Easter means many different things to the people of Barcelona. Perhaps it’s time to escape the city or to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know the city better. If you’re not quite sure what kind of break you deserve, here are some ideas for Easter plans in Barcelona (or the surrounding area).
From Easter processions to getaways, to the search for the best Mona de Pascua or chocolate workshops, concerts, or activities with kids. A world of activities that will keep you entertained this Easter long weekend.
- 2025 Easter Calendar in Barcelona: What are the holidays?
- Find your favorite Easter cake
- Attend the traditional Holy Week processions and Stations of the Cross
- Sign up for a workshop at the Chocolate Museum
- Enjoy a fun and educational family outing
- Easter Getaways
- Go see the Dance of Death in Verges
- Visit that exhibition you’ve been meaning to see
- Find your Candlelight concert
- Workshops for kids at the Banksy Museum
- Try Lenten bunyols (or learn how to make them)
- Take a culinary getaway to Badalona
- Get away to La Fageda d’en Jordà
- Gorges and natural pools: cool off in the heart of the mountains
- Hiking to enjoy nature
- Fields of flowers to enjoy spring
- Family-friendly activities to enjoy with the little ones
2026 Easter Calendar in Barcelona: What are the holidays?
Unlike most of Spain’s autonomous communities, where April 2 (Holy Thursday) is a public holiday, Catalonia will treat that day as a regular workday.
Instead, regional regulations have opted, as is traditional, for Good Friday (April 3) and Easter Monday (April 6) to complete the long weekend.
The celebration period will begin on March 29 with Palm Sunday, a day that, despite its liturgical significance, will not affect the work schedule as it coincides with the regular Sunday holiday.
Following the holidays on Friday and Monday, economic and educational activities throughout Catalonia will return to full normalcy on Tuesday, April 7. This calendar structure will facilitate long-distance travel by linking four consecutive non-school days for a large part of the population.
Go find one of the best Easter cakes of 2026
Three bakeries in Barcelona have won awards this year for the best Easter cakes of 2025. Check them out in our article and drool over the chocolate creations they’ve made.
Or take a stroll through the bakeries that have some of the coolest and tastiest Easter cakes in Barcelona
Aside from the winners, Barcelona has many bakeries that make absolutely incredible Easter cakes. Here are a few so you can plan a “cake-hunting” tour of Barcelona.
Learn all about the Mona de Pascua
Life isn’t all about eating, so here’s an article with 10 fun facts about the Easter Mona cake so you can learn where this curious tradition comes from.
Attend the traditional Holy Week processions and Stations of the Cross
Although its ceremonies aren’t as well-known as in other cities, in Barcelona you can also experience this solemn religious celebration through its Easter floats in the processions and through its Stations of the Cross.
Different districts of the city
Supermarket Hours During Holy Week in Barcelona: Which Days They’re Closed
If you’re staying in the city this Easter, you know that stocking up the pantry is almost as important as choosing the best Easter cake. With Good Friday and Easter Monday just around the corner, Barcelona’s retail landscape changes completely—and what’s open today might be closed tomorrow. To avoid the surprise of finding an empty fridge right before a family meal, it’s essential to know which supermarket chains have decided to stay open and which ones strictly observe the holidays.
In this article, we provide a complete guide to store hours for 2026, breaking down the schedules for major chains like Mercadona, Lidl, and Carrefour, as well as local options like Bonpreu. From stores with reduced hours to those express locations that become true last-minute lifesavers in tourist areas, here’s all the information you need so your Easter shopping doesn’t turn into an obstacle course across the city.
Sign up for a workshop at the Chocolate Museum
As every year, the Museo de Xocolata organizes activities for the whole family at its workshop in Ciutat Vella. The theme is obvious from a mile away, and there’s no shortage of enthusiasm: they’ll teach you how to make cookies, lollipops, and Easter cakes, providing all the necessary materials and utensils and offering step-by-step guidance so even the youngest kids won’t get lost. Plus, if you simply love chocolate but aren’t bringing the whole family, there are chocolate tastings paired with wine, cava, or beer, guided tours, and a lollipop-making workshop for adults.
Carrer del Comerç, 36 (Ciutat Vella)
Easter Getaways
Maybe it’s the worst time to choose to get out of the city, but sometimes we don’t get to choose when to leave. That’s why we’re suggesting these 21 charming towns so your wallet doesn’t suffer from plane or train fares, since they’re all close to Barcelona. Plus, if you’re looking for a day trip, we also recommend these hiking trails (some well-known, others less so) to unwind in nature on Friday, but celebrate the Passion of Christ on Sunday. All within easy reach of your city.
