Barcelona, one of Spain’s most visited cities, draws in millions of tourists each year with its striking art and iconic architecture but one traveller has shared a detail many may not know
Europe is home to several tourist favourites, with Spain, France and Italy among the most popular. Spain, in particular, appeals to UK visitors thanks to its short flight time, vibrant culture, warm climate, scenic coastlines and budget-friendly reputation.
Spain regularly features as the leading holiday choice for Brits who frequently visit seaside and island locations, such as Majorca, Ibiza and Benidorm. Barcelona, the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, stands out as a favoured city amongst holidaymakers. Data from Statista reveals Barcelona’s hotels accommodated almost 7.9 million overnight visitors in 2024. The tourist destination is renowned for its artistic heritage and architecture.
However, residents have been taking part in protests against overtourism problems in the city angered by the effects of mass tourism on locals.
One tourist who recently travelled to Barcelona highlighted something international guests might not anticipate.
He shared a video on TikTok at the end of August displaying the rainy conditions with puddles covering the ground of a mostly deserted street and a handful of people protecting themselves from the downpour with umbrellas.
Across the footage, he sarcastically commented: “Okay Barcelona we get it, you don’t want tourists. Message received loud and clear.”
Barcelona typically sees brief rain showers during August and September but average daytime temperatures this month still reach 26°C with plenty of sunshine, according to TUI.
The tourist’s TikTok post was captioned: “The teabags I packed turned into tea in my bag.”
The video has racked up 248,200 views, 23,900 likes and nearly 150 comments at the time of writing.
One Spain local responded: “As a Catalan we really wanted the rain so sorry but we really needed it, the heat was HORRENDOUS.”
Another agreed: “In fact, the locals were waiting for this good weather after 15 days of boiling air. Enjoy it with us.”
A third TikTok user commented: “Barcelona better behave in September.”
One tourist who had visited Barcelona shared: “I was there, had to hide in the Burger King until it stopped raining.”
A second added: “It passed very quickly and honestly makes the air much more bearable! Don’t think I could handle 40C, 30 is hot enough!”
The TikTok user who posted the footage revealed in the comments that the rain shower “only lasted 30 ish minutes and it’s been sunny ever since.”
Another user, untroubled by the wet weather, noted: “A great place to visit. I love it . What’s the rain got to do with it?”.
Someone else pointed out: “Better that than the heat that comes later.” Several commenters were taken aback by the rainfall in the Spanish city at this time of year, though others pointed out that showers are actually quite normal.