What To Do In Barcelona In September
YOUR INSIDER'S GUIDE TO SEPTEMBER IN BARCELONA
Is September a good time to visit Barcelona? Definitely! The weather is still warm, but not extremely hot like it can be in August. Locals are taking advantage of that for the last swims at the beach, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.
People are back from their Summer holydays, what means the shops and restaurants that closed in August are back in business. You see more locals around and less tourists. Although don’t believe those bloggers that tell you the tourists crowds are gone. There’s still a lot of people traveling to Barcelona in September. It might be a bit less crowded, but it isn’t low season at all yet.
Barcelona weather in September
As I mentioned before, the weather in Barcelona is still nicely warm in September, but not as hot as in August. Expect a temperature of around 26º celsius (79F) during day time and 20ºC (68F) at night. Possibly a bit hotter, since global warming has been extending Summer temperatures beyond the norm.
Rain can happen, but not much. The average is 4 days, but that doesn’t mean an entire day of rain at all. The rain in Barcelona doesn’t last much in general. If it rains, it’s likely to be a bit at night, or just a couple of hours during day time. But just in case, here I leave you my tips for things to do on a rainy day in Barcelona.
You’ll also want to know that the days are quiet long. Sunrise is between 7.15AM at the beginning of the month and 7.45 towards the end. And the Barcelona sunset in September goes between 8.30PM in early September and 7.30PM by the end of the month.
What to wear in Barcelona in September
Pack mostly Summer clothes for your Barcelona trip. Short sleeves more than tank tops. And bring a shawl in case you want to enter a church and your clothes show too much of your shoulders.
Bring your swim suit if you are planning to spend some time at the beach. And one long-sleep pullover or light jacket in case there’s an odd day of colder weather or if you are visiting a wine cellar.
Sandals and shoes that don’t warm your feet much is what you’ll be wearing most of the time.
As for other things to pack, bring a refillable water bottle. Tap water is safe (although its taste isn’t great), and restaurants charge you for water – they rarely bring glasses or jugs for free…
Get a lanyard cellphone case with cords, so your phone can’t be lost or stolen, and put your credit cards in an app such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay or Apple Pay. Since the pandemic started, credit cards are accepted pretty much everywhere with no minimum expense. And don’t worry about being pickpocketed anymore.
Best things to do in Barcelona in September
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Enjoy the beach while it's still warm
The water temperature in September ranges between 21 and 27ºC (71 to 81F), what makes it still really nice to swim. And considering the temperatures are still warm, it’s also a great time to sun bathe. We tell you everything about the Barcelona city beaches in our blog.
If swimming and sunbathing isn’t your thing, though, you can still benefit of the Barcelona beaches in September. And the best way to do that is to enjoy lunch in one of the Barcelona waterfront restaurants.
And of course, the beach isn’t everything. September is still a great time to stay in one of our Barcelona hotels with pool. Less crowds, more privacy, and a cocktail bar by the pool. Isn’t it a great plan?
Talking about plans, September is the last opportunity to head to the Costa Brava and other beaches near Barcelona. Some are hard to reach on your own, but you can always treat yourself to a private tour!
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What about sailing?
The offer is really appealing: from party boats for young adults, to romantic sunset outings for couples, family-friendly sails on historical boats, speedy catamaran tours… We have listed all our favorite Barcelona sailing tours here.
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A trip to the wine country
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Montserrat mountain and monastery
But in September the sun isn’t that hot and a hike there is very refreshing. You might even get to see wild goats!
Plus the winter fog isn’t there yet, and the breathtaking views are still as clear as they can get. Did you know that in the clearest days you can see the Island of Majorca from the highest peak, Sant Jeroni?
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September 11 holiday
What is celebrated here is the National Day of Catalonia, known as La Diada de Cataluña. The final day when Barcelona was finally defeated after months of being besieged by the Spanish and French armies. You’ll think it’s a strange event to celebrate, right? But Catalans are proud of who we are even when we lose.
