11 Things to Do in Barcelona in October

On your list of things to see and do in Barcelona there are sure to be many plans, but there will be even more when you discover all that October has to offer. During this month, the city recovers a more local atmosphere thanks to some major festivals and festivals with a lot of history, but also others that are a little scary.

If you want to know Barcelona, you have chosen a great month to go. The good weather is still good to enjoy the outdoors in events like Viu Montjuic, but there will also be the opportunity to see the interior of buildings with great architectural value and to discover the Catalan gastronomy. If you want to know in detail what I mean, read on!

Are you thinking of taking a gastronomic tour of Barcelona? Undoubtedly, food is the best way to get to know a city. If you are going to be there the first weekend of October you can take advantage of the Tast a la Rambla (Taste the Rambla), a great event where the best restaurants in the area offer their dishes in the form of tapas to visitors of the famous street of Barcelona.

With this gastronomic celebration the city wants to publicize its culinary offer. The food stalls are spread all along the Rambla, although they are mainly concentrated in the area closest to the Columbus Monument. In total, more than 20 restaurants are participating.

El Tast de la Rambla is an eating event, but many other gastronomic activities revolve around it, such as workshops and food and wine pairings. Of course, there are musical performances to liven up the atmosphere. It is a perfect place to go for lunch or dinner during your stay in Barcelona.

Interesting facts

• When: the first weekend of October. The stalls are open from 12h to 00h approximately.
• Where: on the Rambla (especially near the Columbus Monument).
• Price: free access and drinks for approximately 4€.
• Recommended if: you like to eat and the good atmosphere generated around gastronomy.

Also known as Festas del Roser, the main festival of La Rambla is celebrated on October 7, although there are things to see and do during the days before and after, when this touristy street regains a more local feel.

Join and participate in the guided tours, workshops, musical shows and the rest of the programmed activities (most of them free). One of the best things about this festival is that it coincides with the beginning of the mushroom season, so many tastings are organized (especially in the Boqueria Market).

Whatever age you are, you will enjoy the festival of La Rambla, although if you travel to Barcelona with children I recommend you even more to go. There are many activities designed for them.

Interesting facts

• When: days before and after October 7.
• Where: La Rambla.
• Price: free.
• Recommended if: you travel to Barcelona with children and are looking for plans for the whole family.

Barcelona is one of the cities with the most impressive architecture, so strolling through its streets and observing the facades from the outside is a luxury. But it's even better to see these places from the inside, something that if you're in the city the last weekend of October you can do for free thanks to the Barcelona Architecture Festival.

For 48 hours the interior of several houses and buildings will be open to the public, with architects and volunteers providing guided tours. In this activity you will discover hidden treasures of Catalan modernism and other emblems of the city such as the Arc de Triomphe or the old prison of La Modelo. Unfortunately, the Sagrada Familia or Casa Batlló are not part of the Festival, so if you want to know them in depth you will have to hire a guided tour.

Generally, no prior registration is required, although I advise you to check the program beforehand to know the opening hours and how to get to each site. It is best to learn from experts the secrets and wonders of Catalan architecture, so it is also a good option to go into each building at the same time you take the opportunity to take a tour of Barcelona.

Interesting facts

• When: last weekend of October.
• Where: different locations in Barcelona.
• Price: free.
• Recommended if: you want to know closely, and from experts, the architecture of Barcelona.

In Barcelona every neighborhood has a market; in fact, some of them are very famous and could be considered a tourist attraction, as is the case with the Sant Antoni Market. To demonstrate its cultural value, every year, in mid-October, the Mercat de Mercats gastronomic fair is organized, which is free and open to the public. Of course, you will have to pay if you want to take a culinary souvenir of the many stalls that are placed around the area of the Cathedral of Barcelona.

In Barcelona, markets are much more than places to buy and sell. They are meeting points for neighbors and the city council always tries to enhance their value and encourage people to buy in them, thus favoring fresh and local products.

In addition to selling, traders also organize other activities, such as cooking workshops, cocktails or even wine tastings. For this they have the help of chefs from the city, who prepare dishes that you can eat on the spot.

Interesting facts

• When: mid-October.
• Where: Barcelona Cathedral and surroundings.
• Price: free access.
• Recommended if: you want to taste fresh products from Catalonia and feel like a local.

During the month of October in Barcelona, specifically in the middle of October, Viu Montjuic is celebrated, an opportunity to experience this mountain and all the surrounding area. It takes advantage of all the enclosure, in which there are several buildings and places dedicated to leisure (such as gardens, museums or theaters), to organize various recreational activities. In total, there are 22 facilities that are open to the public for two days in October to offer a series of workshops, conferences and musical and theatrical performances.

For example, here are some of the best museums in Barcelona, such as the Archaeology Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia or the Caixaforum, but also historic buildings such as the Olympic Stadium.

This event is also a great opportunity to enter places that at other times are closed to the public, such as the Espai Bombers, or get to know sites of great beauty and cultural interest, such as the Botanical Garden or the Teatre Lliure. Exhibitions and guided tours are organized in all of them.

Interesting facts

• When: mid-October.
• Where: Montjuic.
• Price: free access, although sometimes you have to register in advance from the official website of the event.
• Recommended if: you are interested in culture and want to access some museums for free.

One of Barcelona's most iconic races is its Cursa de Bombers (the Firemen's Race), which is held on a Sunday at the end of October. It's 10 kilometers and the terrain is fairly flat and uneven, so in a way it's more accessible and popular, which brings thousands of people together every time.

