When it starts raining in Barcelona, you may have to sack off your original plans to avoid getting drenched - but don’t let some bad weather ruin your trip. There are plenty of ways to experience the Catalan capital from indoors. From beautiful museums, challenging escape rooms to Spanish tapas bars and cosy brunch spots, there are plenty of things to do in Barcelona if it rains. Want to avoid the rain altogether? The rainiest seasons in Barcelona tend to be from September to November with October being the city’s wettest month so try and avoid travelling to the city during autumn if you hate the rain.
Here are the best things to do in Barcelona when it rains (which actually isn’t that often)...
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Enjoy the local tapas bars
Long lunches are already a thing in Spain but make your long lunch extra long if it starts to pour down. You can spend hours and hours in Barcelona’s authentic tapas bars chatting away with friends and enjoying good food. The city is home to a lot of fantastic Spanish eateries with a cosy interior, flowing Cava and tasty Catalan dishes. And the best part is, a lot of the best ones are affordable. We recommend El Xampanyet in the Gothic Quarter, Can Paixano and Elisabets. But there are way more...
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Try and break out of an Escape Room
One of our favourite indoor activities in Barcelona has to be an Escape Room. Get your friends together and challenge yourselves to break out of one of the hardest escape rooms in the city. The great thing about escape rooms is that they take a couple of hours to complete (so you’ll be occupied for a while if a rainy thunderstorm hits). The highest rated ones include LOCK-CLOCK Escape room, Enigmik Escape Room, Maximum Escape 1, Bizarre Barcelona, BarceLocked and Roomin Escape. Any of these will be an amazing experience!
Brunch at Flax & Kale
If it rains from the morning through to the afternoon, an indoor brunch is always a good idea! Dine in Flax & Kale for one of the tastiest (and prettiest) brunches you’ll eat in Barcelona. This place is awesome because it’s vegetarian and vegan friendly. Serving up raw juices, Mexican-inspired brunches, loaded pancakes, avocados on toast and big, healthy salads, this place makes fresh, organic food even tastier than you can imagine. We love how even in the rain, eating at Flax & Kale feels like it’s always summer with a bright, airy interior. The flagship restaurant is in Tallers but there are also three other branches in Barcelona too.
See sharks at the Barcelona Aquarium
The Barcelona Aquarium is always a good idea - even if it’s not raining. Located on the Port Vell harbour, this amazing aquarium houses different exhibits that will fascinate you. From seeing sharks up close and personal to clownfish, seahorses and swimming penguins, the Barcelona Aquarium is well-worth a visit for sea life lovers. You can even swim with the sharks on a scuba diving adventure through the tank. Entry to the aquarium is €21.
Socialise with other backpackers in Belushi’s
Avoid going out altogether and stay in the hostel bar where you can drink, make friends, watch sports and listen to good music. Belushi’s is the hostel bar at St Christopher’s Inns located on Las Ramblas and it’s the perfect place to sit back, relax, and enjoy some BBQ wings. There’s always a party going on at Belushi’s so you’ll find it hard to leave once you get inside. And we’re not surprised since the Happy hour runs from 5pm - 11pm every day! Belushi’s also screens the latest live sports from around the world.
Explore the museums
When the heavens open, it’s the perfect excuse to explore some of Barcelona’s best museums and coolest attractions. From the Picasso Museum (pictured), the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Casa Mila and the Museum of Contemporary Art, there are loads to choose from. The queues might be long for Barcelona’s museums during a rainy spell so we recommend buying a skip-the-line ticket.
Pamper yourself at an ancient Roman spa
If there’s anything that can make you forget about some gloomy weather, it’s a spa day! Escape the rain and find sanctuary at one of Barcelona’s ancient spas. Aire spa is one of the coolest ones in the city inspired by traditional baths from ancient Roman, Greek and Ottoman civilizations. Located next to El Born market, if you want to really relax and pamper yourself, then Aire is a really cool spa experience. If you’re really experimental, you can even try a wine bath! At Aire, you can also enjoy massages and a full tour of the baths.
Go shopping
Barcelona is known for its fantastic shopping opportunities. If the rain starts pouring down in the middle of the day, retreat from the streets into one of the high street shops and embrace the city’s affordable shopping scene. There are plenty of cool stores to explore in the area around Placa Catalunya and Las Ramblas. Think Bershka, Zara, Sephora, MAC, Mango, Pull & Bear, Topshop, Levis, Foot Locker and more. The Zara in Placa Catalunya is the flagship store and it’s one of the biggest Zara stores in the world. It’s 3,600 square meters and extends over three floors!
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