Things to Do in Barcelona in Winter: Hours, Prices and Tips

Barcelona has enough indoor and outdoor options to fill a winter weekend: a cable car over Montjuïc, a Gaudí palace, a medieval monastery, a science museum and a hillside garden. Most of them switch to shorter winter hours between Nov. 1 and the end of March, and several close on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. The list below goes roughly by area, with the winter schedule, prices and closures each official page gives.

Telefèric de Montjuïc, Poble-sec

The Montjuïc cable car climbs the east side of the mountain and stops three times: Parc de Montjuïc, Mirador and Castell de Montjuïc. The first stop is on Avinguda Miramar, close to the top station of the funicular from Paral·lel, and leads to the Fundació Joan Miró, Poble Espanyol and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). At the second stop you reach the Mirador de l’Alcalde terrace over the port, the Monument a la Sardana and the Jardins de Joan Brossa, which have zip lines and climbing games. The last stop is the 17th century castle. The cabins hold up to 8 people.

It is an outdoor ride, so it suits a clear day. The view takes in the Sagrada Família and the Agbar Tower, according to the city’s page.

Address: Avinguda de Miramar, 20-30. Winter hours: daily, Nov. 1 to Feb. 28, from 10.00 to 18.00; the schedule moves to 10.00 to 19.00 from March 1. Tickets: the page lists general, adult and child fares in a garbled table, so check the prices on the operator’s site. Children under 4 travel free, and the one-way ticket is sold only at the cable car ticket offices. When it is under inspection: Barcelona’s city portal says TMB (Barcelona’s bus and metro operator) recommends bus line 150 (Plaça d’Espanya to Castell de Montjuïc), which runs every day from 7 to 21 hours.

Font Màgica de Montjuïc

The Font Màgica is a fountain with a music and color show that is shut for annual maintenance from Nov. 1 to Nov. 15, together with the fountains along the Eix Maria Cristina. The work covers cleaning, a mandatory yearly disinfection and a check of the valves and mechanical parts.

According to a press release from the Ajuntament de Barcelona (city council), the show returns on Nov. 19. In winter it runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 20:00 to 21:00 until March 31. The fountain is outdoors and free to watch, so dress warmly for the evening.

Palau Güell, Barcelona

Palau Güell is a Gaudí house just off La Rambla, reopened to the public on May 25, 2011. The ticket includes an audio guide, and the visit runs on a mobile app, so bring headphones. The roof and the midday courtyard can be closed in rain, strong wind or extreme heat, which matters on a wet winter day.

Address: C. Nou de la Rambla, 3-5. Winter hours: Nov. 1 to March 31, from 10 h to 17.30 h, with the last entry at 16.30. Closed: non-holiday Mondays, Dec. 25 and 26, Jan. 1 and 6, and the last week of January for maintenance. Open doors: the first Sunday of each month. Getting there: Liceu station on metro line 3, or buses V13, 59, 91 and 120. The official Palau Güell page lists phone number (+34) 934 725 775. For late returns, see the guide to Barcelona metro hours and night buses.

Recinte Modernista Sant Pau

Sant Pau is the Art Nouveau hospital complex run by the Fundació Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. The visit is mostly under cover and the route is wheelchair accessible, with ramps, lifts and accessible toilets. The page also mentions two loan wheelchairs, a tactile map and a hearing loop.

Tickets: according to Sant Pau’s visitor page, a guided tour costs €21.00 (€5.00 for ages under 3 to 11) and the audio guide costs €4.00. Discounts of 20% apply to the BCN Card and Library Card, and 50% to Carnet Jove holders. Good to know: lockers measure 37 × 37 cm, and bags that do not fit inside them are not allowed in. The page does not list opening hours, so check them before you go.

Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes

Queen Elisenda de Montcada founded the monastery in 1326, and a community of Poor Clares lived there from 1327 until 1982. The three-storey cloister, the Gothic murals in the Chapel of Saint Michael and a medieval orchard grown with organic methods are the main sights.

Winter hours: Oct. 1 to March 31, Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. Public holidays run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and the monastery is closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Tickets: general admission is €5.2 and reduced admission €3.70. Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month, on Sundays from 15.00, and on Feb. 12 (Santa Eulàlia). The Museus de Barcelona page adds that the space set up as a climate refuge is free to enter.

CosmoCaixa Barcelona, Sant Gervasi – la Bonanova

CosmoCaixa is a science museum with a flooded forest, a geological wall and a planetarium. A new exhibition, Sharks. Guardians of the Ocean, runs from Oct. 22, 2026 to Sept. 26, 2027. Planetarium screenings and workshops continue until Dec. 21, and the SUNCINE environmental film festival runs from Nov. 4 to Nov. 22. Most of the museum is indoors, which suits rain.

Address: Carrer d’Isaac Newton, 26. Hours: every day from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Dec. 24, Dec. 31 and Jan. 5 it closes at 6:00 p.m., and it is shut on Dec. 25, Jan. 1 and Jan. 6. Tickets: general admission is €8, free for young people up to 16. The city’s culture listing gives Feb. 15 as a free day for Santa Eulàlia, while the Pedralbes page says Feb. 12, so confirm the date with each museum. Phone: 932126050.

Parc del Laberint d’Horta, Montbau

This is a garden-museum on the former estate of the Marquis of Llupià, open as a public park since 1971. The Neoclassical garden dates from 1791 and the Romantic additions from 1853. The hedge maze itself is closed from early 2025 until early 2027 for paving, irrigation and cypress replacement, but the rest of the park stays open. Current exhibitions include Parlour Gardens, until Dec. 14.

Address: Passeig dels Castanyers, 1. Winter hours: Nov. 1 to March 31, daily from 10:00 to 18:00, except Dec. 25, when it closes at 14:00. Tickets: general entry is €2.23 and reduced entry €1.42. Sundays and Wednesdays are free, but visitor numbers are limited then. Card payment only, no reservations, and ticket sales stop 1 hour before closing. According to the Barcelona.cat page, pets, bicycles, balls and food are not allowed in.

Tips for visiting

Plan around closing dates. Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 close Palau Güell, Pedralbes and CosmoCaixa, and Jan. 6 closes Palau Güell and CosmoCaixa.
Put outdoor stops in the daylight. The cable car stops at 18.00 and the Laberint at 18:00 in winter.
The Font Màgica show is only on three evenings a week, so check the day.
Strike days can change plans. See the report on the Nov. 11 general strike before heading out.

Quick answers

Which of these are free on Sundays?

The Parc del Laberint d’Horta is free on Sundays and Wednesdays. Pedralbes is free on the first Sunday of the month and on Sundays from 15.00. Palau Güell holds open doors on the first Sunday of each month.

Which place is open latest on a winter day?

CosmoCaixa stays open until 8:00 p.m. on regular days. The Font Màgica show runs from 20:00 to 21:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

What is closed on Christmas Day?

Palau Güell, Pedralbes and CosmoCaixa are closed on Dec. 25. The Parc del Laberint d’Horta opens that day from 10:00 to 14:00.

Checked against official sources in November 2026. Hours, prices and rules change: confirm on the official page before you go or apply.