Barcelona
Reaching Barcelona from London emits 33.6 kg CO₂e return by rail (12h 30m each way) against 286 kg by air — 9× the carbon. It averages 25.8 °C in August and 9.0 °C in January.
Barcelona is Spain's second largest city, with a population of nearly two million people, and the capital of Catalonia. — Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0
When to go: Barcelona is warmest in August (25.8 °C), sunniest in July (13.4 h a day); coldest in January (9.0 °C). Month by month
Getting there
By air: nearest airport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat (BCN), about 15 km away. Direct from London: yes (LHR, LGW, LCY, LTN, STN). Aerobús, metro L9 Sud or Rodalies train into Barcelona. source
| From | Distance | By rail | Rail time | By air | Air time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 1,239 km | 36.6 kg | 12h 54m | 312 kg | 5h 12m |
| Berlin | 1,500 km | 44.3 kg | 18h 18m | 377 kg | 5h 30m |
| Birmingham | 1,271 km | 46.7 kg | 15h 18m | 320 kg | 5h 12m |
| Bristol | 1,177 km | 47.3 kg | 15h 30m | 296 kg | 5h 6m |
| Brussels | 1,065 km | 31.4 kg | 11h | 268 kg | 4h 54m |
| Cardiff | 1,194 km | 50.6 kg | 15h 48m | 300 kg | 5h 6m |
| Copenhagen | 1,759 km | 51.9 kg | 23h 48m | 443 kg | 5h 48m |
| Dublin | 1,469 km | — | — | 370 kg | 5h 30m |
| Edinburgh | 1,665 km | 76.5 kg | 18h 18m | 419 kg | 5h 42m |
| Frankfurt | 1,093 km | 32.3 kg | 13h 12m | 275 kg | 5h |
| Glasgow | 1,676 km | 78.2 kg | 18h 24m | 421 kg | 5h 42m |
| Leeds | 1,407 km | 55.5 kg | 16h 6m | 354 kg | 5h 24m |
| Lisbon | 1,006 km | 29.7 kg | 16h 30m | 253 kg | 4h 48m |
| Liverpool | 1,391 km | 56.6 kg | 16h 6m | 350 kg | 5h 24m |
| London | 1,139 km | 33.6 kg | 12h 30m | 286 kg | 5h |
| Madrid | 504 km | 14.9 kg | 4h | 127 kg | 4h 12m |
| Manchester | 1,384 km | 54.6 kg | 16h | 348 kg | 5h 18m |
| Milan | 726 km | 21.4 kg | 12h 18m | 183 kg | 4h 30m |
| Munich | 1,055 km | 31.1 kg | 15h 18m | 265 kg | 4h 54m |
| Newcastle | 1,536 km | 65.6 kg | 16h 48m | 386 kg | 5h 30m |
| Nottingham | 1,310 km | 47.7 kg | 15h 36m | 329 kg | 5h 12m |
| Oslo | 2,143 km | 63.2 kg | 32h 54m | 539 kg | 6h 24m |
| Paris | 830 km | 24.5 kg | 8h 12m | 209 kg | 4h 36m |
| Prague | 1,354 km | 39.9 kg | 21h 36m | 341 kg | 5h 18m |
| Rome | 862 km | 25.4 kg | 14h 24m | 217 kg | 4h 36m |
| Sheffield | 1,361 km | 51.9 kg | 15h 54m | 342 kg | 5h 18m |
| Southampton | 1,093 km | 42.6 kg | 15h 12m | 275 kg | 5h |
| Stockholm | 2,279 km | 67.2 kg | 30h 6m | 573 kg | 6h 30m |
| Vienna | 1,350 km | 39.9 kg | 20h 24m | 340 kg | 5h 18m |
| Warsaw | 1,864 km | 55.0 kg | 25h 48m | 469 kg | 6h |
| Zurich | 836 km | 24.7 kg | 13h 18m | 210 kg | 4h 36m |
The year in Barcelona
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp °C | 9.0 | 10.2 | 12.9 | 14.6 | 17.2 | 22.0 | 25.2 | 25.8 | 21.5 | 19.1 | 14.3 | 9.7 |
| Sun h/day | 7.7 | 8.6 | 10.2 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 12.3 | 13.4 | 12.2 | 10.2 | 8.9 | 7.5 | 7.7 |
| Rain mm/day | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| Sea °C | 14.2 | 13.5 | 14.0 | 15.4 | 17.8 | 22.0 | 25.3 | 27.2 | 25.2 | 23.1 | 18.2 | 15.8 |
When to go
Barcelona is warmest in August at 25.8 °C but brightest in July, averaging 13.4 hours of sun a day — the two do not always coincide, which is worth knowing before booking. Its coldest is January at 9.0 °C.
On these lists
- Warmest from London in October · #1 by train
- Warmest from London in November · #2 by train
- Sunniest from London in January · #2 by train
- Sunniest from London in October · #2 by train
- Sunniest from London in December · #2 by train
- Warmest from London in September · #3 by train
- Sunniest from London in March · #3 by train
- Sunniest from London in February · #4 by train
Three months worth booking
The same year of measurements, decided rather than tabulated. Each opens the map below on dates in that month.
Staying there
A hotel room in Spain emits about 7 kg CO₂e per night under UK Government 2026 factors — a country average per occupied room, not this or any particular hotel. 7 nights in one room adds roughly 49 kg — about 3.3× the carbon of one person getting there by rail from Madrid. Two sharing the room halve that share each; the journey does not halve.
How busy it gets
Barcelona records 6.9 overnight stays per resident a year (41,221,572 nights in 2024). Comparatively quiet by European standards.
Eurostat, nights spent at tourist accommodation by NUTS 3 region, against resident population. Shown for context only — it plays no part in which destinations appear or in what order. Eurostat does not cover the United Kingdom after 2016, nor North Africa or the Levant at all, so this figure is absent for roughly a third of the destinations here.
Where to stay in Barcelona
Places to stay in Barcelona, Spain, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.
Search places to stay in Barcelona →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.
Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.
Distances are great-circle. Rail assumes international rail at 0.01135 kg CO₂e per passenger-km with a 1.3× track detour allowance; flights use 0.12576 kg per passenger-km including radiative forcing. Journey times are modelled, not timetabled. Full method.