Barcelona at Christmas
 

Thinking of going to Barcelona Christmas week (would arrive Christmas Eve and stay 6 nights) for a family trip with our 2 young adult children, 19 and 21. Any advice? I know museums/ shops will be closed on 12/25 and possibly 12/26 for Boxing Day? Have heard that many restaurants will be open. We will stay 6 nights so will it be worth it - i.e. the rest of the week when presumably everything is open? Or are sights too 'shut down' for the holiday week? Any advice would be much appreciated - thanks

My experience is.
Everything starts to close in the afternoon of the 24 Dec. Some shops stay open late to try and catch last minute shoppers.
Everything closed on the 25 Dec.
Most things closed also on the 26 which is also a public holiday in Cataluña (it is not known as boxing day)
I only managed to find one Chinese restaurant open on Christmas day. we were the only ones in there, ho so sad. The weather that year was good so we spent the day on the beach. We the only ones there. Not so sad!
On the 26 we found one or two restaurant were open, but nothing else.
This year the 23 is on a Sunday. I wonder if the shops will be closed that day?

Best advice is to book early, as this is a very popular time.

Thank you - Alan, do you mean book early as in airline/ hotel? Or as in restaurant reservations? And do either of you know if museums and attractions are open on Boxing Day and Christmas Eve? Thanks again

As mentioned, there is no "boxing day" in Barcelona.

As far as booking early, airlines, hotels and restaurants all fit the bill. Most restaurants will be closed on the 25th, but everything should be open on the Wednesday, the 26th.

Could you consider going the week before and flying out on Xmas Eve or Xmas? Get the same effect without 2 days of things being closed. Unless you are visiting friends, why be there when choice of restaurants may be limited and squeezes what you should see in less time. We were there in early Dec and Xmas was all around us and very beautiful.

The Christmas season in Spain begins on the 25th of December. Being in Barcelona (or elsewhere in Catalunya) during the 12 days of Christmas, 25 December to 6 January (Epiphany), can be exciting. If you leave on Christmas, you'll miss everything that makes the season special.

We are really limited to going away that week which we have never done in the past (if for no other reason than the cost) but it is our only opportunity for a family vacation with both kids in college and on different schedules all year, and one of them soon to graduate. We can come and go as we please now as empty nesters, but we really want to do a family trip. Last time we all went away together was to Greece in 2009 when our eldest graduated high school; since then everyone has kind of been doing their own thing, summer job commitments, travel w/ friends etc. Our youngest has finals til 12/21 so we don't have much wiggle room.