Barcelona in the rain: 10 indoor plans near Urquinaona and Passeig de Gràcia

October and November are Barcelona's rainiest months. Ten indoor plans in the centre (Palau de la Música, Santa Caterina, Museu Picasso, Liceu, Boqueria and more), how to get between them and where to leave your suitcase so you don't drag it around wet.

·Locker City
Barcelona in the rain: 10 indoor plans near Urquinaona and Passeig de Gràcia

Barcelona is known as a sunny city, but October and November are the rainiest months of the year. It rarely rains all day: it's heavy showers that last a couple of hours and leave the streets soaked. If one catches you with your suitcase between hotel check-out and your train, things get complicated.

The good news is that the centre is full of indoor plans, and many are a few minutes' walk from our two shops: Locker City Urquinaona and Locker City Passeig de Gràcia. Leave your suitcase dry in a locker, grab your umbrella and pick one.

Before you start: drop the suitcase

In the rain, a suitcase is the worst companion. Wheels don't roll well on wet cobbles, museums ask you to check it in (if they accept it at all) and it doesn't fit through market crowds.

Both our shops run 24/7 and unstaffed: book on your phone, scan your QR at the kiosk and the locker opens. There are sizes for a day pack, a cabin case or a large trolley. Come back whenever you like within your booked time.

  • Urquinaona is the best base for the Gothic Quarter, El Born and the Palau de la Música, with metro lines L1 and L4.
  • Passeig de Gràcia is the best base for the modernista Eixample, with metro lines L2, L3 and L4 plus Rodalies trains in the same station.

1. Palau de la Música Catalana

Domènech i Montaner's modernista jewel is about 3 minutes' walk from Urquinaona. The concert hall, with its stained-glass skylight, is one of the most spectacular interiors in Europe. You can go in on a guided tour or, even better, with a concert ticket. Book ahead: in the rainy season they fill up sooner.

Concert hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana with its modernista skylight

Photo: Thomas Ledl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

2. Barcelona Cathedral and its cloister

About 8 minutes from Urquinaona. Inside it's spacious, calm and perfect for waiting out a shower. Don't miss the cloister with its thirteen geese, a centuries-old tradition.

3. Mercat de Santa Caterina

About 10 minutes from Urquinaona. It's calmer than the Boqueria, with a wavy roof of coloured ceramic tiles and a wooden structure that looks stunning from inside. It has counters where you can eat well without going back out.

Inside the Mercat de Santa Caterina under its wavy roof

Photo: Radiuk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

4. Museu Picasso

On Carrer de Montcada, in the heart of El Born, 12-15 minutes' walk from Urquinaona or one metro stop away (L4, Jaume I). The collection spreads across several connected medieval palaces with beautiful Gothic courtyards. It's one of the most visited museums in the city, so on rainy days buy your ticket online.

Gothic courtyard of the Palau Finestres, part of the Museu Picasso on Carrer de Montcada

Photo: Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

5. El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria

At the end of Passeig del Born, under the iron structure of the old market. Inside you can see the streets and houses of 1714 Barcelona, preserved below ground. A different plan, under cover and very close to the Museu Picasso.

6. Mercat de la Boqueria

About 12 minutes' walk from Urquinaona, heading down to La Rambla. It's Barcelona's most famous market: juices, fruit, ham and counters where you eat standing up. It gets crowded when it rains, so go early or mid-afternoon.

Stalls at the Mercat de la Boqueria

Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

7. Gran Teatre del Liceu

The opera house on La Rambla. From Passeig de Gràcia it's two metro stops (L3, Liceu). If you're not seeing a performance, there are guided tours of the hall and the reception rooms.

The Gran Teatre del Liceu auditorium seen from the stalls

Photo: Jordiferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

8. Casa Batlló and La Pedrera inside

From our Passeig de Gràcia shop, Casa Batlló is a couple of minutes away and La Pedrera about five. In the rain the façades shine less, but both interiors are just as impressive. Tickets sell fast in high season, so book ahead.

9. Fundació Antoni Tàpies

On Carrer d'Aragó, a few minutes from the Passeig de Gràcia shop. Contemporary art in a modernista building crowned by Tàpies's wire sculpture. It's usually much quieter than the big museums.

10. Hot chocolate and churros on Carrer de Petritxol

The classic rainy-afternoon plan. Carrer de Petritxol, about 10 minutes from Urquinaona, has historic granjas where you can order thick hot chocolate with churros or melindros. Perfect to end the day before picking up your suitcase.

A cup of hot chocolate with churros in Barcelona

Photo: Toni Kaarttinen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Tips for a rainy day in Barcelona

  • Use the metro. Urquinaona (L1, L4) and Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, L4) connect to almost all of these plans.
  • Buy tickets online. When it rains, everyone has the same idea and queues grow.
  • Bring a folding umbrella and shoes that handle water. The Gothic Quarter's cobbles get slippery.
  • Group nearby plans. Palau de la Música, the Cathedral and Santa Caterina fit in one morning on foot. Museu Picasso and El Born in another.
  • Don't drag your suitcase. Leave it in a locker before heading out and pick it up, dry, at the end.

Don't let the rain stop you

Barcelona in the rain has its own charm: fewer queues, grey light on modernisme and more reason to step inside places full of history. Leave your suitcase at Urquinaona or Passeig de Gràcia and make the most of the day.

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