTQ community in Spain. Here the parties last all night and if possible on until the next afternoon. There are cool stores on every corner, offering both big brands and more eclectic ranges. You’ll find everything here from vinyl records to fancy interior design boutiques. The city breathes culture and every year plays host to both a carnival and a theater and film festival. The religious celebration marking the feast of Corpus Christi, when the narrow streets are beautifully decorated with flowers, is well worth a look. The highlight is probably the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya which attracts filmmakers from all over the world. Sitges is used to welcoming visitors, so you’ll have no trouble finding hotels, boarding houses and restaurants. The Michelin inspectors have been generous with their Plates and their Bib Gourmands, but none of the city’s restaurants have yet been awarded a star. You can find some that have in Barcelona, though, just a half-hour train ride away.

NOVEMBER 2022

Thanks to its spectacular light shows at the Magic Fountain and infamous party atmosphere, Barcelona has emerged as one of Europe’s favorite New Year’s destinations.

Nothing sets the mood quite like a sky full of stars lit up in every color of the rainbow, and it’s hard to find a more spectacular light show than what you’ll find in Barcelona on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve on the Spanish “party riviera” is a celebration everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime.

But before we talk about the best places to celebrate the stroke of midnight, we should note a few important traditions to take into account: When you celebrate New Year’s or Cap d’Any in Catalonia, you need to have your grapes close at hand. When the clock strikes twelve, ringing in the new year, you must quickly crush twelve grapes – one for each time the church bells toll. According to the Spaniards, this is supposed to ensure a successful year. Then, place a ring or something golden in your champagne glass before you make a toast. This is supposed to guarantee prosperity in the coming year. Since the larger venues often prohibit glass containers, think about bringing along an alternative. Last but not least, if you wear red undergarments, it’s supposed to ensure a good love life.

Where should you celebrate?

Now, on to the most important question: where should you be at the stroke of midnight in Barcelona?

Font Magica de Montjuïc, or the Magic Fountain, close to the Plaça d’Espanya square, is one of the most popular places to be when the clock strikes twelve. This is where the city’s official New Year’s celebration is held, and each year, tens of thousands of local residents and tourists flock to the area (in 2019, there were around 100,000 visitors). The event is family-friendly and admission is free. Come here after enjoying a New Year’s Eve dinner at one of the local restaurants, but remember that you may want to book your table in advance. For early birds, live performances begin around 9:30 pm, and it often pays to arrive early to get a good seat.

The illuminated Magic Fountain, which was completed in 1929, is naturally the main attraction. Right before the stroke of midnight, the fountain and surrounding area erupt in a spectacular explosion of light and fireworks, accompanied by musical accompaniment from the stages. After the celebration, once the grapes have satiated your hunger, chart a beeline course for the nearest nightclub, for example the iconic Poble Espanyol, and dance in the new year. Also here, it’s advisable to book in advance. Placa Catalunya is another lively square where you can count on huge crowds, music, and fireworks. Since it’s not as well-organized as the Magic Fountain, almost anything goes here. Ditto for Las Ramblas, perhaps Barcelona’s most famous street, always a safe bet for anyone looking for huge crowds and lively parties on New Year’s. While it never gets truly cold in Barcelona in the wintertime, you should dress warmly if you plan to celebrate outside as the temperature can drop to around +5 degrees.

Celebrate the New Year a little more peacefully

Would you rather enjoy the Catalonian New Year’s Eve celebration from the peaceful confines of your hotel room? Book a room with a view of the 144-meter-high Torre Glòries (previously known as “Torre Agbar”), one of Barcelona’s most iconic landmarks. At night, the tower’s 4,000 LED diodes light up, creating a fantastic light show. Another safe alternative is to book a table in one of the city’s rooftop bars to enjoy an unbeatable view of the fireworks. If you’d like to celebrate your New Year’s the traditional Spanish way, there are numerous flamenco shows throughout the city. Palacio del Flamenco is one of the most popular places to celebrate New Year’s Eve with flamenco dancing and a tasty dinner. A cooler tradition is the so-called New Year’s Day dip. On this day, many Barcelona residents stroll down to Sant Sebastià Beach to get an invigorating start to the new year. Cheer in the new year with a brisk swim in the Mediterranean or just enjoy the daring spectacle.

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Barcelona moves to a Spanish rhythm that differs significantly from what many travelers are used to. Many traditional restaurants don’t open for lunch until 1:30 PM, and dinner is rarely served before 8:00 PM. If you try to find dinner at 6:00 PM, you will often find doors closed or be limited to "tourist menus." To eat like a local, enjoy some light tapas and a glass of vermouth around 7:00 PM to tide you over until a late dinner.

When staying at a hotel or tourist apartment in Barcelona, a mandatory tourist tax (IEET) applies. This is rarely included in flight or hotel packages and is typically paid directly on-site at check-in or check-out. The rate varies depending on the type of accommodation and the length of your stay, so keep this in mind for your travel budget as the fee is charged per person.