Barcelona in December: Weather, Holidays, Shop Hours and What to Do

December in Barcelona is mild and fairly dry: AEMET, Spain’s state weather agency, gives the airport station an average high of 14.3°C (58°F), an average low of 5.7°C (42°F) and about 40 mm of rain spread over four or five wet days. Daylight lasts a little over nine hours, and public holidays on 8, 25 and 26 December close offices and most shops.

What is the weather like in Barcelona in December?

Expect cool, often sunny days and chilly evenings. The figures below are AEMET’s climate normals for the Barcelona airport station at El Prat, averaged over 1981 to 2010:

These are long-term averages, and single Decembers vary: a run of wet days or a cold northerly wind can make a week feel much colder. The airport sits by the sea; AEMET’s station at the Fabra Observatory, 408 m up on the Collserola hills above the city, records a cooler average December high of 11.8°C (53°F). The full monthly table is on AEMET’s climate normals page, and AEMET’s forecast is the one to check in the days before you go out.

How many hours of daylight are there?

Barcelona gets about 9 hours 10 minutes to 9 hours 25 minutes of daylight in December. Approximate sunrise and sunset times on Spanish winter time (CET, UTC+1):

The earliest sunsets come around 8 to 12 December, at about 17:22, while mornings keep getting darker until early January. The street lights, on from 17:30, start just after sunset; our guide to Barcelona’s Christmas lights has the 2026 hours and a walking route.

What should you pack?

• Layers: a sweater or fleece and a warm jacket or wool coat. Midday in the sun can feel like spring; after dark you will want the coat.
• Rain gear: a compact umbrella or a light waterproof shell. Wet days are few, but you will likely meet at least one.
• Shoes with grip: stone and tiled pavements get slippery when wet.
• Scarf and light gloves for evenings outdoors, such as the lights or the Three Kings parade.
• Warm clothes for indoors if you are renting a flat: check before you book what heating it has.

Which December days are holidays, and what closes?

As of November 2026, these are the holiday dates and key days in Barcelona from December to early January:

On public holidays, government offices, banks and most shops close, pharmacies work on a duty rota, and public transport runs on a holiday timetable. Catalan schools break for Christmas from 22 December 2026 to 7 January 2027, both days included, under the Generalitat’s school calendar order (Ordre EDF/66/2026). Our Barcelona public holidays calendar has the full year, and our Christmas in Barcelona guide covers the markets, the caga tió, Metro hours over the holidays and the Kings’ parade.

Can you go shopping on Sundays in December?

On some Sundays, yes. Catalan commerce law (Llei 18/2017) lets shops open on a limited number of Sundays and holidays a year. As of November 2026, the Ajuntament’s 2026 opening calendar lists these December days on which shops in Barcelona may open within their usual hours:

• Sunday 6 December
• Tuesday 8 December (holiday)
• Sunday 13 December
• Sunday 20 December
• Sunday 27 December

Opening on these days is optional. Department stores, shopping centers and chains usually use them; many small shops and the municipal food markets stay closed. The city’s tourist-zone rule that lets shops in central areas open every Sunday applies only from mid-May to mid-September, so on other December Sundays most shops are closed, apart from small convenience stores and other businesses exempt from the rules.

What can you do on a rainy December day?

• Museums. Barcelona’s big collections, such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) on Montjuïc, the Museu Picasso in El Born and the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA) under Plaça del Rei, fill a wet afternoon. Many municipal museums are free on Sunday afternoons; see our list of free museum days in Barcelona. Check holiday hours, as many museums close or shorten hours on 25 December and 1 January.
• Covered markets. Santa Caterina, Sant Antoni and La Boqueria are under one roof and stock Christmas sweets in December.
• Nativity scenes. Churches, the Cathedral cloister and civic buildings host indoor pessebres (nativity scenes) through the season.
• Els Pastorets. This traditional Christmas play, mixing the nativity story with a battle between angels and devils, is staged by amateur groups and theaters across the city in December.
• Cinema. Look for films marked VOSE or VOSC, meaning original version with Spanish or Catalan subtitles.

Bottom line

Plan your food shopping around the long holiday: 25 and 26 December fall on a Friday and Saturday in 2026, so supermarkets and markets will be shut two days running, with only an optional shop opening on Sunday 27 December. If you need a bank, a padrón appointment or other paperwork, get it done before 22 December, when school holidays start and many people take leave.

FAQ

Does it snow in Barcelona in December?

Almost never. AEMET’s 1981 to 2010 normals record 0.0 snow days in December at the airport station and 0.2 at the Fabra Observatory on the hills above the city.

Can you swim in the sea in December?

A few hardy locals do, but the water is cold and the beach lifeguard service runs only in the warmer months. Most people stick to walks along the seafront.

Are buses and the Metro running on Christmas Day?

Yes, on a holiday timetable. TMB announces any special hours for 24 and 31 December in advance.

Is 7 December a holiday in 2026?

No. Constitution Day falls on Sunday 6 December and is not moved to Monday in Catalonia’s 2026 calendar, so 7 December is a normal working day.