Best Things To Do In Barcelona In March
MARCH IN BARCELONA TRAVEL GUIDE
March is a great time to visit Barcelona. The weather isn’t as cold anymore, and the sun starts setting later. The Summer crowds haven’t arrived yet (as long as Easter doesn’t fall in March). There’s lots of fun things to do, festivals and events going on, and many seasonal specialties to try.
March Barcelona Weather
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Average weather
The temperature in March in Barcelona is still cool: it ranges between 58-62F (14.5-16.5ºC) during day time, with the warmest temperatures being between 2 and 6PM. At night it goes down to 43-47F (6-8.5ºC). Kind of similar to the temperature in Nevada (CA, USA) this time of the year.
It’s also essentially cloudy, with clouds mostly covering the sky about 42% of the time. But if you believe in statistics, March 21st is supposed to be the clearest day of the month.
It’s not specially rainy, though: the precipitation chance is 14%, which is sort of half way between our wettest (October – 22%) and our driest (July – 8%) months. And if it does rain, it’ll be something between 1 and 3 inches of rainfall, which isn’t much.
Snow is rare in Barcelona, but it’s not unheard of. There’s been remarkable snowfalls in March, 8th 2010 (considered the largest snowfall in the last 50 years) and March, 1st 1993, for instance.
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The Barcelona beaches in March
The weather temperature in March is pretty much constantly around 56F (13.5ºC), slightly colder than the air temperature but still far from the 77F (25ºC) of August. Plus most of the time you can feel a light breeze from the West, at an average 8.2mph (13.2km/h). So not the perfect weather to sunbathe half naked and be wet outdoors.
Locals don’t get in the water until end of June. Earlier than that, you have to be either one of those brave Barceloneta neighbors that get a dip every day of the year or… be a Nordic tourist. But you’ll be seeing them at the urban beaches more often than before: going to beach restaurants and using its many sport facilities.
What to do in Barcelona in March
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Sant Medir - March 3rd
However, the main event has little to do with churches: there’s parades around the streets and candy is thrown away from cars. Kids get crazy about it! If you are interested in attending one, don’t miss the tips in our post about Sant Medir in Barcelona.
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Barcelona-Sitges Vintage Car Rally (mid-March)
In February 8th 1989 some twenty vintage cars departed from Barcelona to Sitges as part of the village festival. The passengers were dressed according to the time period of construction of their vehicles. That was the beginning of a popular race that has been celebrated for over 60 years now.
More than a race, though, it’s a fun car-themed vintage party. If you want to watch it, you’ll find more information here.
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Barcelona Beer Festival (mid-March)
Most of them from Spain, but also from guest coungries. Many run their own stands, whereas other have dedicated taps where they rotate their beers. These, together with the ones served at the Main Bar, make an offer of over 600 different beers to try. There’s also food trucks, tastings, lectures, guided tours and an awards ceremony. A complete day for beer lover!. More information here.
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Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th and days around it)
The Day of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is celebrated by Irish communities all over the world. Also in Barcelona! And while it’s not a local tradition, it’s a great excuse to have some fun!
Join the crowds dressed in green for good luck at the local Irish Pubs such as Flaherty’s or Temple Bar. The dance school Nuala Irish Dancers and the Centre Artesa Traditionarius also usually organize dance and music events.
Attend the rowing regatta in Moll de la Fusta and watch rugby matches in Camp de la Foixarda (Montjuic) and La Teixonera (Vall d’Hebron).
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Fathers's Day (March 19th)
Did you know that Spain doesn’t celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June? Spain is (in theory) a Catholic country and we celebrate Father’s Day on the day of Jesus’s Father: Saint Joseph’s Day.
It’s not a bank holiday. And you won’t really notice it that much in the streets, except that bakeries will be selling “bunyols” fritters and restaurants will be serving Catalan creme brulee for desert.
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Festa Major del Pi or de Sant Josep Oriol (March 23rd and closest weekend to it)
One of them is the Barri del Pi, located close to La Rambla around the Santa Maria del Pi church. The neighborhood celebrates their main festival on the day of their Patron Saint, Saint Joseph Oriol, who was a priest in Santa Maria del Pi and is said to have performed several miracles.
During those days there’s many parades, presided by the Giants of the Pine Tree, the oldest traditional giants of Catalonia. Another popular giant of the district is Perot Lo Lladre or Perot Rocaguinarda, a local from the early 1600’s. He gives away chocolate coins. More information here.
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Music Festivals in Barcelona in March
Music lovers will find March a very attractive time to travel to Barcelona, since there are so many music festivals going on! These are the most important ones:
- Guitar Barcelona. And eclectic festival featuring concerts of many different music styles, all united by the use of guitar.
- Maria Canals International Music Competition. A prestigious piano concert attracting promising talents from all over the world. It takes place in the Palau de la Música Catalana.
- Festival Jazz Terrassa. The town of Terrassa, easily accessible by suburban train from Barcelona, has celebrated for over 40 years one of the most important Jazz Fests of Spain. It features Spanish and international jazz players from all different styles, from swing and blues to fusion.
- Obertura Spring Festival. The meeting point for classic and lyric music lovers. Besides the many paid concerts there’s many free performances taking place in unique sites of the city.
- Brunch Electronik. Also known as Brunch In The City, it’s an electronic music festival taking place in a variety of locations in Barcelona, with outdoor concerts and open-air dancefloors, food trucks and a family-friendly section.
