paris or barcelona
 

I am planning to travel the week before christmas.........which one ...barcelona or paris.....
will paris be gray and dreary? the weather in barcelona will be ncer? paris get dressed up for christmas does barcelona?
thanks

Both will have Xmas decorations, markets, etc.

Barcelona will be considerably warmer - up to 20C on a nice afternoon.

Peter

We went to Paris for New Year's 2 years ago and never saw the sun for the entire week we were there. Then again, it could have just been a bad spot of weather but, literally, we didn't see the sun at all. It was still a wonderful trip, though. Temps were also quite mild....didn't need more than a short wool jacket and scarf.

I was in Paris last December. It was freezing cold but still very beautiful with nice Christmas decorations. The locals seemed friendly too and this all helped to conjure up a happy Christmas atmosphere. Go for it!

It's difficult to choose when they are so different. My preference would be Barcelona, just because I love the city much more than unfriendly Paris.

You do have a bit more chance of good weather the further South that you go.

Surely you aren't going to Europe at Christmas for good weather ?! Barcelona is great, but unless you have been to Paris many times, it has much more to offer than Barcelona and it looks absolutely wonderful at Christmas.

I've been in Barcelona for many Christmas seasons, some sunny, and some gray, drizzly, raw, indeed Paris-like. I love the city then, less crowded with other travelers. And only in Barcelona will you find the caganer, however. He's the fabled Catalan Christmas figurine, there amidst the other characters in the nativity scene... instead of bearing gifts, he's, well, indisposed... in the manner of "when you gotta go, you gotta go," no matter what important thing may be going on around you. the idea is, he's a reminder of our earthliness. There are lots of garish versions, but I think the traditional one is rather sweet. I don't know why I can't get more friends interested in owning a caganer. More lore and pictures here, on my blog: http://spanishjourneys.com/oliveme/2...thy-christmas/.

Spain is my favorite place to visit in the world but I would choose Paris. It will be very cold though.

I love Barcelona, but in bad weather Paris has more
to offer ie.: museums, galleries shopping.. etc

IMHO Paris, Rome, NYC, London and Tokyo are the top five capitals to visit.

Followed by Barcelona, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Vienna, Seoul, Dublin, Prague, Rio, Amsterdam...

If you have not yet visited Paris, it's a no brainer for me because, well, Paris is Paris! (You really can only understand this after you have visited Paris...).

Bon voyage! (or ¡Buen viaje!)