Don’t expect traditional celebrations and folklore today: it’s a quite political day. Flower offerings, political meetings and for many years multitudinous peaceful demonstrations asking for independence from Spain.
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La Mercè Festival
If there’s one Barcelona festival in September that you don’t want to miss, this is La Mercè. Our Lady of Mercy is the patron saint of Barcelona and her day according to the Catholic calendar is September 24. So there are big celebrations during the days around September 24 in Barcelona.
There’ll be parades for kids with carboard giants and folklore characters. There’ll be the famous correfoc run where you’ll be chased by monsters and devils that spit fire and sparks. The best teams of Castellers (Catalan human towers) will be performing. There’ll be sardana dancing. There’ll be concerts. And it’ll all end with the spectacular Piromusical firework show.
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Festes Majors of Poblenou and La Barceloneta
But if you aren’t here during La Merce, you might still have the opportunity to witness some local celebrations, too! Just at a smaller scale. Festa Major is the name of the main festival of Catalan villages and neighborhoods. And just like La Merce is the Festa Major of the entire Barcelona City, in September two districts celebrate their own.
Poblenou is a district that combines an old industrial past with the new vibes of being a start-up hub. Young families come here for the organic stores, and foodies love their tapas restaurants. Their Festa Major happens during the first two weeks of September.
La Barceloneta is a small cape that separates the Port Vell marina from the Olympic Village. Originally a tiny island that eventually became linked to the land, it used to be the fishermen district. And today it’s frequented by beachgoers and locals coming to eat paella and seafood. Their Festa Major takes place around Saint Michael’s day – September 29.
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Outdoors eating
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Things to eat in September in Barcelona
September foods in Barcelona still have a lot of Summer vibe. You’ll still find Gazpacho in most restaurants menus as a starter. Many cafes cater fresh horchata and the horchaterias in Barcelona are buzzling with locals. Plus it’s hot enough to add a stop for some award-winning gelato in Barcelona. And you are still entitled to order sangria with your meal without locals rolling their eyes at you (because sangria is never ordered when it’s cold, but many tourists aren’t aware of that).
As fall approaches, specially if there’s already some rains, you’ll start seeing the king of Autumn foods make its appearance in local markets and restaurants: Spanish mushrooms! But you’ll have to wait for other autumn treats. Want more ideas? Here is our post about famous food of Barcelona.
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Does barcelona play in september?
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BAM Festival - Barcelona Acció Musical
For over 25 years, the BAM has been one of the top music Festivals in Barcelona. Its goals is to showcase the new promises of pop, rock, dance and electronic music from Catalonia and around the world.
It is celebrated at the same time as La Mercè festival, featuring over 40 bands every year in a combination of indoor and outdoor concerts.
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Sightseeing at night
While some of them like Casa Mila or Casa Batllo do night tours mostly all year around, there’s other that will soon stop offering them as Autumn approaches. Check out our favorite Barcelona night sightseeing options in our blog.
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Jazz Fests
It features daytime and night concerts, some of them outdoors, showcasing Catalan jazz musicians and bands of all styles, and including young talents as well as famous stablished bands.
In the other hand, Jazzing – the Sant Andreu Jazz Festival is directed by the musician Joan Chamorro, famous for his work training young musicians in his Sant Andreu Jazz Band. Young soloist Andrea Motis was actually discovered by him.
BTW, have you seen our post about jazz clubs in Barcelona?
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The Week of Books in Catalan
Some people are surprised when they arrive to Barcelona and realize here we speak two languages: Spanish and Catalan. Now in order to give more visibility to the Catalan language, in mid-September takes places a festival of books in Catalan.
One of the main activities is a book fair, where you can find originals and translations. Even if you don’t speak Catalan, it can be fun to browse the stalls for some gorgeous coffee table book or an illustrated book for your kids.
Psst… Are you a book worm? Here are all our posts about books for travelers.
What are your favorite Barcelona things to do in September?
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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