Whilst many will tell romantic tales of idyllic christmas markets in places such as Prague and Berlin, Barcelona hosts the Fira de Santa Llucía fair – the charming Christmas market which initially started in 1786, that has now expanded to encompass over 300 stalls selling an array of handcrafted Catalan gifts and decorations. The majority of the stalls sell Christmas trees, decorations and mistletoe in addition to Catalan folk traditions such as the cago tio, which is a log with a smiley face and then there is the caganer, which are sculpture of people (now iconic and celebrities) squatting with the trousers down excreting and literally giving back to the earth.

In addition to the mounts of Catalan nougat (torron), Christmas bread (Pa de Nadal) and lively parades you will also find a huge nativity scene and the area glistening with lights. Even if you aren’t short of a caganer, we would still say it’s worth visiting this market whilst you are in town, even if it is to just capture that wonderful Christmas feeling.

Barcelona’s Christmas markets run from November 22nd to December 23.

If you are planning visiting the city over the Christmas period, we have stylish Barcelona apartments that are great alternatives to hotels near Plaça Catalunya.