Near Barcelona
Go see the Dance of Death in Verges
We’ve gotten used to Halloween and the Catrinas, but right next door there are also ancient rituals that celebrate death. One of the most unique is the Dance of Death in Verges, Girona, a Holy Week tradition dating back centuries and designated a Festival of National Interest since 1983. Here we explain its entire history.
Visit that exhibition you’ve been meaning to see
Permanent, temporary, immersive exhibitions… Barcelona boasts an impressive cultural offering when it comes to exhibitions, and this Easter is your chance to visit the one you’ve been saying you want to see for months (just make sure to go before it ends).
We recommend “The Last Days of Pompeii,” the new exhibition at IDEAL Montjuïc, which combines original artifacts and reproductions with various immersive formats to offer a fresh perspective on the famous Roman city and its demise following the eruption of Vesuvius.
IDEAL Montjuïc (Palau Victòria Eugènia). Pl. de Carles Buïgas, 7
Find your Candlelight concert
The intimate Candlelight concerts have something for everyone. And when we say everyone, we mean tributes to Coldplay, The Beatles, Queen, Vivaldi, and Arctic Monkeys. If you haven’t heard of them yet, this could be one of the best discoveries of this Easter. Among the program’s offerings for these dates are tributes to Joan Manuel Serrat, Ennio Morricone, ABBA, and Ludovico Einaudi… where hundreds of candles will glow to the rhythm of classics and not-so-classics.
The most spectacular locations in Barcelona
Workshops for kids at the Banksy Museum
The Banksy Museum, a space dedicated to the street artist that displays over 150 recreations of his work, will host special activities every day during school break (through April 6, Easter Sunday) , such as a workshop to decorate your own paint cans (in addition to its regular workshops). They’re really designed for kids… but there’s nothing stopping you from being an adult and joining in.
34 Trafalgar St.
Try Lenten bunyols (or learn how to make them)
Every season of the year has its own flavors. The flavor of this time of year is that of bunyols. It’s not as if Catalan cuisine invented anything new. Dishes like this—both sweet and savory—are eaten all over the world. Each has its own unique character, but all are capable of evoking the nostalgia that only the palate knows how to elicit. There are many excellent bunyolsthroughout Barcelona, but we decided to visit the legendary Brunells bakery in the Born district to learn how they’re made.
Carrer de la Princesa, 22
Take a culinary getaway to Badalona
Not going on a trip doesn’t mean staying home day in and day out. You can take the opportunity to explore some towns along the Catalan coast—places that, in many cases, are close to Barcelona and let you disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the city. This is the case with Badalona, just a few kilometers from the capital, which offers several spots where you can enjoy a luxurious meal. We’re talking about Estupendu or Al marge, among many others. Discover them all here.
📍 Various locations
Get away to La Fageda d’en Jordà
La Fageda d’en Jordà is one of the treasures of Catalonia: not only for its beautiful landscape, but also for the rich cuisine of the La Garrotxa region. It features 21 volcanoes surrounding a vast beech forest. Additionally, the flat terrain makes for easy hikes while you enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.
📍 Carrer Fageda, s/n, 17810 Can Blanc, Girona
Gorges and natural pools: cool off in the heart of the mountains
By Easter, the warm weather starts to arrive, and the more daring among us usually take their first swim of the year (or second, if they’re the type to jump intothe sea on January 1st). The water is usually cold—let’s not kid ourselves—but it’s always worth it. So if you want to spend a day out of the city but want to avoid the beaches, we suggest visiting one of these eight natural pools where you can enjoy a swim surrounded by nature.
Various locations
Hiking to enjoy nature
If your plan is to put on your hiking boots and explore half of Catalonia, but you don’t know where to start, we suggest trying one of these eight hiking excursions near Barcelona. Along the way, you’ll find vineyards, Catalonia’s highest waterfall, riverside walks, and even Roman-era ruins. So if the Easter crowds are getting to you and you’d rather head to a quiet mountain destination to enjoy nature with your loved ones, pack your backpack, grab a hat and sunscreen, and head out for a hike in the mountains.
Fields of flowers to enjoy spring
A little getaway never hurts, especially if it’s to visit fields in bloom where, if you look up, all you’ll see is this marvelous phenomenon of nature. Near Barcelona, you can find up to eight fields with different types of flowers, from sunflowers and lavender to almond blossoms. Plus, some of them offer activities, such as an introductory workshop on tulip care or bike and hot-air balloon tours.
📍 Various locations
Family-friendly activities to enjoy with the little ones
Easter also brings school holidays, and if you have kids, you know that one of the biggest challenges during this time is not running out of ideas to keep them entertained. If you need ideas on what to do during these mini-vacations, we’ve got 20 ideas for activities to enjoy with kids this Easter.
📍 Various locations
