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Encountering rain on your holidays is something very annoying, especially if you go to a city like Barcelona where you expect good weather and sun to be reigning in the skies. However, it does rain in Barcelona and here are a few tips on what to do in the city when the weather is not favourable.

In spring time, Barcelona is prone to a shower or two that leaves some tourists and visitors of the city asking themselves what they can do on this rainy day. Firstly, one has to understand that Barcelona is not a city used to rain and weather like this so the city can become a bit chaotic at times, especially with traffic and people on the street. For that, it’s advisable not to be tempted to get a taxi when it’s raining, because the traffic will be terrible and the meter will happily go up and up and we’ll end up paying a big sum for a short trip. Instead, the metro is an excellent option because not only is it underground but also it gets us to places quickly, regardless of the weather. If you  stay in a hotel in Barcelona, it more than likely offers easy access to the metro or is in walking distance to the metro.
The best way to start a rainy day is with a good breakfast. Now, the best place to have a good continental breakfast is in the many granges that we can find in the city. That word means ‘farms’ in Catalan but it’s used to describe a local coffee shop where we can sit down and enjoy a pastry or a sandwich and a coffee at really cheap prices. Most granges do breakfast offers of coffee + sandwich or pastry for under 2-3€, and it’s shown on the board outside. You can find them all around the city, a nice welcoming sight when you’ve just walked a few yards in the rain from your Barcelona apartments. Also good for breakfast are the forns, bread shops that also sell pastries and hot drinks and that have tables to sit down, although these are a bit more expensive than the granges and you should be expecting to pay 5-6€ for breakfast.

After our continental breakfast we might feel like seeing something of cultural interest so that we don’t waste our day. The key here is to find somewhere very close to a metro station and that we don’t have to queue in the rain. Arts Santa Mònica Museum is a perfect place for that. A few yards away from the Drassanes Metro stop (L3) at the bottom of the Ramblas, we can go to this interesting museum that explores all fields of art, science and communication.

The temporary exhibitions are of great interest, whether it’s art, photography, video, sculpture or other means of communication. For more information, visit their official website and check out their programme: http://www.artsantamonica.net/

From there we can walk the short distance across the Ramblas into Carrer Escudellers and find La Fonda at number 10, an excellent place for lunch with Catalan and Mediterranean cuisine. Low prices, great service and even better food, but make sure you get there before 1pm or you’ll have to queue in the rain!
After the big lunch, we can hop on the Metro again at Drassanes and get off at Espanya, where we can find the brand-new shopping centre of Las Arenas. There, apart from all the shops where we can find anything that we want or need, is the Rock Music Museum (http://www.museudelrock.com/), where we can see some of the best rock memorabilia from all the past decades. It’s all indoors so you won’t feel a drop of rain.
After a few hours here shopping and visiting the museum, you’ll feel like going back to your apartments and relaxing for the rest of the evening, as you hear the drops of rain fall upon your window and onto the street, satisfied because you haven’t wasted a day despite the bad weather. Bliss.
Don’t let a rainy day put you off doing things when you rent apartments in Barcelona. The city has a lot to offer on rainy days so make sure you get your umbrella and go and see the city!