Christmas in Barcelona as an Expat: What Is Open, Where to Eat and a Christmas Getaway One Hour North
Christmas in Barcelona can feel strange the first time you spend it as an expat. The city is beautiful in December, but your Spanish and Catalan friends disappear into long family lunches, flights home are expensive, and your flat suddenly feels very small. 🎄
This guide is for everyone spending Christmas in Barcelona away from home: which days are holidays, what stays open, how to find a Christmas dinner, and how to swap the city for a countryside Christmas with other people who also want good food, good company and nobody doing the washing up.
Christmas holidays in Barcelona: the dates that matter
8 December: La Puríssima, a public holiday.
24 December: a normal working day. Shops close early in the afternoon and the evening belongs to families.
25 December: Christmas Day, public holiday. Almost everything is closed.
26 December: Sant Esteve, a second public holiday that only Catalonia (and a few other regions) celebrates.
31 December and 1 January: New Year, with 1 January a public holiday.
6 January: Reis, the Three Kings, a public holiday and the big gift day for many Spanish families.
New to the local customs? The guide to Catalan Christmas traditions explains the Caga Tió, the caganer and why 26 December is a holiday.
What is open in Barcelona at Christmas?
On 25 and 26 December most shops and many restaurants close, and public transport runs a reduced timetable. Museums and attractions often shorten their hours or close on Christmas Day. Supermarkets close too, so do your shopping on the 23rd or the morning of the 24th. Restaurants that do open on Christmas Day tend to offer set menus and fill up early.
Where to have Christmas dinner in Barcelona
Many hotels and restaurants in Barcelona offer a Christmas Eve dinner or a Christmas Day lunch menu, often with the Catalan classics: escudella i carn d'olla, roast meat, neules and cava. Book by early December. Expat groups also organise "orphan Christmas" dinners for those far from home, a good way to meet people.
Things to do in Barcelona at Christmas
Fira de Santa Llúcia: Barcelona's oldest Christmas market, in front of the Cathedral until 23 December. See the guide to Christmas markets in Barcelona.
The Christmas lights: walk from Passeig de Gràcia down through the Eixample in the early evening.
Nativity scenes: the large pessebre in Plaça Sant Jaume, with a caganer hidden somewhere in it.
A winter sea swim: groups of brave locals go into the sea on Christmas morning and New Year's Day.
A day trip: Girona is 38 minutes away by high speed train, with its own Christmas market and the coloured houses along the Onyar.
A countryside Christmas: the getaway from Barcelona
For many expats the best Christmas in Catalonia is the one outside the city. Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí is a boutique hotel in a restored 1789 watermill in the Llémena valley, about an hour and a half from Barcelona and half an hour from Girona. With fifteen rooms, the Christmas weekend stays small and personal: guests share long dinners, walk together on Christmas morning and end up feeling a bit like an extended family.
What the Christmas package includes
Two nights from 24 to 26 December, with breakfast every morning.
A five course dinner on Christmas Eve, with live music.
A Christmas Day walk through the valley with the hotel team.
Afternoon tea and a five course dinner on Christmas Day.
Live music all weekend.
Three night option: add a Sant Esteve brunch and an optional group ride.
Price: from €948 per room for two people for two nights (€474 per person in a Standard room); three nights from €1,202 per room; one person from €649. Wine and other drinks are not included. Book on the Christmas page of Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí.
EN: A balcony doorway framed with a Christmas garland and fairy lights, overlooking the misty forest. CA: Una porta de balcó amb garlanda de Nadal i llums, amb vistes al bosc entre la boira. ES: Una puerta de balcón con guirnalda navideña y luces, con vistas al bosque entre la niebla.
Why expats like it
Everyone speaks English. The team guarantees English, Spanish and Catalan.
No cooking, no shopping, no washing up. Everything from breakfast to the Christmas dinners is taken care of.
Dogs are welcome, so nobody needs a dog sitter over the holidays.
A heated outdoor pool that stays open all year, for a Christmas swim with a view of the woods.
Quiet winter roads for cycling. The hotel rents Cervélo road and gravel bikes from €55 a day, and the roads around Girona are famous among professional riders.
EN: The Apartment's living room with a red sofa and a stone wall, made for families and friends. CA: La sala de l'Apartament, amb sofà vermell i paret de pedra, pensada per a famílies i amics. ES: El salón del Apartamento, con sofá rojo y pared de piedra, pensado para familias y amigos.
EN: The outdoor pool, heated and open all year. CA: La piscina exterior, climatitzada i oberta tot l'any. ES: La piscina exterior, climatizada y abierta todo el año.
EN: A cyclist on a Cervélo in the hills around Girona, where the roads stay quiet in winter. CA: Un ciclista amb una Cervélo pels turons de Girona, amb carreteres tranquil·les a l'hivern. ES: Un ciclista con una Cervélo por las colinas de Girona, con carreteras tranquilas en invierno.
Getting there from Barcelona
By car: about an hour and a half. Take the AP-7 north, exit at Girona Nord and follow the signs towards Banyoles and the Llémena valley. Parking at the hotel is free.
By train: the high speed train from Barcelona Sants reaches Girona in about 38 minutes, then it is a 30 minute taxi. The hotel can arrange a transfer on request.
Christmas and New Year together
Plenty of expats take the whole week off. The nights between 27 and 30 December are regular nights with breakfast, and New Year has its own package with a five course gala dinner, champagne and a DJ. Read more in the guide to New Year's Eve in Barcelona, or go straight to the New Year's Eve page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Barcelona good for Christmas?
Barcelona is lovely in December, with markets, lights and mild weather, but 25 and 26 December are quiet because most shops and many restaurants close. Many expats spend those days out of town.
Are shops open on Christmas Eve in Barcelona?
Yes, 24 December is a working day, but shops close early in the afternoon. Most shops are closed on 25 and 26 December.
Where can I spend Christmas near Barcelona?
Girona and the countryside around it are popular. Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí, a 1789 watermill in the Llémena valley about an hour and a half from Barcelona, offers an all inclusive Christmas from 24 to 26 December.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes. Dogs are welcome at Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí over Christmas.
How do I book?
On the Christmas page, by email at frontoffice@vallamagada.com or by WhatsApp on +34 872 290 725.
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