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Mobile Celebrations: Carnival and Easter
Carnival and Easter are “mobile celebrations”, that is, the dates depend on the lunar calendar and therefore they fall on different dates every year.
If you are visiting Barcelona in early March you might still hit the Barcelona Carnival celebrations. The next years when this will happen are 2022, 2025, 2030, 2033 and 2038.
As for Easter, it usually falls on April, but there’s also years when it’s celebrated earlier. You’ll see Easter celebrations in Barcelona in March in 2024, 2026, 2027, 2029, 2032, 2035, 2037 and 2040.
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Magic Line
The Magic Line is a solidary event organized every year by the Fundacio Sant Joan de Déu, a philantropic society composed among other by the main children hospital of Barcelona to raise money for causes going from mental health to poverty. If you are at least 4 people, you can contribute by registering as a group, choosing one of their routes and helping rising funds.
There’s 10 routes within Barcelona and many more outside of the city. You can participate on foot, by bike, skating or even in kayak! Is there a better way to explore the land than doing it with locals and helping to a cause? More information here.
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FC Barcelona Matches
Alternatively, other things to do would be visiting the Camp Nou stadium, one of the largest in the world. Or see if the second team of the city, the RCD Espanyol is playing at home instead. Or watch a game in one of the many Barcelona sport bars.
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Watch the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
The Volta Ciclista a Catalunya is what the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia is to Catalonia. This world-class 7-stage bike route takes place at the end of March and one of the stages is celebrated in Barcelona. Check out where the itinerary goes and join the local bicycle fans watching the participants bike along the city streets!
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Be aware of daylight saving time
Although nowadays our cellphones change automatically, this is something that can still catch you by surprise. Did you know that in Europe Spring Daylight Saving Time happens on the early morning of the last Sunday of March (at 2PM, for Spain).
In Canada and the USA it’s done on the second Sunday of March instead, so you might not be expecting it to happen again during your trip! Beware, specially if you are taking a plane that day.
What to visit in Barcelona in March
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Top Barcelona places to visit and itineraries
If you are visiting Barcelona in March, you’ll find all the sites open on their regular schedule, even if some might still be on their winter opening hours. So sorry, this is not going to be a post listing top sites and fun things to do in Barcelona. There’s already a lot of them around. This is a post on what’s unique to March in the city. But if you need some sightseeing ideas, here you have some:
Gaudi sites: Sagrada Familia | Casa Mila (La Pedrera) | Casa Batllo | Block of Discord | Park Guell
Old Town: Gothic Quarter | Cathedral | Jewish Section | Born district | Santa Maria del Mar | Picasso Museum | La Rambla | Boqueria Market | El Raval
Other areas: Montjuic | Miro Foundation | Tibidabo | Waterfront
And here are some great ideas to organize your stay and make the best use of your time:
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Best day trips from Barcelona in March
In the other hand, there are day trip destinations where the month of the year clearly matters. For instance, March is still too cold to plan a day trip to the Costa Brava or to Cadaques: the beach season hasn’t started yet and many things will still be closed. Sitges is instead a good alternative for a beach day trip because it’s warmer and stays busier throughout the year.
In the other hand, while we don’t recommend the Monastery of Montserrat between December and February, March starts being a good time to visit it. There’s not as much fog, there’s less clouds and the Escolania Choir sings as usual.
Other destinations such as the Roman ruins of Tarragona, the medieval town of Girona and the Penedes wineries are great the whole year around. And the Dali Museum in Figueres isn’t crowded yet.
As for a day trip to see the snow, good news! March is usually the last month of the ski season. The snow might not be in perfect conditions and might be mostly artificial, but you can still go skiing near Barcelona in March.
Barcelona March Food Scene
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What to eat in March
Savory foods
- Calçots. March is the last month of the calçots season, so you are already on time to try this grilled green onion that we dip on a nutty romesco sauce and get dirty with it.
- Artichokes. It’s still cold enough for them to be in season. So do not doubt to order them baked, thinly cut as chips and deep fried, or in an omelet.
Sweet treats
- Hot chocolate with churros. For breakfast or as a late afternoon treat, nothing helps with the cold better than thick hot chocolate (bonus if you order it as a “swiss” to get it topped with whipped cream) and some freshly fried churros to dip on them.
- Crema catalana. As I mentioned before, it’s the typical dessert on Saint Joseph’s Day (March, 19th).
- “Bunyols” fritters. And this is not only a Saint Joseph Day’s sweet, but also a popular treat during Lent (the time between Carnival and Easter), specially on Thursdays. You’ll find them in most bakeries.
What clothes to pack for Barcelona in March
Dressing in layers is always a smart idea, specially in March when the weather can change from one day to the other, or from one hour to the next. But in general let’s say that you won’t need hat, scarf and globes anymore, even if a winter coat is still quite comfortable.
Wear walking shoes, but they don’t need to be fleeced-lined anymore. Tall boots aren’t necessary and probably you won’t need them to be waterproof either. You can wear ankle boots for fashion, but flats will work fine, too.
Pack some nice long-sleeved shirts and sweaters, but leave thermal clothes at home. Turtle necks might be already too warm for March. Jeans and slacks are perfect, no need for corduroy although you might still see people wearing it.
Will you be traveling to Barcelona in March?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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