Hi everyone, I am new to this board. I will be traveling to Barcelona August 5-10 possibly longer for a conference. I would like to know what the weather is like and other tips. I have never traveled in Europe. Would love all your insights. I would also like to extend the trip but not sure where and how long, possibly a week more. Maybe in Spain somewhere.
Thank you
Bianca

Hi Bianca,

I am an American who has been living in Barcelona for about a year. I was in Barcelona for a couple weeks in August last year and like the rest of Spainish cities in the month of August, it is somewhat abandoned. However, it never really gets too hot here and there are several nices beaches nearby, ie Sitges, which make for good day trips. Barcelona has a beach right in the city too. Still, I would stay somewhere with AC if you can. I would think that you can get a decent hotel rate here since all of the business travellers will be gone. As for the rest of Spain, I would going to Andalucia unless you are fond of 120� highs during the day. The northern coast is nice or the mountains, although anything with a beach will be busy and pricey. That is all I can think of for the moment, if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

hey Bianca, while i live in madrid, i have been to barcelona many times and about 3 of them were in july/august.

i have to disagree with noia, in august, barcelona is VERY hot and worst of all, horribly humid. clothes stick to you from the humidity.

i guess it is all relative to what one is used to. i have never been to nevada so do not know what it is like where you are from. i also get very hot easily and am warm even in january here so maybe i am hyper-sensivite to the heat.

yes, you can escape to the beaches but if you have never bee to europe and are limited to a short trip, i would not waste precious time at the beach but rather sightseeing.

saludos,
jer...

Bianca, I live in Albuquerque, NM; our climate is similar to yours: high desert, low humidity, mid 90s in summer....but unlike Barcelona, it cools off at night.

If you are accustomed to the varied outdoor temperatures of Reno (meaning, you can survive without being in air conditioning or heated buildings all day long in summer or winter), the temperature range alone won't bother you in Barcelona, but the humidity can be tough on people like us who are used to drier air. Just plan to be more active outside earlier in the day when it is cool, and less active once it gets hot....that's what the locals do. I see in your profile you like hiking...you begin a long summertime hike early in the morning when the weather is cool, right? Same concept!

I wouldn't let the heat of inland Spain keep you at the beach and away from visiting there. (Personally, I travel to do things I cannot do at home; I can visit the beach back home.) Madrid and other inland cities are hot in summer, but the humidity is much lower. If you are accustomed to Reno summer temperatures, you will have a much easier time acclimating to inland Spain temperatures than someone from Seattle.

Paul

Okay, maybe I should have mentioned the fact that I am from Washington, DC and that I lived in Sevilla for two summers. I suppose like humidity, heat tolerance is all relative.

I would like to clarify my beach rec, however. Since the beach is right there, it is worth visiting as a respite from sightseeing. And, Sitges makes a nice day/night trip with its pretty old town and bustling nightlife.

Over and out.

i agree with noia that sitges is a good day trip.

saludos,
jer...

Hola Bianca,

I thought that I would just chip in here, with reference to the humidity in Barcelona.

I was staying in Barcelona last year from the end of Aug into the second week of Sept, and I can tell you that it was one of the sweatiest visits that I have ever had in BCN in recent years.

The predicted humidity on yahoo's "El Tiempo" when I checked it each day, was around 79%, but in fact turned out to be more like 89% on average throughout most of the time that I was there, and I could really feel it too, I was constantly mopping my brow & face, and was using two shirts per day, sometimes a third. It was not that it was so hot, although it was pretty hot on some days, but the air just seemed to be heavily loaded with condensation for some reason.

The day I went over to Park Guell, I was pumping sweat & breathing hard, and not getting very far, simply because of the incredible humidity that day, the air was think with it, and I was glad to get back to my place & have a cold shower, and then consume 2 litres of apple juice.

Even when I went back out in the late evening to get some dinner, it was still noticeably humid, but at least there was some slight cool breeze around town, but only away from the traffic hot spots in town, like La Rambla and Placa Catalunya, they are to be well avoided during the busy/peak times, but down near the Port Vell area, and along Barcelonetta, there are some cool restaurantes, where the air is cooler & fresher, and of course you could walk over the foot bridge to La Maremagnum, (shopping mall/food hall) which is a fairly cool place late in the evening, you can get a reasonably good & fairly inexpensive meal in there, eat out on the terrace overlooking the water, or there are two pretty good Tapas bars, and a regular bar upstairs somewhere, if you just want drinks, but the emphasis is on "late evening" after having been steamed during the day .

I think you will be okay, if you are reasonably fit, not overweight, and are used to living in a place which experiences a certain amount of humidity during the summer, in which case you should feel fairly comfortable, but like I said, the humidity can get very high, which will make you feel even warmer, and you�re going to be getting temperatures of around 35 � 40 degrees, in August to September, and that�s pretty darn warm.

Take my advice and stay off the Cola drinks, and drink plenty of apple juice, it gives you back a lot of potassium, that is lost through perspiration, as will tomato juice.

Saludos.