Of course, firefighters participate in this race, dressed in their regulation suits, but also amateur and professional athletes. On their website they define this route as a running party, something that when you go (either to run or just to watch) you will be able to see. At the start there is a stage with a screen so that nobody misses anything and at the same time there is music encouraging runners and the public.

If you like to travel with your running shoes, I recommend you to sign up for the Cursa de Bombers. You don't need to be a professional (in fact, the start is split for elite athletes). It is also a nice way to get to know Barcelona, as you will pass through Plaza Catalunya, Via Layetana, La Rambla or the Parc de la Ciutadella.

Interesting facts

• When: a Sunday at the end of October.
• Where: center of Barcelona.
• Price: registration as a runner for approximately 17€ (access to spectators is free).
• Recommended if: traveling and getting to know cities for you involves running through them.

Very close to Barcelona, about an hour by public transport, is Sitges. This coastal town is a good place to make a getaway. In the first half of October is also the Sitges Film Festival. If you like horror and fantasy films, you have to go to a screening, as the best international films are presented there.

In addition to the films, other activities are organized that make the city full of zombies. This happens especially during the Sitges Zombie Walk, a parade of very well characterized people that are a little scary and go through a large part of the city.

The Sitges Horror and Fantasy Film Festival has been organized since 1968. Over the years it has become a world reference meeting and attracts many film lovers and stars. Why not take a trip from Barcelona to check it out?

Interesting facts

• When: first fortnight of October.
• Where: Sitges.
• Price: approximately 10€-15€.
• Recommended if: you like fantastic and horror movies.

Thinking of going to Port Aventura from Barcelona? It's always a good time to take a day trip and enjoy this theme park, which is only an hour away from the capital, but in October it's even more so. Why? Because the whole park is getting ready to celebrate Halloween.

Houses of terror, attractions decorated and decorated to be even scarier, concerts and shows... This is what Port Aventura looks like throughout the month of October, although obviously the big day is the 31st. Of course, it is the event of the year in the park, so it is usually very crowded; if you want to go, buy your tickets well in advance.

Do you prefer not to leave Barcelona but have fun on Halloween night? All the nightclubs in the city organize themed parties (for which I recommend you dress up). In addition, the Poble Espanyol (an open-air museum that represents a full-scale village) is also decorated and decorated for the occasion.

Interesting facts

• When: during the whole month of October (especially on Halloween night).
• Where: Port Aventura.
• Price: approximately 50€.
• Recommended if: you want to spend a different and very complete Halloween.

If your heart is blaugrana or if you just love soccer and don't want to miss the experience of watching one of the biggest teams in the world play in their own stadium, the Camp Nou, October is a good month to do it.

In October La Liga is more than halfway through the season, so the excitement is palpable in the atmosphere. And the Spanish first division teams are not only playing for the title (by the way, Barça has already won 27 league titles behind them), but also the best teams get a place in the European competitions the following year.

My advice is that if you are traveling to Barcelona in October and dream of seeing the team you love play, book your tickets as far in advance as possible and always on official websites, because tickets are flying and scams are rampant. Oh, and if you want to save a little money, choose a less important rival (for example, tickets for the Clásico are much more expensive) and look for the cheapest areas.

Interesting facts

• When: In October La Liga is halfway through the season.
• Where: Camp Nou.
• Price: from 70€.
• Recommended if: your heart is blaugrana and you are passionate about soccer.

Do you like jazz? Then you're in luck, because in October the Voll-Damm Jazz Festival opens in Barcelona, a headline festival attended by very important artists who are references in this style.

This event, which lasts several weeks, concentrates the best international musicians, who play in large halls and theaters in the city. Tickets vary in price, but usually cost about 20 €. Of course, they usually sell out, so be aware to buy them.

Generally, most of the stages are in Barcelona and in fact are important places in the artistic culture of the city (such as the Sala Apolo, Sala BARTS or even the Palau de la Música). However, the theater of Sant Cugat, a nearby town that can be reached in less than an hour, is also used.

Interesting facts

• When: during the whole month of October.
• Where: different locations and stages in Barcelona.
• Price: approximately 20€.
• Recommended if: you are a lover of jazz and live music.

That's right, the beer festival also arrives in Barcelona. The Barcelona Oktoberfest is one of the great celebrations of the month of October. For two weeks, the Montjuic fairground is filled with liters and liters of beer, long tables, Bavarian cuisine and German music.

Access is free, although the price of a liter of beer is about 10 €. Be careful, although it is a very large space (about 5000 square meters) is usually full, so I recommend you book a table online.

As if this were not enough, there are also attractions, both for adults and children, which makes the entertainment never stops.

Interesting facts

• When: during the whole month of October.
• Where: Montjuic fairgrounds.
• Price: free access (drinks for approximately 10 €).
• Recommended if: you like beer and the atmosphere of big parties.

Some people say that Barcelona always has good weather, and they are partly right. In October temperatures still reach 20ºC (and more) during the day, although at night it cools down (about 15ºC) and you will need a jacket. In any case, the weather is good for being outdoors.

Of course, the rainy season is starting and it is more than likely that you will have to use an umbrella or a raincoat during your trip.

As for the daylight hours, you will have approximately 10 hours a day; keep in mind that at the end of the month the time changes and therefore these will be reduced to 8 or so.

Although the weather continues to be quite good in October, it is noticeable that the summer season is over in Barcelona, so the city is quieter and there is not so much tourism. This means that you can take advantage of offers and lower prices on hotels and flights.

Although there are fewer people in the streets of Barcelona, it is still a very visited city, so it is not advisable to leave reservations to the last minute (neither those of very important tourist attractions, such as Park Güell or the Sagrada Familia).

What plans are you going to miss during your trip to Barcelona in October? I hope I have given you some ideas.